Ako nam pošiljku pošalju tek sutra, nosit ćemo samo malu prtljagu.

In Croatian, after words like ako (if), it is very common to use the present tense of a perfective verb to refer to a future action.

So in:

Ako nam pošiljku pošalju tek sutra...

pošalju is formally present tense, but it means if they send it tomorrow.

This is normal Croatian grammar. English usually uses present tense after if too, but Croatian adds another layer: the verb is often perfective, because it refers to a completed future action.

The base verb here is poslati = to send.

• pošalju = they send / they will send in this kind of clause

So this is not a mistake or a weird tense shift; it is the standard way to say it.

Ako means if.

It introduces a condition:

• Ako nam pošiljku pošalju tek sutra = If they send the shipment to us only tomorrow

Then the main clause gives the result:

• nosit ćemo samo malu prtljagu = we will carry only small luggage

So the whole sentence has a standard if X, then Y structure.

Nam means to us / for us. It is the dative plural form of mi (we/us).

Here:

• pošalju nam pošiljku = they send us the shipment

Croatian often uses the dative where English uses to:

• dati nam = give to us
• poslati nam = send to us

So nam is not the subject. It is the indirect object.

Pošiljku is the accusative singular of pošiljka.

It is in the accusative because it is the direct object of pošalju:

• pošiljka = shipment, parcel, consignment
• pošiljku = the shipment, as the thing being sent

So:

• pošalju pošiljku = send the shipment

This is a very common pattern in Croatian:

• subject = nominative
• indirect object = often dative
• direct object = often accusative

Here:

• implied subject = they
• indirect object = nam
• direct object = pošiljku

Tek adds the idea of only, not until, or as late as.

So:

• sutra = tomorrow
• tek sutra = only tomorrow, not until tomorrow

It suggests delay. The speaker expected or hoped it might happen earlier, but in fact it would happen no sooner than tomorrow.

So the tone is something like:

• If they only send the shipment tomorrow...
• If they don’t send the shipment until tomorrow...

Both patterns are possible in Croatian, but they are used a bit differently in structure and style.

The future here is formed with ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će plus the infinitive.

With many verbs, when the auxiliary comes after the infinitive, the final -i of -ti is dropped in writing:

• nositi + ćemo → nosit ćemo

So:

• nosit ćemo = we will carry
• mi ćemo nositi = also we will carry

Both are correct.

In your sentence, nosit ćemo is a normal and natural choice.

Nositi usually means to carry, to wear, or sometimes to be carrying. It is often imperfective, focusing on the action itself rather than its completion.

In this sentence:

• nosit ćemo samo malu prtljagu

the idea is we will be carrying only small luggage or we will take only small luggage.

A perfective verb like ponijeti could suggest a more one-time, completed act of taking something along. Nositi here sounds natural because the sentence is about what luggage they will have/carry as a practical consequence.

So nosit ćemo fits the general meaning well.

Because it is the direct object of nosit ćemo, it is in the accusative.

The noun is:

• prtljaga = luggage, baggage

Its accusative singular is:

• prtljagu

The adjective mala must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• nominative: mala prtljaga
• accusative: malu prtljagu

So:

• samo malu prtljagu = only small luggage

Grammatically, prtljaga is singular in Croatian.

That is very similar to English luggage or baggage, which are also usually treated as uncountable.

So even though it refers to baggage in a general sense, Croatian uses a singular noun here:

• mala prtljaga = small luggage
• nosit ćemo malu prtljagu = we will carry small luggage

If you wanted to talk about individual bags, you would usually use different nouns, such as torba, kofer, and so on.

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but it is not random.

Here, nam is a clitic-like short form, and short unstressed words in Croatian tend to appear very early in the clause, often near the second position.

So:

• Ako nam pošiljku pošalju...

sounds natural.

Other word orders may also be possible depending on emphasis, but this version is neutral and standard.

The sentence roughly flows like this:

• Ako = if
• nam = to us
• pošiljku = the shipment
• pošalju = they send

This arrangement is very typical of Croatian sentence rhythm.

The subject is they, but Croatian often leaves personal pronouns out when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

• pošalju = they send

So there is no need to say oni unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

This is called a pro-drop feature: Croatian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action.

Pošalju comes from poslati, which is a perfective verb.

Perfective verbs in Croatian usually refer to an action as a whole, often as completed or reaching its endpoint.

That matters here because the meaning is:

• if they send the shipment
• not if they are sending the shipment

The sentence is talking about the completion of the sending event. That is why the perfective verb is a good fit.

A related imperfective verb would be slati (to be sending / to send repeatedly), but that would give a different nuance.

Samo means only and here it modifies malu prtljagu.

So the meaning is:

• we will carry only small luggage
• not something like we will only carry in the broader English sense

In other words, the limitation is on what they will carry, not mainly on the action itself.

So:

• nosit ćemo samo malu prtljagu = the only thing we’ll carry is small luggage / we’ll carry only small luggage