Ako žmigavac ne radi, trebaš ga popraviti prije puta.

Ako means if. It introduces a condition:

Ako žmigavac ne radi = If the turn signal is not working

Croatian uses ako very much like English if in everyday conditional sentences.

Žmigavac usually means a turn signal / indicator / blinker on a vehicle.

It comes from a verb related to blinking/flashing, so the idea is the light that flashes when you turn.

Depending on region or context, you may also hear:

• pokazivač smjera = more formal, literally direction indicator
• žmigavac = very common everyday word

Because raditi means to work / function, and in the present tense it is negated with ne:

• radi = it works
• ne radi = it doesn’t work / it is not working

So:

• žmigavac radi = the turn signal works
• žmigavac ne radi = the turn signal doesn’t work

Nije is from the verb biti (to be), so it would not be used here. Croatian says it doesn’t work, not it is not working with to be in this structure.

Because Croatian expresses this idea with the verb raditi (to work / function) instead of using a separate verb like English is.

English:

• If the turn signal is not working

Croatian:

• Ako žmigavac ne radi
• literally: If the turn signal does not work

That is the natural Croatian way to say a device is functioning or not functioning.

Trebaš means you need to or you should in this sentence.

It is the 2nd person singular form of trebati:

• ja trebam = I need
• ti trebaš = you need
• on/ona treba = he/she needs

So:

• trebaš ga popraviti = you need to fix it / you should fix it

In context, it sounds like practical advice or instruction.

Because object pronouns like ga are usually placed in the second position area of the clause in Croatian. They are clitics, meaning they normally cannot stand in a stressed, independent position.

So the natural order is:

• trebaš ga popraviti

not usually:

• trebaš popraviti ga

Here:

• ga = it / him in the accusative
• it refers to žmigavac

This clitic placement is a very common feature of Croatian sentence structure.

Ga means it here, referring back to žmigavac.

Žmigavac is a masculine singular noun, and as the direct object it goes into the accusative. Instead of repeating the noun, Croatian uses the pronoun:

• žmigavac → ga = it

So:

• trebaš ga popraviti = you need to fix it

Important note:

• ga can also mean him
• here it clearly means it, because it refers to the turn signal

Because after trebaš Croatian commonly uses an infinitive to express what someone needs to do.

So:

• trebaš popraviti = you need to fix
• trebaš ga popraviti = you need to fix it

This works similarly to English need to + verb, except Croatian often uses just the infinitive directly after trebati.

This is about aspect, which is very important in Croatian.

• popraviti = perfective → to fix, to complete the repair
• popravljati = imperfective → to be fixing, to fix repeatedly, to work on fixing

In this sentence, the speaker means you should get it fixed before the trip, with the result completed. That is why popraviti is the natural choice.

So:

• trebaš ga popraviti prije puta = you should fix it before the trip

The focus is on the completed result, not the process.

After prije (before), Croatian uses the genitive case.

The base noun is:

• put = trip / journey / road / way

Its genitive singular is:

• puta

So:

• prije puta = before the trip

That is why it is not prije put, but prije puta.

Not always. The noun put has several meanings depending on context, such as:

• trip / journey
• way
• road
• in some expressions, even time as in one time, two times with a different usage

In prije puta, the meaning is clearly before the trip / before the journey.

Yes, but the meaning and style change slightly.

• Trebaš ga popraviti prije puta.
  = You need to / should fix it before the trip.
  This speaks directly to you.

• Treba ga popraviti prije puta.
  = It needs to be fixed before the trip or One should fix it before the trip.
  This is more impersonal and less direct.

Both are correct, but trebaš is more personal and direct.

Yes, in standard Croatian it is normal to put a comma after the subordinate clause when it comes first.

So:

• Ako žmigavac ne radi, trebaš ga popraviti prije puta.

The comma separates:

1. the condition: Ako žmigavac ne radi
2. the main clause: trebaš ga popraviti prije puta

This is similar to English punctuation in sentences like:

• If the turn signal doesn’t work, you should fix it before the trip.

A rough pronunciation is:

• žmi-ga-vats

A few sound notes:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• g is a hard g
• c in Croatian is pronounced ts

So žmigavac sounds approximately like zhmee-GAH-vats.

Not naturally in this sentence, unless you repeat the noun.

You can say:

• Trebaš ga popraviti prije puta. = You should fix it before the trip.
• Trebaš popraviti žmigavac prije puta. = You should fix the turn signal before the trip.

But if you do not repeat žmigavac, you normally need ga to show the object.

So this would sound incomplete:

• Trebaš popraviti prije puta.

That would mean only You need to fix before the trip, without saying fix what.