Kad razgovaraš sa službenicom, govori što pristojnije.

Here kad means when.

In sentences like this, it often has a general meaning close to whenever:

• Kad razgovaraš sa službenicom... = When / Whenever you talk to the clerk...

So the sentence is giving general advice, not talking about one specific moment only.

You can also say kada. That is the longer form:

• Kad razgovaraš...
• Kada razgovaraš...

Both are correct. Kad is very common and natural.

Croatian often uses the present tense in general statements and instructions where English also uses the present:

• Kad razgovaraš... = When you talk... / When you are talking...

razgovaraš is the 2nd person singular present of razgovarati (to talk, to converse).

So the form tells you the subject is you:

• ja razgovaram = I talk
• ti razgovaraš = you talk
• on/ona razgovara = he/she talks

Here it does not mean only you are talking right now. It can also mean whenever you talk.

Because Croatian usually does not need subject pronouns unless you want emphasis or contrast.

The verb ending already shows who the subject is:

• razgovaraš = you talk
• govori = speak (command to one person)

So ti is understood automatically.

You could add ti for emphasis, but normally you would not:

• Kad ti razgovaraš sa službenicom... sounds marked or contrastive, like when you talk to the clerk...

službenicom is in the instrumental singular.

The preposition s / sa meaning with requires the instrumental case.

Base form:

• službenica = female clerk / female official / female employee

After s / sa:

• sa službenicom = with the clerk

So:

• službenica → nominative
• službenicom → instrumental singular

This is a very common pattern with feminine nouns ending in -a.

Both s and sa mean with, but sa is often used for easier pronunciation.

Croatian usually prefers sa before words beginning with sounds like:

• s
• š
• z
• ž

and sometimes before difficult consonant clusters.

Since službenicom begins with sl-, sa službenicom sounds smoother and is the normal choice.

So:

• sa službenicom = natural
• s službenicom = technically possible in some contexts, but usually avoided because it is awkward to pronounce

službenica is a feminine noun meaning something like:

• female clerk
• female office worker
• female official
• sometimes female civil servant, depending on context

The exact English translation depends on the situation.

Related forms:

• službenik = male clerk / official
• službenica = female clerk / official

So this sentence specifically refers to speaking to a woman in that role.

Here govori is a command, specifically the imperative singular of govoriti (to speak).

So:

• govori! = speak!

In this sentence:

• govori što pristojnije = speak as politely as possible

It looks the same as one present-tense form in writing, but the context makes it clear that it is an imperative.

The sentence structure is:

• Kad razgovaraš sa službenicom = when you talk to the clerk
• govori što pristojnije = speak as politely as possible

So the second part gives advice or an instruction.

Both verbs can relate to speaking, but they are not exactly the same.

• govoriti = to speak, to say
• pričati = to talk, chat, tell stories

In advice about manner of speech, govoriti is often the more natural choice:

• Govori pristojno. = Speak politely.

Pričaj pristojno is possible in some contexts, but it can sound less neutral or more informal.

So govori fits well here because the sentence is about how you should speak.

što pristojnije means:

• as politely as possible
• as politely as you can

This is a very common Croatian pattern:

• što + comparative

Examples:

• što brže = as quickly as possible
• što tiše = as quietly as possible
• što jasnije = as clearly as possible

So:

• pristojno = politely
• pristojnije = more politely
• što pristojnije = as politely as possible

A longer equivalent would be:

• što je moguće pristojnije = as politely as possible

Because Croatian uses the comparative after što in this pattern.

Compare:

• Govori pristojno. = Speak politely.
• Govori što pristojnije. = Speak as politely as possible.

So pristojno just says politely, while što pristojnije pushes the meaning toward the highest practical degree.

The comparative form is:

• pristojno = politely
• pristojnije = more politely

But in this construction it does not literally sound like an English comparison between two things. It functions idiomatically as as politely as possible.

It is addressed to one person informally.

You can see that from the verb forms:

• razgovaraš = you talk (singular, informal)
• govori = speak (command to one person)

If you wanted to say the same thing formally to one person, or to several people, you would use plural/formal forms:

• Kad razgovarate sa službenicom, govorite što pristojnije.

So the original sentence is appropriate when speaking to:

• a friend
• a child
• someone you address with ti

Because Kad razgovaraš sa službenicom is a subordinate clause introducing the situation, and the main clause follows it:

• Kad razgovaraš sa službenicom, = When you talk to the clerk,
• govori što pristojnije. = speak as politely as possible.

Croatian normally uses a comma between that kind of introductory clause and the main clause.

So the punctuation is standard and expected.

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The original is very natural:

• Kad razgovaraš sa službenicom, govori što pristojnije.

You could also reverse the order:

• Govori što pristojnije kad razgovaraš sa službenicom.

That still means the same thing.

The original version is probably the clearest for neutral advice because it sets up the situation first, then gives the instruction.

Yes, both are imperfective verbs, and that fits the sentence well.

Why imperfective works here:

• the sentence gives general advice
• it refers to a repeated or typical situation
• it focuses on the process of speaking, not one completed result

So:

• Kad razgovaraš... = whenever you are in that situation
• govori... = behave/speak in that way

Perfective verbs would not fit as naturally in this kind of broad instruction.

Yes, depending on context, it can have a sense close to:

• when talking to the clerk
• while talking to the clerk

In this sentence, the most natural English interpretation is something like:

• When you talk to the clerk, speak as politely as possible.

So it is a general time clause that sets the context for the advice.