Možete li mi reći kada brod polazi s pristaništa i koliko traje vožnja do otoka?

Yes. Možete li mi reći means Can you tell me... and it is a polite, normal way to ask for information.

• možete = you can / can you
• li = a question particle
• mi = to me
• reći = to say / to tell

This is more polite than a very direct question. In everyday situations, it sounds natural when asking staff, ticket sellers, or strangers for help.

In Croatian, li is a question particle often used to turn a statement into a yes/no-style question.

So:

• Možete mi reći... = You can tell me...
• Možete li mi reći...? = Can you tell me...?

A key rule is that li usually comes right after the first stressed word, here Možete.

Mi is the short form of meni, meaning to me.

So:

• Možete li mi reći... = Can you tell me...
• literally: Can you say/tell to me...

Croatian often uses these short pronoun forms in everyday speech.

Because after možete (you can), Croatian normally uses the infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• možete reći = you can say / tell
• možete doći = you can come
• možete pomoći = you can help

That is very similar to English can tell, can come, can help.

Kada means when.

Yes, kad is also very common and usually means the same thing. The difference is mostly style:

• kada = a little more formal or careful
• kad = very common in everyday speech

So both of these work:

• kada brod polazi
• kad brod polazi

Brod polazi means the boat/ship departs or leaves.

• brod = boat / ship / vessel
• polazi = departs / leaves

The verb polaziti / poći is often used for scheduled departures:

• Vlak polazi u 8. = The train leaves at 8.
• Autobus polazi uskoro. = The bus departs soon.

S pristaništa means from the pier / off the dock.

Croatian often uses s(a) for movement from a surface or place conceived as a point/platform, while iz is more like out of / from inside.

So:

• s pristaništa = from the pier/dock
• iz kuće = out of the house
• iz grada = from the city

With pristanište, s is the natural choice.

Because the preposition s(a) in this meaning requires the genitive case.

So:

• nominative: pristanište
• genitive: pristaništa

That is why you get:

• s pristaništa = from the pier

This is a very common pattern in Croatian prepositional phrases.

Literally, it means how long the ride/journey lasts.

• koliko = how much / how long
• traje = lasts
• vožnja = ride / trip / journey

So the whole part:

• koliko traje vožnja do otoka = how long the trip to the island takes

Croatian often expresses duration with the verb trajati (to last).

Because do means to / up to / as far as in the sense of destination or endpoint, and it requires the genitive case.

So:

• do otoka = to the island
• do grada = to the city
• do luke = to the port

Here, vožnja do otoka means the trip to the island.

You could also see na otok in other contexts, for example:

• Idemo na otok. = We’re going to the island.

But after vožnja, do otoka is very natural for the journey to the island.

Because do requires the genitive case.

So:

• nominative: otok
• genitive: otoka

That is why you say:

• do otoka = to the island

This is one of the most important case patterns to learn: do + genitive.

Not completely. Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but some positions sound more natural than others.

The given sentence is very natural:

• Možete li mi reći kada brod polazi s pristaništa i koliko traje vožnja do otoka?

You may also hear small variations, such as:

• Možete li mi reći koliko traje vožnja do otoka i kada brod polazi s pristaništa?

But the short pronouns and particles, like li and mi, tend to follow special placement rules, so you cannot move them freely everywhere.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

MO-zhe-te li mi RE-chi KA-da brod PO-la-zi s pri-sta-NI-shta i KO-li-ko TRA-je VOZH-nya do O-to-ka

A few helpful sound notes:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• ć is a soft ch sound
• š sounds like sh
• nj sounds like the ny in canyon
• j sounds like English y

So:

• možete ≈ mo-zhe-te
• reći ≈ re-chi
• pristaništa ≈ pri-sta-ni-shta
• vožnja ≈ vozh-nya

Yes, you can, but it changes the feel a little.

• Možete li mi reći...? = clearly a polite question
• Možete mi reći...? = also common, slightly less formal, often said with rising intonation

Both are used in real life. If you want to sound safely polite, Možete li mi reći...? is an excellent choice.

Sometimes, yes. It depends on what kind of vessel you mean.

• brod = general word for boat/ship/vessel
• trajekt = ferry

If you are specifically asking about a ferry to an island, trajekt may be more precise:

• Možete li mi reći kada trajekt polazi...?

But brod is still understandable and often used more generally.

It is polite, standard, and appropriate for public situations.

You could use it when speaking to:

• ticket office staff
• harbor staff
• hotel receptionists
• strangers you do not know well

It sounds more formal than a casual question like:

• Kad brod ide?
• Kad polazi brod?

but less stiff than very official written language. It is a good, natural sentence for learners to use.