Ako kvaka na vratima ne radi, zvat ćemo majstora.

If the door handle doesn’t work, we will call the repairman.

Breakdown of Ako kvaka na vratima ne radi, zvat ćemo majstora.

• ne: not
• raditi: to work
• htjeti: will (future auxiliary)
• na: on

Questions & Answers about Ako kvaka na vratima ne radi, zvat ćemo majstora.

Why does the sentence start with ako?

Ako means if and introduces a condition.

So the structure is:

• Ako ..., ...
• If ..., ...

In this sentence:

• Ako kvaka na vratima ne radi = If the door handle doesn’t work
• zvat ćemo majstora = we’ll call a repairman / handyman

Croatian uses ako very commonly for real, possible conditions like English if.

Why is there a comma after radi?

Because the sentence has two clauses:

• the if-clause: Ako kvaka na vratima ne radi
• the main clause: zvat ćemo majstora

In Croatian, when a subordinate clause like one introduced by ako comes first, it is normally separated by a comma.

So:

• Ako kvaka na vratima ne radi, zvat ćemo majstora.

This is standard punctuation.

Why is vratima plural when English says door?