Kad putujemo, moja sestra uvijek nosi mali fen i dezodorans u torbi.

Kad means when.

In this sentence, Kad putujemo means When we travel or Whenever we travel. Because the sentence describes a repeated, usual situation, English often translates it better as Whenever we travel.

A few useful notes:

• kad and kada both mean when
• kad is the shorter, very common everyday form
• kada can sound a bit more formal or emphatic in some contexts

So Kad putujemo, ... is a very natural way to begin this sentence.

Croatian commonly uses the present tense for repeated or habitual actions, just like English does in sentences such as When we travel, she always brings...

So:

• putujemo = we travel / we are traveling, depending on context

Here it does not mean we are traveling right now. Instead, it expresses a general pattern:

• Kad putujemo = When we travel / Whenever we travel

This is completely normal in Croatian.

Putujemo is the 1st person plural present form of putovati = to travel.

So:

• putujem = I travel
• putuješ = you travel
• putuje = he/she/it travels
• putujemo = we travel
• putujete = you (plural/formal) travel
• putuju = they travel

Here, putujemo means we travel.

Moja sestra means my sister.

• moja = my
• sestra = sister

Croatian often uses possessive words like moj, moja, moje just as English uses my.

The form moja is used because sestra is:

• feminine
• singular
• here in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the main clause

So:

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

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

In this sentence:

• moja sestra uvijek nosi... = my sister always carries...

Putting uvijek before nosi is very natural and neutral.

You may also hear other orders, depending on emphasis, for example:

• Moja sestra nosi mali fen i dezodorans uvijek u torbi — possible, but less natural here
• Uvijek moja sestra nosi... — possible, but this gives unusual emphasis

The version in your sentence is the most normal everyday order.

Here nosi means carries.

The verb nositi can mean different things depending on context:

• nositi torbu = to carry a bag
• nositi kaput = to wear a coat
• nositi naočale = to wear glasses

In this sentence, because the objects are mali fen i dezodorans, the meaning is clearly carries.

So:

• moja sestra uvijek nosi mali fen i dezodorans = my sister always carries a small hair dryer and deodorant

Mali means small.

It agrees with fen in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• fen is masculine singular
• it is the direct object
• because it is masculine inanimate, the accusative form is the same as the nominative

So:

• mali fen = a small hair dryer

This is a good example of adjective agreement in Croatian.

They are both direct objects after nosi, so they are in the accusative case.

However, both nouns are masculine inanimate singular, and for that group, the accusative usually looks the same as the nominative.

So:

• fen → fen
• dezodorans → dezodorans

Compare that with a masculine animate noun, where the accusative usually changes:

• vidim brata = I see my brother

But with inanimate nouns:

• imam fen = I have a hair dryer
• nosim dezodorans = I carry deodorant

So the form does not visibly change, even though the case is accusative.

This is a very common Croatian case question.

After u, the case depends on meaning:

• u + locative = in / inside a place, showing location
• u + accusative = into a place, showing direction

Here, u torbi means in the bag, so it shows location. That is why Croatian uses the locative:

• torba = bag
• u torbi = in the bag

Compare:

• Dezodorans je u torbi. = The deodorant is in the bag.
• Stavlja dezodorans u torbu. = She is putting the deodorant into the bag.

So in your sentence, u torbi is correct because the idea is that she carries those things in her bag.

Croatian often leaves out possessives when they are obvious from context.

In this sentence, it is natural to understand u torbi as in her bag, because the sentence is about my sister carrying those items.

So the bare phrase:

• u torbi = in the bag

can naturally be understood as:

• u svojoj torbi = in her own bag
• or in English, simply in her bag

If you want to be more explicit, you can say:

• moja sestra uvijek nosi mali fen i dezodorans u svojoj torbi = my sister always carries a small hair dryer and deodorant in her own bag
• ... u njezinoj torbi = in her bag

Very often, though, Croatian does not need the possessive if the meaning is already clear.

Yes, i simply means and.

It joins the two nouns:

• mali fen i dezodorans = a small hair dryer and deodorant

It does not itself change the case, but both nouns are part of the object of nosi, so both are understood in the accusative.

That is why both are objects of the same verb:

• she carries a small hair dryer
• and deodorant

Because Kad putujemo is a subordinate clause placed before the main clause.

Structure:

• Kad putujemo, = subordinate clause
• moja sestra uvijek nosi mali fen i dezodorans u torbi. = main clause

Croatian normally uses a comma in this kind of sentence, just like English often does:

• When we travel, my sister always carries...

So the comma is standard and correct.

Yes, fen is a normal and very common everyday word for hair dryer.

You may also encounter more formal or descriptive expressions, but fen is what many speakers naturally say in daily life.

So:

• mali fen = a small hair dryer

This is a useful real-life vocabulary item.

A very literal translation would be:

When we travel, my sister always carries a small hair dryer and deodorant in the bag.

But more natural English would usually be:

Whenever we travel, my sister always carries a small hair dryer and deodorant in her bag.

That difference helps show two important Croatian features:

• kad + present often means whenever
• Croatian often leaves out possessives like her when they are already understood from context