Večeras pravimo roštilj u dvorištu s obitelji.

Večeras means tonight or this evening. It is an adverb, so it tells you when something happens.

Večer is different: it is the noun evening.

So:

• večer = evening
• večeras = tonight / this evening

In this sentence, večeras sets the time for the whole action: Tonight, we’re having a barbecue...

Croatian often does not need a subject pronoun if the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Here, pravimo means we make / we are making because of the ending -mo, which marks 1st person plural.

So:

• pravim = I make
• praviš = you make
• pravimo = we make

You could say Mi večeras pravimo roštilj..., but mi is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis.

This is very normal in Croatian. The present tense is often used for a planned future action, especially when a time word like večeras makes the timing clear.

So Večeras pravimo roštilj works a lot like English:

• We’re having a barbecue tonight

It sounds natural and conversational.

An explicit future is also possible, for example Večeras ćemo praviti roštilj, but the present tense is very common for plans.

No. Here pravimo roštilj does not mean we are building a grill.

In this context, roštilj means a barbecue / barbecue food / grilling, and praviti roštilj means something like:

• to have a barbecue
• to make barbecue
• to prepare grilled food

So it is an idiomatic everyday expression.

Depending on context, roštilj can refer to:

• the grill itself
• the barbecue meal
• the barbecue event

Here it means the meal/event, not the physical object.

Because u can take different cases depending on meaning.

Here, u dvorištu means in the yard / in the courtyard, so it shows location, not movement. That requires the locative case.

• u dvorištu = in the yard → location
• u dvorište = into the yard → movement toward a place

So:

• Pravimo roštilj u dvorištu. = We’re having a barbecue in the yard.
• Idemo u dvorište. = We’re going into the yard.

After s meaning with, Croatian normally uses the instrumental case.

So:

• s obitelji = with the family / with family

The form obitelji is the correct case form of obitelj here.

Also, learners often wonder about s vs sa:

• s is the normal form
• sa is used before certain consonant combinations to make pronunciation easier

Since obitelji begins with a vowel, s obitelji is the normal choice.

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible because the case endings and verb endings already show a lot of the grammar.

The given sentence is a natural, neutral way to say it:

• Večeras pravimo roštilj u dvorištu s obitelji.

But other orders are also possible, for example:

• U dvorištu večeras pravimo roštilj s obitelji.
• Večeras s obitelji pravimo roštilj u dvorištu.

The meaning stays basically the same, but the focus changes slightly depending on what you want to emphasize.

Because Croatian does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So nouns like roštilj, dvorište, and obitelj appear without articles. Whether English would use a, the, or no article at all depends on context.

For example:

• roštilj could be a barbecue, the barbecue, or just barbecue
• u dvorištu could be in the yard or in a yard
• s obitelji could be with the family or with family

Croatian leaves that to context much more than English does.