Kad putujem, uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom.

Kad means when.
So Kad putujem means When I travel.

In Croatian, it is very common to begin a sentence with a time clause like this, just as in English:

• Kad putujem, uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom.
• When I travel, I always carry deodorant with me.

You could also sometimes hear Kada instead of kad. They mean the same thing here, but kad is more common in everyday speech.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause.

• Kad putujem, = When I travel,
• uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom. = I always carry deodorant with me.

This is similar to English, where a comma is often used after an opening clause like When I travel, ...

Putujem is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb putovati = to travel.

So:

• putujem = I travel / I am travelling

In this sentence, it has a habitual meaning:

• Kad putujem = When I travel / Whenever I travel

Some related forms:

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

It can correspond to either in English, depending on context, but here the natural meaning is when I travel or whenever I travel.

Croatian present tense often covers both:

• general/habitual actions
• actions happening now
• actions in subordinate clauses like this one

In this sentence, because of uvijek (always), the meaning is clearly habitual:

• Kad putujem, uvijek... = Whenever I travel, I always...

Uvijek means always.

It tells you that the action is habitual or regular:

• Kad putujem, uvijek nosim...
• When I travel, I always carry...

It is placed before the verb nosim, which is a very normal position in Croatian.

The verb nositi can mean both to wear and to carry, depending on context.

Here, nosim dezodorans sa sobom clearly means:

• I carry deodorant with me
• not I wear deodorant

Why? Because dezodorans sa sobom suggests bringing it along, not wearing it.

Examples:

• Nosim jaknu. = I am wearing a jacket.
• Nosim torbu sa sobom. = I am carrying a bag with me.

So context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because dezodorans is the direct object of nosim, so it is in the accusative case.

For this noun, the accusative singular has the same form as the nominative singular:

• nominative: dezodorans
• accusative: dezodorans

This is very common with many masculine inanimate nouns in Croatian.

So although the case is accusative, the word looks unchanged.

Croatian has no articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• nosim dezodorans can mean
  • I carry deodorant
  • I carry a deodorant
  • I carry the deodorant

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is one of the big differences between English and Croatian.

Sa sobom means with oneself / with me / along with me, depending on the subject.

In this sentence:

• sa sobom = with me

The word sobom comes from the reflexive pronoun sebe.
Here it is in the instrumental case, because it follows sa (with).

So the structure is:

• sa + instrumental
• sa sobom = with myself / with oneself / with me, interpreted from the subject

Because the subject is I (shown by putujem and nosim), sa sobom means with me.

Both can sometimes be translated as with me, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• sa mnom = with me
• sa sobom = with oneself / along with oneself

In a sentence like this, nositi nešto sa sobom is a very common expression meaning:

• to carry something with you
• to have something on you / bring something along

So nosim dezodorans sa sobom is idiomatic Croatian.

If you said sa mnom, it would sound less natural here, because the idea is not just physical accompaniment, but the set expression carry something with you.

The basic preposition is s(a) = with.

In Croatian, it often appears as:

• s
• sa

The form sa is used for easier pronunciation in certain sound combinations.
Before sobom, Croatian uses sa sobom, not s sobom, because that is smoother and standard.

So:

• sa sobom = correct
• s sobom = not the normal standard form here

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others.

The original sentence:

• Kad putujem, uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom.

You could also hear:

• Kad putujem, dezodorans uvijek nosim sa sobom.
• Uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom kad putujem.

These are all understandable, but the original sounds very natural and neutral.

Croatian often moves words around for emphasis:

• uvijek can be emphasized
• dezodorans can be emphasized
• kad putujem can be placed first or last

Yes. Croatian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

• putujem already means I travel
• nosim already means I carry

So there is no need to say ja.

You could say:

• Kad ja putujem, uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom.

But this adds emphasis, something like:

• When I travel, I always carry deodorant with me.

In normal neutral speech, leaving out ja is more natural.

It describes a general habit.

The clues are:

• kad putujem = when / whenever I travel
• uvijek = always
• present tense in both verbs

So the meaning is not about one specific trip, but about what the speaker typically does.

If you wanted a one-time event, Croatian would usually express it differently and with more context.

A rough pronunciation guide for English speakers is:

• Kad ≈ kahd
• putujem ≈ POO-too-yehm
• uvijek ≈ OO-vyek
• nosim ≈ NO-see-m
• dezodorans ≈ deh-zoh-doh-rahns
• sa sobom ≈ sah SOH-bohm

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• j is pronounced like English y
• u is like oo
• e is usually like e in bed, but cleaner/shorter
• stress is not usually marked in normal writing, and learners are often understood even if stress is not perfect

It is a standard Croatian word, but it is a loanword, ultimately related to international vocabulary like deodorant.

Croatian also often uses internationally familiar words for many everyday items.
So dezodorans is completely normal and standard.

Depending on context, people might also talk about specific products like:

• sprej = spray
• roll-on
• antiperspirant

But in this sentence, dezodorans is the ordinary general word.

Not in the same way.

• Kad putujem = when / whenever I travel
• Ako putujem = if I travel

These are different meanings:

• Kad putujem, uvijek nosim dezodorans sa sobom.
  = Whenever I travel, I always carry deodorant with me.

• Ako putujem, nosim dezodorans sa sobom.
  = If I travel, I carry deodorant with me.

So kad expresses a regular situation, while ako expresses a condition.