Grablje stoje pokraj lopate iza garaže.

Because grablje is normally treated as a plural-only noun in Croatian when it means the garden tool rake. That means it behaves a bit like English scissors or pants: the meaning may be one object, but the grammar is plural.

So Croatian says:

• grablje stoje = literally the rake stand
• not grablje stoji

The same happens with modifiers too:

• ove grablje = this rake
• stare grablje = the old rake

So the plural verb is completely normal here.

Yes. Stoje is from stajati, meaning to stand / be standing.

Croatian often uses verbs like this for the position of objects:

• stajati = stand
• ležati = lie
• visjeti = hang

So Grablje stoje... sounds natural if the rake is upright, leaning, or simply positioned there. English often uses is more generally, but Croatian often prefers a more specific position verb.

A more neutral alternative would be:

• Grablje se nalaze pokraj lopate iza garaže. = The rake is located next to the shovel behind the garage.

But stoje is very normal.

Because pokraj requires the genitive case.

The dictionary form is:

• lopata = shovel

After pokraj (next to / beside), it changes to genitive singular:

• pokraj lopate = next to the shovel

So:

• nominative: lopata
• genitive: lopate

For the same reason: iza takes the genitive case.

The base form is:

• garaža = garage

After iza (behind), it becomes:

• iza garaže = behind the garage

So here we have two genitives:

• pokraj lopate
• iza garaže

Yes. Both are prepositions, and both are followed here by the genitive.

• pokraj = next to / beside
• iza = behind

So the structure is:

• pokraj + genitive
• iza + genitive

That is why both nouns after them change form.

It is correct and common, but many learners will also often hear pored.

So these are all possible:

• pokraj lopate
• pored lopate
• kraj lopate

In many everyday situations, pored feels especially common and neutral. Pokraj can sound slightly more literary or formal in some contexts or regions, though it is still perfectly natural.

You do not know from the sentence alone, because Croatian has no articles like a and the.

So grablje, lopate, and garaže can be understood from context:

• a rake
• the rake
• sometimes even some rake

The same is true for lopate and garaže. Croatian leaves that to context, word order, or a larger situation.

No. Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

Grablje stoje pokraj lopate iza garaže. is a natural neutral order, especially if grablje is the topic.

But other orders are also possible, for example:

• Iza garaže grablje stoje pokraj lopate.
• Pokraj lopate iza garaže stoje grablje.

These versions may sound more marked or emphasize different information, but they are still grammatical.

So word order in Croatian often helps show focus or emphasis, not just basic grammar.

Without extra context, there is a little ambiguity.

Most likely, the whole sentence means something like:

• The rake is behind the garage, next to the shovel.

But it could also be interpreted as:

• The rake is next to the shovel that is behind the garage.

In real conversation, context usually makes this clear. If someone wants to remove the ambiguity, they can change the order or pause differently, for example:

• Iza garaže grablje stoje pokraj lopate.
• Grablje stoje iza garaže, pokraj lopate.

They are:

• grablje = rake
• stajati = to stand
• pokraj = next to / beside
• lopata = shovel
• iza = behind
• garaža = garage

This is useful because the sentence contains inflected forms:

• stoje comes from stajati
• lopate comes from lopata
• garaže comes from garaža

Both lopata and garaža are feminine nouns.

That matters because their genitive singular commonly ends in -e:

• lopata → lopate
• garaža → garaže

So the endings in this sentence are not random; they match the nouns’ gender and case.

Grammatically, grablje stoje does look plural, so a literal word-for-word translation may tempt you in that direction. But in normal Croatian, grablje usually refers to the single tool rake while still behaving grammatically as plural.

So the natural English translation is usually:

• The rake is standing next to the shovel behind the garage.

Only context would tell you if actual multiple rakes were meant.