U salatu od kupusa stavljam malo octa, ulja i soli.

Because u can take different cases depending on the meaning:

• u + accusative = movement into something
• u + locative = being in something

Here, stavljam means I am putting, so there is movement into the salad. That is why Croatian uses u salatu.

Compare:

• Stavljam ocat u salatu. = I am putting vinegar into the salad.
• Ocat je u salati. = The vinegar is in the salad.

So u salatu shows direction/destination.

Salatu is accusative singular of salata.

The basic form is:

• salata = salad

After u with the meaning of movement into something, you use the accusative:

• u salatu

This is why the ending changes from -a to -u.

Croatian often uses od + genitive to express what something is made of or what kind of thing it is.

So:

• salata od kupusa = salad of cabbage / cabbage salad

Here:

• od = of / from
• kupusa = genitive singular of kupus (cabbage)

This is a very natural Croatian structure. English often uses a noun directly before another noun (cabbage salad), but Croatian usually does not do that in the same way.

Kupusa is genitive singular of kupus.

It is in the genitive because it follows od:

• od kupusa = of cabbage

The preposition od normally requires the genitive case.

So:

• kupus = cabbage
• od kupusa = of cabbage

Stavljam is the 1st person singular present tense of stavljati / staviti, meaning to put.

So stavljam means:

• I put
• I am putting
• sometimes I usually put, depending on context

In this sentence, it sounds like a general or habitual statement, such as in a recipe or when describing how you make something.

Croatian present tense often covers both English I put and I am putting.

Because they come after malo, and malo usually requires the genitive.

So:

• malo octa = a little vinegar
• malo ulja = a little oil
• malo soli = a little salt

These are all mass nouns, so Croatian uses the genitive after malo.

Base forms:

• ocat = vinegar
• ulje = oil
• sol = salt

Genitive forms here:

• octa
• ulja
• soli

Malo means a little or a small amount of.

It works like a quantity word. When Croatian uses quantity words like this, the following noun is often in the genitive.

So:

• malo octa = a little vinegar
• malo ulja = a little oil
• malo soli = a little salt

If you remove malo, the structure changes:

• stavljam ocat, ulje i sol = I add vinegar, oil, and salt

That sounds more like listing the ingredients in general, while malo emphasizes the small amount.

Because ocat changes in the genitive singular.

The forms are:

• ocat = nominative singular
• octa = genitive singular

This change may look unusual at first, but it is a normal noun inflection pattern in Croatian.

So in:

• malo octa

the word must be in the genitive because of malo.

Because soli is the genitive singular of sol.

The noun is:

• sol = salt

After malo, you need the genitive:

• malo soli = a little salt

So even though the basic form is sol, the sentence needs soli.

No, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

The given sentence is natural:

• U salatu od kupusa stavljam malo octa, ulja i soli.

But other orders are also possible, depending on emphasis. For example:

• Stavljam malo octa, ulja i soli u salatu od kupusa.
• Malo octa, ulja i soli stavljam u salatu od kupusa.

The meaning stays basically the same, but the focus shifts slightly.

The original version sounds very natural if the speaker wants to start with what they are adding it to.

No. Croatian does not have articles.

So salata can mean:

• a salad
• the salad

Which one is meant depends on context.

That is why u salatu od kupusa does not include a word for the.

Yes, often you can.

• stavljam = I put / I am putting
• dodajem = I add / I am adding

So:

• U salatu od kupusa stavljam malo octa, ulja i soli.
• U salatu od kupusa dodajem malo octa, ulja i soli.

Both are natural.
Dodajem may sound slightly more like adding an ingredient, while stavljam is a more general putting verb.

Ulja is usually pronounced roughly like OOL-ya.

The important part is lj, which is a single Croatian sound, similar to the lli in some pronunciations of million, or like a soft ly sound.

So:

• ulje = oil
• ulja = of oil

For many English speakers, lj takes practice, but OOL-ya is a good approximation.

Most likely it sounds habitual or generic, especially in a cooking context.

So it can mean something like:

• I put a little vinegar, oil, and salt into cabbage salad
• When I make cabbage salad, I add a little vinegar, oil, and salt

Because Croatian present tense can describe both a current action and a regular habit, the exact meaning depends on context. In a recipe or explanation, it is often understood as a usual step.