Roditelji podržavaju moju odluku da učim hrvatski, iako ne mogu uvijek doći na svaki ispit sa mnom.

Croatian does not have articles, so there is no separate word for the or a/an.

So Roditelji can mean:

• parents
• the parents
• sometimes, from context, even my parents

The exact meaning comes from context, not from an article. In this sentence, it is understood that we mean a specific set of parents.

Podržavaju is the 3rd person plural present tense form of podržavati, meaning to support.

It matches the subject Roditelji, which is plural:

• roditelj = parent
• roditelji = parents

So:

• Roditelji podržavaju = The parents support

The form is also imperfective, which fits a general or ongoing idea of support, not one single completed act.

Because podržavati takes a direct object, and direct objects usually go in the accusative case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• moja odluka = my decision (nominative)

But after podržavaju, it must become accusative:

• moju odluku

Both words change to match:

• moja → moju
• odluka → odluku

So podržavaju moju odluku means support my decision.

This da + present tense structure is very common in Croatian.

Here it explains the content of the decision:

• moju odluku da učim hrvatski = my decision to study/learn Croatian

English often uses an infinitive, like to learn Croatian, but Croatian very often uses da plus a present-tense verb instead.

So:

• da učim literally looks like that I learn/am learning
• but in natural English, it corresponds to to learn in this kind of sentence

This is a very normal Croatian pattern.

You may occasionally see an infinitive after nouns like odluka, but odluku da učim hrvatski sounds very natural and everyday.

Using da + present is often clearer and more conversational in modern Croatian. So for a learner, this sentence is a very good model to follow.

In Croatian, language names are often expressed with an adjective used on its own.

So:

• hrvatski = Croatian
• hrvatski jezik = the Croatian language

Both are correct, but the shorter form is very common. The noun jezik is simply understood.

This also happens with other languages:

• učim engleski = I’m learning English
• govori njemački = he/she speaks German

It refers to Roditelji.

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from context and verb form. Since mogu is plural, the understood subject is the previously mentioned plural noun Roditelji.

So the meaning is:

• The parents support my decision, although they cannot always come...

If the speaker wanted a different subject, Croatian would normally make that clear.

Because iako means although / even though and introduces a subordinate clause.

Croatian normally separates this kind of clause with a comma:

• ..., iako ne mogu uvijek doći...

That is standard punctuation.

Doći is perfective, while dolaziti is imperfective.

Here doći fits well because the sentence is about whether they can manage to come to each exam as a completed event. The focus is on the successful arrival.

So:

• doći = to come, to arrive, as a completed action
• dolaziti = to be coming / to come repeatedly or habitually

With mogu, Croatian very often uses a perfective infinitive when talking about being able to complete an action:

• ne mogu doći = they can’t come

Because na with the accusative is used for movement toward an event or destination.

Here the idea is:

• doći na ispit = to come to an exam

So:

• na svaki ispit = to every exam

The adjective svaki and noun ispit are in the accusative singular. For masculine inanimate nouns like ispit, the accusative looks the same as the nominative, so svaki ispit does not visibly change much.

Na svakom ispitu is locative, not accusative.

That would mean:

• at every exam

So the contrast is:

• doći na svaki ispit = to come to every exam
• biti na svakom ispitu = to be at every exam

After a verb of movement like doći, Croatian uses na + accusative here.

Both s and sa mean with.

Croatian often uses sa instead of s when pronunciation would otherwise be awkward, especially before certain consonant clusters. Sa mnom is the usual, natural form.

So:

• sa mnom = with me

You should treat sa mnom as the normal combination to remember.

It is the instrumental case of ja.

After s/sa meaning with, Croatian uses the instrumental:

• sa mnom = with me
• s tobom = with you
• s njim = with him

The form mnom is irregular, so it is best learned as a fixed expression:

• sa mnom

No. It means they cannot always come, not that they never come.

So the idea is:

• sometimes they can come
• sometimes they cannot

The word uvijek means always, and in this sentence the meaning is:

• they are not always able to come

That is an important nuance.

Not completely. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, though the given version is neutral and natural.

This sentence:

• Roditelji podržavaju moju odluku da učim hrvatski...

is a normal, unmarked way to say it.

But Croatian can move things around for emphasis. For example, putting moju odluku earlier would emphasize my decision more strongly.

The same is true for uvijek:

• ne mogu uvijek doći
• uvijek ne mogu doći

These do not feel exactly the same. The first is the natural way to say they cannot always come. So while word order is flexible, it still affects emphasis and sometimes meaning.