Moj brat ne voli patlidžan, ali voli pečenu bundevu s češnjakom.

Because brat is a masculine singular noun, and the possessive pronoun moj must agree with it.

• moj brat = my brother
• moja sestra = my sister
• moje dijete = my child

So moj is the correct masculine singular form here.

Croatian normally does not use articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• brat can mean brother, a brother, or the brother
• patlidžan can mean eggplant or the eggplant, depending on context

You understand which one is meant from the situation, not from an article.

In Croatian, negation is usually formed with the separate word ne placed before the verb.

• voli = he/she likes
• ne voli = he/she does not like

So Moj brat ne voli patlidžan means My brother does not like eggplant.

It can sometimes be left out if the meaning is very clear, but repeating voli is the most natural and clear version here.

So:

• Moj brat ne voli patlidžan, ali voli pečenu bundevu...

sounds complete and balanced: doesn’t like X, but likes Y.

You may also hear omission in some contexts, but learners should usually keep the verb.

Because patlidžan is a masculine inanimate singular noun, and in the accusative singular it usually has the same form as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: patlidžan
• accusative: patlidžan

Since it is the direct object of ne voli, it is in the accusative, but the form does not change.

Compare that with masculine animate nouns, which do change:

• vidim brata = I see my brother

But:

• vidim patlidžan = I see an eggplant

Because bundevu is the direct object of voli, so it must be in the accusative singular. The adjective must agree with the noun.

Base forms:

• pečena bundeva = roasted pumpkin

Object forms:

• voli pečenu bundevu = likes roasted pumpkin

Both words change because bundeva is feminine singular, and the accusative singular is:

• bundeva → bundevu
• pečena → pečenu

Because it is the thing being liked — the direct object of voli.

In Croatian, verbs like voljeti often take the accusative:

• volim kavu = I like coffee
• voli juhu = he/she likes soup
• voli bundevu = he/she likes pumpkin

So in this sentence:

• patlidžan is accusative
• pečenu bundevu is also accusative

The difference is just that bundevu visibly changes form, while patlidžan does not.

Because the preposition s meaning with normally takes the instrumental case.

So:

• češnjak = garlic
• s češnjakom = with garlic

This is a very common pattern:

• s prijateljem = with a friend
• s mlijekom = with milk
• s češnjakom = with garlic

Both s and sa can mean with, but sa is usually used only in certain sound combinations to make pronunciation easier.

In this sentence, s češnjakom is the normal form.

You may hear sa before some words, especially where pronunciation would otherwise be awkward, but you do not use sa automatically before every consonant.

Yes, ali means but and connects two contrasting ideas.

Here the contrast is:

• he does not like eggplant
• but he does like roasted pumpkin with garlic

So ali works very much like English but.

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but not every version sounds equally natural.

The original sentence:

• Moj brat ne voli patlidžan, ali voli pečenu bundevu s češnjakom.

is neutral and natural.

You could move words for emphasis, for example:

• Patlidžan moj brat ne voli, ali voli pečenu bundevu s češnjakom.

This puts extra focus on patlidžan. But for learners, the original word order is the safest choice.

The letter č is pronounced like ch in church, but usually a bit firmer.

So roughly:

• pečenu ≈ PEH-cheh-noo

And:

• češnjakom starts with the same č sound

English speakers often confuse č and ć, but in this sentence you have č, which is the stronger ch-like sound.

Patlidžan is the standard and most common word. In some regions, especially depending on local variety or neighboring language influence, you may hear other terms, but patlidžan is the safe word to learn and use.

So in standard Croatian:

• patlidžan = eggplant / aubergine

It can mean both, depending on context.

• volim čokoladu = I love chocolate / I really like chocolate
• voli svoju obitelj = he/she loves his/her family

In this sentence, with food, voli is best understood as likes.

So:

• ne voli patlidžan = doesn’t like eggplant
• voli pečenu bundevu = likes roasted pumpkin