Kad se boji mraka, spava uz medvjedića i malu lampu.

Croatian often leaves subject pronouns out because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Here, boji and spava are both 3rd person singular, so the sentence means he/she sleeps... depending on context.

So Croatian can say:

• Kad se boji mraka, spava uz medvjedića i malu lampu.

without needing:

• Kad se on/ona boji mraka...

You only add on or ona if you want emphasis or contrast.

The verb is bojati se, which means to be afraid. It normally uses the reflexive clitic se.

So:

• bojati se = to be afraid
• boji se = he/she is afraid

In this sentence, se comes before boji because Croatian clitics usually go near the beginning of the clause, in the so-called second position:

• Kad se boji mraka...

So this is not optional. You need se with this verb.

Because bojati se takes the genitive case.

The basic noun is:

• mrak = darkness / the dark

But after bojati se, it becomes:

• mraka = genitive singular

So:

• bojati se mraka = to be afraid of the dark

This is something learners usually just memorize with the verb:

• bojati se + genitive

Kad means when here.

It is a very common, everyday form of kada. In most normal speech, kad is extremely natural.

So these are basically equivalent:

• Kad se boji mraka...
• Kada se boji mraka...

Both mean when he/she is afraid of the dark...

You can think of kad as the shorter, more conversational form.

Uz usually means something like next to, by, or sometimes alongside.

In this sentence, it gives the idea of sleeping with something nearby, physically close:

• spava uz medvjedića i malu lampu
• literally: sleeps next to a teddy bear and a small lamp

In English, we often just say sleeps with a teddy bear and a small lamp, but Croatian uses uz to express that physical closeness.

So uz is not exactly the same as English with in every situation. Here it is more spatial: beside / next to.

Because uz takes the accusative case here.

The dictionary form is:

• medvjedić = teddy bear / little bear

After uz, it becomes:

• medvjedića

That is the accusative singular form.

Also, medvjedić is a masculine animate noun, and masculine animate nouns often have an accusative singular that looks like the genitive singular.

So:

• nominative: medvjedić
• accusative: medvjedića

Not exactly. Medvjed means bear, while medvjedić is a diminutive form.

So medvjedić means:

• little bear
• and very often, in context, teddy bear

In this sentence, it clearly means teddy bear, not a real small bear.

Diminutives are very common in Croatian and often add a sense of smallness, affection, or cuteness.

Because lampu is in the accusative singular, and the adjective has to agree with the noun.

The basic forms are:

• mala lampa = a small lamp
  
  • nominative singular

But after uz, we need accusative:

• malu lampu

Agreement works like this:

• mala → nominative feminine singular
• malu → accusative feminine singular

So both the adjective and noun change together.

The conjunction i simply means and. It joins two items, but it does not choose the case.

The preposition uz controls both nouns, so both are in the accusative:

• uz medvjedića
• uz malu lampu

So the structure is basically:

• uz + noun 1 + i + noun 2

Both nouns depend on uz.

Yes, spava is present tense: he/she sleeps.

Croatian uses the present tense not only for what is happening right now, but also for:

• habitual actions
• repeated behavior
• general truths

So here it means something like:

• When he/she is afraid of the dark, he/she sleeps with a teddy bear and a small lamp.

That is a normal habitual use of the present tense.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but this order is very natural.

This sentence starts with the time/condition clause:

• Kad se boji mraka = When he/she is afraid of the dark

Then comes the main clause:

• spava uz medvjedića i malu lampu

That is a very common structure.

You may also notice that se appears early in the clause. That is because clitics like se tend to come near the beginning of their clause.

So the given word order is standard, natural, and easy to understand.

Yes. In many sentences like this, kad can imply whenever, especially when the present tense describes repeated behavior.

So:

• Kad se boji mraka, spava uz medvjedića i malu lampu.

can feel like:

• When/Whenever he/she is afraid of the dark, he/she sleeps with a teddy bear and a small lamp.

The exact nuance depends on context, but both readings are very natural.