Kad su kolica puna, više volim nositi voće u ruci nego tražiti još jednu košaricu.

Because kolica is a plural-only noun in Croatian. Even when it refers to a single shopping cart, it takes plural agreement:

• kolica su... not kolica je...
• kolica puna not kolica puno/puna in singular

So su and puna are both plural because they agree with kolica.

They both mean when here. The difference is mainly style:

• kad = shorter, very common in speech and everyday writing
• kada = a bit fuller, sometimes slightly more formal or emphatic

In this sentence, kad is completely natural.

Croatian often uses the present tense for general situations, habits, or repeated circumstances.

So Kad su kolica puna means something like:

• When the cart is full
• Whenever the cart is full

It is not just about one specific moment. It describes a usual situation.

Literally, više volim means I like/love more, but in natural English it usually corresponds to I prefer.

So:

• više volim nositi... nego tražiti...
  = I prefer carrying... rather than looking for...

A very common alternative in Croatian is radije, for example:

• Radije nosim voće u ruci nego tražim još jednu košaricu.

That means almost the same thing.

Nego is used to mean than / rather than in comparisons like this.

Here it links the two things being compared:

• nositi voće u ruci
• tražiti još jednu košaricu

So:

• više volim X nego Y = I prefer X to Y

With verbs and whole actions, nego is the normal choice.

After voljeti in this kind of structure, Croatian often uses the infinitive when the subject is the same for both verbs.

So:

• više volim nositi... nego tražiti...

means that I am the one doing both actions:

• I prefer to carry
• rather than to look for

This is very natural Croatian.

Because the sentence talks about a general preference and a usual action, not one single completed event.

• nositi = to carry, to be carrying, to carry habitually
• tražiti = to look for, to search for

If perfective verbs were used, the sentence would sound more focused on a single completed action. Here, imperfective fits much better because the speaker is describing what they generally prefer to do in that situation.

Because voće is a neuter singular mass noun, and in Croatian many neuter singular nouns have the same form in the nominative and accusative.

So:

• nominative: voće
• accusative: voće

In this sentence, voće is the direct object of nositi, but its form does not change.

Because u ruci uses u + locative, which expresses location or position: the fruit is being carried in the hand.

• u ruci = in the hand

Croatian often uses:

• u + accusative for movement into
• u + locative for being in

Here the point is not movement into the hand, but the location/way of carrying it, so u ruci is correct.

The singular simply means in one hand. That is a normal, natural way to say it.

• u ruci = in the hand / in one hand
• u rukama = in the hands

Both are possible in different contexts, but this sentence specifically presents the idea of carrying the fruit in one hand.

Here još jednu means another one or one more.

• još = still, yet, more, another, depending on context
• jednu = feminine accusative singular of jedna

So:

• još jednu košaricu = another basket / one more basket

It is a very common Croatian way to say another.

Because they are both in the accusative singular feminine.

The verb tražiti takes a direct object, so košarica must go into the accusative:

• nominative: košarica
• accusative: košaricu

And jedna has to agree with it:

• nominative: jedna
• accusative: jednu

So:

• tražiti još jednu košaricu

is grammatically matched all the way through.

They are two different shopping-related objects:

• kolica = a shopping cart / trolley
• košarica = a basket, especially a small shopping basket

So the sentence contrasts:

1. the cart is already full
2. instead of finding another basket, the speaker carries the fruit by hand

Also, košarica is a diminutive form and is the normal everyday word for a small basket.

Not completely. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but the given order sounds natural and idiomatic.

This structure works well because:

• Kad su kolica puna sets the situation first
• više volim comes early to show the speaker’s preference
• the two infinitives are then compared clearly:
  • nositi
  • tražiti

You could rearrange parts of the sentence, but the original version is smooth and standard.

Yes. That would be very natural.

For example:

• Kad su kolica puna, radije nosim voće u ruci nego tražim još jednu košaricu.

This is slightly different in structure, but the meaning is very close.

A rough distinction is:

• više volim = I prefer
• radije = rather / would rather

Both are common and correct in everyday Croatian.