Noću često kašljem, pa ne mogu dobro spavati.

Noću means at night / during the night.

• noć = night (the noun)
• noću = an adverbial form meaning at night

So in this sentence, Noću često kašljem means I often cough at night.

A learner may expect a preposition, like u noći, but Croatian often uses noću by itself for this idea.

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

Here, kašljem means I cough and mogu means I can, so the subject ja is understood automatically.

You could say Ja noću često kašljem, but it is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis.

Kašljem is the 1st person singular present tense form of kašljati (to cough).

This verb does not form the present tense with -am. Its present forms are:

• kašljem = I cough
• kašlješ = you cough
• kašlje = he/she/it coughs
• kašljemo = we cough
• kašljete = you cough
• kašlju = they cough

So često kašljem simply means I often cough.

Često means often. It is an adverb of frequency.

In Noću često kašljem, it modifies kašljem and tells you how often the coughing happens.

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, so you may also see:

• Često noću kašljem
• Kašljem često noću

But the given order sounds natural and clear.

Here pa means so, therefore, or and so.

It connects the two ideas:

• Noću često kašljem
• pa ne mogu dobro spavati

So the coughing leads to the sleeping problem.

In everyday Croatian, pa is very common and often sounds more natural in conversation than a more formal connector.

Yes, in a sentence like this, the comma is standard.

The sentence has two clauses:

• Noću često kašljem
• pa ne mogu dobro spavati

The comma helps show the pause and the link between the two parts.

Croatian usually forms verbal negation with ne + verb.

So:

• mogu = I can
• ne mogu = I cannot / I can’t

This is very normal Croatian structure. The negative particle ne is written separately from most verbs.

After a modal verb like moći (can / to be able to), Croatian uses the infinitive.

So:

• mogu spavati = I can sleep
• ne mogu dobro spavati = I can’t sleep well

You do not say mogu spavam in standard Croatian.

This is similar to English:

• I can sleep not
• I can sleeping

Dobro spavati means to sleep well.

Here dobro is an adverb modifying spavati:

• dobro = well
• spavati = to sleep

So ne mogu dobro spavati means:

• I can’t sleep well
• I’m not able to sleep properly

Not in the same meaning.

• noću = at night / during the night
• navečer = in the evening

So if someone coughs while actually sleeping or during nighttime, noću is the right choice.

Compare:

• Noću kašljem. = I cough at night.
• Navečer kašljem. = I cough in the evening.

No, Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order, but some versions sound more natural than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Noću često kašljem, pa ne mogu dobro spavati.

Other possible versions include:

• Često noću kašljem, pa ne mogu dobro spavati.
• Noću kašljem često, pa ne mogu dobro spavati.

However, the original order is a very good neutral choice.

The sentence is in the present tense.

• kašljem = I cough / I am coughing
• mogu = I can / I am able

In Croatian, the present tense can often express a repeated or habitual action, just like in English:

• Noću često kašljem = I often cough at night

It does not necessarily mean only right now.

It sounds neutral and natural, suitable for everyday speech and also perfectly acceptable in standard Croatian.

It would fit well in situations like:

• talking to a doctor
• explaining how you feel
• casual conversation

It is not slangy, and it is not especially formal either.

Yes, you could, but the nuance is a little different.

• pa ne mogu dobro spavati = so I can’t sleep well; very natural, flowing, conversational
• zato ne mogu dobro spavati = that’s why I can’t sleep well; a bit more explicit

Both are correct, but pa is especially common in everyday connected speech.

The dictionary forms are:

• kašljati = to cough
• moći = to be able to / can
• spavati = to sleep

In the sentence, they appear as:

• kašljem = 1st person singular present
• mogu = 1st person singular present
• spavati = infinitive, because it follows mogu