U našoj obitelji je običaj da gostima damo juhu prije glavnog jela.

Because u means in here, so it takes the locative case.

• obitelj = family
• locative singular: obitelji
• naša must match obitelj in gender, number, and case, so it becomes našoj

So:

• u našoj obitelji = in our family

A useful contrast:

• u kući = in the house
• u kuću = into the house

So u + locative usually means location, while u + accusative usually means movement into something.

Because not all feminine nouns in Croatian end in -a.

Obitelj is one of the common feminine nouns that end in a consonant. That is why the adjective is feminine too:

• naša obitelj = our family
• u našoj obitelji = in our family

This can feel unusual to English speakers because the ending does not obviously show the gender, so it is something you often just have to learn with the noun.

It is a very common expression meaning it is customary or it is a tradition/custom.

Literally:

• je = is
• običaj = custom, tradition, usual practice

So U našoj obitelji je običaj... means:

• In our family, it is customary...
• or In our family, the custom is...

This is a natural Croatian way to talk about family habits or traditions.

Because Croatian often uses da + present tense where English might use an infinitive or a clause like that we...

Here:

• da gostima damo juhu = that we give/serve soup to guests

After expressions like običaj je, dobro je, važno je, želim, moram, and many others, Croatian very often uses da plus a finite verb.

So this structure is completely normal:

• je običaj da... = it is customary that...

Damo is the 1st person plural present form of dati = to give.

In this sentence, damo presents the action as a complete event: on such occasions, we give/serve the soup. That works well after običaj da...

• damo = we give / we serve
• dajemo would suggest a more ongoing or repeated-process sense

For learners, the most important thing is this: damo is natural here and does not mean past tense. It is present tense inside a da clause.

Gostima is dative plural.

The dative is used for the recipient of something:

• dati komu što = to give someone something

So in:

• gostima damo juhu

we have:

• gostima = to the guests
• juhu = soup

Singular and plural:

• gostu = to the guest
• gostima = to the guests

Because juhu is the accusative singular, and it is the direct object of the verb.

• nominative: juha = soup
• accusative: juhu

Since we give/serve what? — soup, Croatian uses the accusative:

• damo juhu = we give/serve soup

This is very typical for feminine nouns ending in -a:

• voda → vodu
• kava → kavu
• juha → juhu

Because prije requires the genitive case.

The base form is:

• glavno jelo = main course / main dish

In the genitive singular, that becomes:

• glavnog jela

So:

• prije glavnog jela = before the main course

This is worth memorizing as a pattern:

• prije + genitive

For example:

• prije ručka = before lunch
• prije škole = before school
• prije glavnog jela = before the main course

In this context, it usually means something closer to serve soup.

The verb dati literally means to give, but in real usage it can also mean:

• give
• hand
• offer
• serve

So when talking about food for guests, damo juhu is naturally understood as:

• we serve the guests soup
• or we give the guests some soup

The exact English wording depends on context, but the Croatian is perfectly natural.

No, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

The given sentence is natural:

• U našoj obitelji je običaj da gostima damo juhu prije glavnog jela.

But you may also hear slightly different orders for emphasis or style, such as:

• U našoj je obitelji običaj da gostima damo juhu prije glavnog jela.

The meaning stays basically the same. Croatian often moves short words like je around according to clitic placement rules, so learners should expect some variation.

Because Croatian has no articles like English a and the.

So Croatian simply says:

• glavno jelo = main course / the main course / a main course

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, prije glavnog jela is naturally understood as before the main course, even though there is no separate word for the.

Yes. That is a very natural translation.

The Croatian sentence allows a few good English versions, for example:

• In our family, it is customary to serve guests soup before the main course.
• In our family, it is a tradition to give guests soup before the main course.
• In our family, we usually serve guests soup before the main course.

The exact English phrasing may change, but the Croatian structure and meaning remain the same.