Ako tikvicu narežeš tanje, brže će se ispeći pokraj patlidžana.

Because tikvicu is in the accusative singular, which is the case used for the direct object.

Here, the direct object is the thing you are slicing:

• tikvica = zucchini, courgette (dictionary form / nominative)
• tikvicu = zucchini (accusative singular)

So in Ako tikvicu narežeš tanje..., the meaning is if you slice the zucchini more thinly...

Narežeš comes from the verb narezati, which means to slice up, to cut into pieces/slices.

A useful comparison is:

• rezati = to cut, to be cutting
• narezati = to cut up, to slice up completely or into pieces

So narežeš suggests not just one cut, but slicing the zucchini into thinner pieces.

It is also a perfective verb, which is important in Croatian because perfective verbs often express a completed action.

This is very normal in Croatian.

After ako (if), Croatian often uses the present tense even when English would use a future-related meaning. So:

• Ako tikvicu narežeš tanje...
  = If you slice the zucchini more thinly...

Even though it refers to a future possibility, Croatian does not need a future form there.

This is similar to English in a way, because English also says:

• If you cut it thinner, it will cook faster

  not

• If you will cut it thinner...

Tanje is the comparative adverb meaning more thinly or thinner in the sense of cutting it in a thinner way.

Compare:

• tanak = thin (adjective)
• tanko = thinly (adverb)
• tanje = more thinly (comparative adverb)

Since it describes how you slice the zucchini, Croatian uses the adverb form.

So:

• narezati tanje = to slice more thinly / to cut into thinner slices

Brže is the comparative form of brzo (quickly, fast), so it means faster.

In the sentence:

• brže će se ispeći = it will bake/cook faster

Just like tanje, this is an adverb, because it describes how fast the cooking happens.

Compare:

• brzo = quickly
• brže = faster

This is the future tense plus a reflexive verb:

• će = will
• ispeći se = to get baked / to bake through / to roast fully

So:

• brže će se ispeći = it will cook/bake faster

Croatian future tense is often formed with ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će + infinitive.

Here the infinitive is ispeći, and the reflexive particle se stays with it:

• će se ispeći

The verb ispeći means to bake, to roast, or to cook through, depending on context.

With se, ispeći se often means something like:

• to get baked
• to become properly cooked/browned
• to cook through

In this sentence, the zucchini is the thing undergoing the cooking, so se helps give that sense of it will get baked/cooked.

A natural English translation is often just:

• it will cook faster
• it will bake faster

even though Croatian uses the reflexive form.

Because Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are understood from context.

In English, you need:

• it will cook faster

In Croatian, the subject can be omitted because it is already clear that the sentence is talking about the zucchini.

So brže će se ispeći naturally means:

• it will cook faster

with it understood.

Pokraj means beside, next to, or alongside.

So:

• pokraj patlidžana = next to the eggplant / beside the eggplant

In a cooking context, this probably means the zucchini is baking or roasting in the same pan, tray, or oven space as the eggplant.

Because pokraj requires the genitive case.

So:

• patlidžan = eggplant (nominative)
• patlidžana = of the eggplant / next to the eggplant (genitive singular)

Many Croatian prepositions require specific cases, and pokraj is one of the prepositions that takes the genitive.

So:

• pokraj patlidžana = next to the eggplant

Yes, in some contexts you might also hear:

• pored patlidžana = beside the eggplant
• uz patlidžan = next to / alongside the eggplant

But pokraj is perfectly natural and means roughly beside or next to.

The exact choice depends a little on style, region, and context, but here pokraj sounds completely normal.

Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order, but this order is very natural.

The sentence is structured like this:

• Ako = if
• tikvicu narežeš tanje = you slice the zucchini more thinly
• brže će se ispeći = it will cook faster
• pokraj patlidžana = next to the eggplant

Placing brže early in the second clause emphasizes the result:

• brže će se ispeći = it will cook faster

That sounds smooth and idiomatic in Croatian.

It can sound like either, depending on context, but most naturally it expresses a general practical truth or advice:

• If you slice the zucchini thinner, it will cook faster next to the eggplant.

So it is not just about one specific occasion. It can also mean something like:

• Whenever you do that, this is what happens.

Croatian often uses this kind of structure for everyday advice, cooking instructions, and common-sense observations.

Not with exactly the same meaning.

• ako = if
• kad = when

So:

• Ako tikvicu narežeš tanje... = If you slice the zucchini more thinly...
  (conditional: maybe you do, maybe you do not)

But:

• Kad tikvicu narežeš tanje... = When you slice the zucchini more thinly...
  (more like: whenever that happens)

Both can be possible in some contexts, but ako is the correct choice if the sentence is presenting a condition.

Yes, that is a good observation.

Tikvica most commonly means zucchini / courgette, but depending on context it can sometimes be understood more broadly as a kind of squash.

In everyday cooking language, though, if someone says tikvica by itself, native speakers will usually understand zucchini/courgette.

It sounds natural and idiomatic.

A native speaker would understand it as practical cooking advice. The grammar is standard, and the choices of:

• ako
• narežeš
• tanje
• brže će se ispeći
• pokraj patlidžana

all fit together well.

A very natural English rendering would be:

• If you slice the zucchini thinner, it will cook faster next to the eggplant.

or more idiomatically:

• If you cut the zucchini into thinner slices, it will cook faster alongside the eggplant.