Stavi kuhaču pokraj lonca.

Stavi is the 2nd person singular imperative of staviti (to put, to place).

So it is the form you use when telling one person to do something:

• Stavi kuhaču... = Put the spoon...

If you were speaking to:

• more than one person, or
• one person politely,

you would usually say stavite.

Because Croatian uses different verb forms for different jobs:

• staviti = the infinitive (to put)
• stavlja = he/she/it puts or is putting
• stavi = put! (a command to one person)

So in a direct instruction, stavi is the correct form.

Yes. This is a very common question in Croatian.

• staviti is perfective
• stavljati is imperfective

In commands, the perfective form often sounds like do it once / complete the action:

• Stavi kuhaču pokraj lonca. = Put the spoon next to the pot.

If you used the imperfective imperative stavljaj, it would usually suggest repeated, ongoing, or habitual action, depending on context:

• Stavljaj kuhaču pokraj lonca. could sound more like keep putting or put it there regularly, which is not the normal meaning here.

So stavi is the natural choice for a single completed action.

Because kuhaču is in the accusative singular.

The noun kuhača is a feminine noun, and here it is the direct object of the verb stavi. In Croatian, direct objects often go in the accusative.

Declension:

• nominative: kuhača
• accusative: kuhaču

So:

• kuhača = the basic dictionary form
• stavi kuhaču = put the spoon

This is a very typical pattern for many feminine nouns ending in -a:

• nominative -a
• accusative -u

Because the preposition pokraj takes the genitive case.

The dictionary form is:

• lonac = pot

But after pokraj (beside / next to), you need the genitive:

• pokraj lonca = next to the pot

So:

• nominative: lonac
• genitive: lonca

This is normal Croatian grammar: many prepositions require a specific case, and pokraj requires the genitive.

Yes, in standard Croatian pokraj is used with the genitive.

Examples:

• pokraj kuće = next to the house
• pokraj stola = next to the table
• pokraj lonca = next to the pot

A learner should remember pokraj + genitive as a fixed pattern.

Yes. Pored lonca is a very common alternative and means basically the same thing: next to the pot / beside the pot.

Both:

• pokraj lonca
• pored lonca

are natural Croatian.

Depending on region, style, and personal preference, one may sound more common than the other, but both are standard and useful.

Croatian often does not state the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb form.

In English, you must say:

• Put the spoon...

The you is understood.

In Croatian, the verb form already shows that the command is addressed to one person:

• stavi = you (singular) put!

So there is no need to add ti.
You could say Ti stavi kuhaču pokraj lonca, but that would usually add emphasis, and in most situations it sounds unnecessary.

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more neutral than others.

The most neutral version here is:

• Stavi kuhaču pokraj lonca.

But other orders are possible, for example:

• Kuhaču stavi pokraj lonca.
• Pokraj lonca stavi kuhaču.

These can shift the emphasis:

• kuhaču first may emphasize the spoon
• pokraj lonca first may emphasize the location

So the original sentence is natural and neutral, but it is not the only possible order.

Lonac is a masculine noun. Its dictionary form ends in -ac, and nouns of this type often show a stem change in oblique cases.

So you get:

• nominative singular: lonac
• genitive singular: lonca

This is a normal pattern, not an exception you need to worry too much about. The main thing to remember is that the form after pokraj must be genitive, and for lonac that genitive singular is lonca.

Not necessarily. Like English put the spoon next to the pot, it depends on context and tone.

In Croatian, the imperative can be:

• neutral
• practical
• friendly
• rude

depending on who says it and how.

For example:

• in a recipe,
• in instructions,
• in a kitchen,
• between family members,

Stavi kuhaču pokraj lonca can sound completely normal.

If you want to sound softer, Croatian often uses other strategies, such as:

• Molim te, stavi kuhaču pokraj lonca. = Please put the spoon next to the pot.

You would use stavite instead of stavi:

• Stavite kuhaču pokraj lonca.

This can mean:

• Put the spoon next to the pot (addressing several people), or
• Put the spoon next to the pot (speaking politely to one person)

This is exactly like many other Croatian imperatives:

• stavi = singular informal
• stavite = plural or polite singular

A useful pronunciation note:

• kuhaču is pronounced roughly koo-HAH-choo

The letter č is a hard ch sound, like ch in chocolate, not like English k or s.

So:

• kuhača ≈ koo-HAH-cha
• kuhaču ≈ koo-HAH-choo

For many learners, the important thing is not to confuse č with ć, although in many everyday accents the difference may be subtle.