Kad je vrijeme lijepo, pravimo roštilj u dvorištu.

Both can sometimes translate as when, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• kad usually means when in a general or time-related sense
• ako means if

In Kad je vrijeme lijepo, pravimo roštilj u dvorištu, the idea is a habitual situation: whenever the weather is nice, we barbecue in the yard.

So kad fits well because it means something like:

• when the weather is nice
• whenever the weather is nice

If you used ako, the meaning would shift more toward a condition: if the weather is nice.

Both word orders are possible in Croatian.

• Kad je vrijeme lijepo...
• Kad vrijeme je lijepo... → this sounds unnatural
• Kad je lijepo vrijeme... → also possible

In Croatian, the verb je is a clitic, and clitics usually come in the second position of their clause. That is why je appears early:

• Kad je vrijeme lijepo

This is very natural Croatian word order.

A learner should especially remember that short forms like je, sam, si, se, etc. often follow this second-position rule.

Actually, lijepo is the correct form here because vrijeme is a neuter singular noun.

Croatian adjectives change to match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• vrijeme = neuter singular
• so lijep becomes lijepo

Compare:

• lijep dan = a nice day
• lijepa kuća = a nice house
• lijepo vrijeme = nice weather

In the sentence, lijepo agrees with vrijeme.

It is in the nominative singular.

In the clause je vrijeme lijepo, the noun vrijeme is the subject, so nominative is expected.

Basic structure:

• vrijeme = the weather
• je = is
• lijepo = nice

So the clause is built around The weather is nice.

Yes, praviti literally means to make, but in everyday Croatian, praviti roštilj is a very common expression meaning:

• to barbecue
• to have a barbecue
• literally, to make barbecue

So pravimo roštilj is idiomatic and natural.

Depending on the region, you may also hear:

• pečemo roštilj = we grill/barbecue
• radimo roštilj = we do/make a barbecue

But pravimo roštilj is perfectly normal.

In Croatian, the present tense is commonly used for habitual or general actions, just like in English:

• When the weather is nice, we barbecue in the yard.

This does not mean we are barbecuing right now. It means this is something we usually do.

So pravimo here expresses:

• a habit
• a routine
• something that happens regularly under certain conditions

It is included inside the verb form pravimo.

Croatian verbs usually show the subject clearly, so pronouns are often omitted.

• pravim = I make
• praviš = you make
• pravi = he/she makes
• pravimo = we make
• pravite = you plural / formal make
• prave = they make

So pravimo already means we make / we do.

You could say mi pravimo, but mi is usually only added for emphasis or contrast.

Dvorištu is in the locative singular.

It comes after the preposition u, which can take different cases depending on meaning:

• u + accusative = movement into
• u + locative = location in

Here the meaning is location:

• u dvorištu = in the yard / in the courtyard

So the locative is used.

Compare:

• Idemo u dvorište. = We are going into the yard. → accusative
• Roštiljamo u dvorištu. = We barbecue in the yard. → locative

Croatian uses different prepositions from English in some location expressions.

With dvorište, the usual expression is:

• u dvorištu = in the yard / in the courtyard

Even though English often says in the yard and sometimes conceptually treats open spaces differently, Croatian normally uses u here.

Using na would sound wrong or at least unnatural in standard usage with dvorište.

Roštilj can refer to a few related things:

• the grill itself
• grilled food
• a barbecue / barbecue meal

In pravimo roštilj, it usually means:

• we’re having a barbecue
• we’re making grilled food

So the noun is flexible, and context tells you the exact nuance.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are natural:

• Kad je vrijeme lijepo, pravimo roštilj u dvorištu.
• Kad je lijepo vrijeme, pravimo roštilj u dvorištu.

The second version may feel slightly more straightforward to learners because lijepo vrijeme is a very common noun phrase meaning nice weather.

The first version is also perfectly normal and means the same thing.

Yes, the comma is standard here.

The sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Kad je vrijeme lijepo

Then comes the main clause:

• pravimo roštilj u dvorištu

In Croatian, subordinate clauses introduced by words like kad, ako, dok, jer, etc. are normally separated by a comma when they come before the main clause.

So the punctuation is correct and expected.

Yes, that is actually a very helpful way to understand it.

In this sentence, kad does not just point to one specific moment. It describes a repeated pattern. So in English, the sense is often:

• When the weather is nice...
• Whenever the weather is nice...

That whenever feeling is an important part of how the sentence works.