Unatoč umoru, poslije posla još zalijevam vrt i provjeravam kompost.

Unatoč means despite or in spite of.

So Unatoč umoru means despite the tiredness or more naturally in English, despite being tired.

It is a common way to introduce contrast:

• Unatoč kiši, idemo van. = Despite the rain, we’re going out.

Because unatoč requires the dative case.

The noun umor means fatigue / tiredness. Its dative singular form is umoru.

So:

• umor = nominative
• umoru = dative

After unatoč, you use the dative:

• unatoč umoru = despite the tiredness

Yes, it sounds natural. It is a fairly standard and natural expression.

It is a bit more compact than English. English often prefers despite being tired, while Croatian can comfortably use the noun:

• unatoč umoru = literally despite tiredness/fatigue

Croatian often uses noun phrases where English might prefer a clause.

Poslije posla means after work.

Breakdown:

• poslije = after
• posla = work, in the form required after poslije

So the phrase literally means after work or after the job/workday.

Because poslije takes the genitive case.

The noun is:

• posao = job / work

Its genitive singular form is:

• posla

So:

• poslije posla = after work

This is a very common pattern:

• poslije ručka = after lunch
• poslije škole = after school

Yes. Nakon posla also means after work and is completely natural.

Both are common:

• poslije posla
• nakon posla

They are very similar in meaning. In many situations, they are interchangeable.

Here još means still.

It adds the idea that the speaker continues to do this even though you might expect them not to, especially because of the earlier phrase Unatoč umoru.

So:

• još zalijevam vrt = I still water the garden

Depending on context, još can also mean more, another, or yet, but here still is the best meaning.

Because Croatian often uses the present tense for:

• habitual actions
• regular routines
• actions happening in the current general situation

So this sentence can mean something like:

• After work, I still water the garden and check the compost.
• Even after work, I’m still watering the garden and checking the compost.

The exact English tense depends on context, but the Croatian present is perfectly normal here.

These are 1st person singular present tense forms, so they mean I water and I check.

The endings show the subject:

• zalijevam = I water
• provjeravam = I check

That is why Croatian does not need the pronoun ja here.

Also, these are imperfective verbs, which is important because the sentence describes an ongoing or habitual action, not a single completed result.

Because the sentence describes an action as ongoing, repeated, or part of a routine.

• zalijevam comes from the imperfective verb zalijevati
• provjeravam comes from the imperfective verb provjeravati

In Croatian, imperfective verbs are the normal choice for:

• habits
• repeated actions
• actions in progress

If you used a perfective verb in the present, it would usually not mean a normal present action. It often gives a future-like meaning instead.

So in this sentence, imperfective is the natural choice.

Because Croatian verb endings usually show who the subject is.

The ending -am in:

• zalijevam
• provjeravam

already tells you the subject is I.

So ja is usually omitted unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Ja još zalijevam vrt... = I still water the garden...
  This sounds more emphatic, as if contrasting with someone else.

They are the direct objects of the verbs:

• zalijevam vrt = I water the garden
• provjeravam kompost = I check the compost

In Croatian, direct objects usually go in the accusative case. But for many masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular looks exactly the same as the nominative.

So:

• vrt = nominative / accusative singular
• kompost = nominative / accusative singular

That is why they appear unchanged.

I means and.

It joins the two verbs:

• zalijevam vrt
• provjeravam kompost

Both actions have the same subject, so Croatian does not repeat anything unnecessary:

• ... još zalijevam vrt i provjeravam kompost.
• ... I still water the garden and check the compost.

No, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more natural than others.

This version is natural and neutral:

• Unatoč umoru, poslije posla još zalijevam vrt i provjeravam kompost.

You could move things around for emphasis, for example:

• Poslije posla još zalijevam vrt i provjeravam kompost, unatoč umoru.
• Još poslije posla zalijevam vrt i provjeravam kompost.

But the original order is a good standard choice because it presents the contrast clearly:

1. despite being tired
2. after work
3. I still do these tasks

It can mean either, depending on context.

In this sentence, provjeravam kompost most naturally suggests:

• checking the compost
• checking the compost pile
• checking the compost bin/container

Croatian often uses kompost in this broad practical way, just like English can.

A helpful breakdown is:

• Unatoč = despite
• umoru = tiredness / fatigue, in dative
• poslije = after
• posla = work, in genitive
• još = still
• zalijevam = I water / I am watering
• vrt = garden
• i = and
• provjeravam = I check / I am checking
• kompost = compost / the compost pile

So the full sense is: Despite being tired, after work I still water the garden and check the compost.