Podstanarka mora obavijestiti najmodavku ako se želi iseliti prije kraja ugovora.

Podstanarka means a female tenant / lodger / subtenant.

It is feminine because the noun ends in -a, which is a common feminine ending in Croatian. The masculine counterpart would be podstanar.

So:

• podstanar = male tenant
• podstanarka = female tenant

In this sentence, the speaker is specifically talking about a woman.

Mora obavijestiti means must inform / has to notify.

• mora = must / has to
• obavijestiti = to inform / to notify

So the structure is:

• morati + infinitive = to have to do something

Examples:

• Moram ići. = I have to go.
• Mora platiti. = He/She must pay.
• Podstanarka mora obavijestiti... = The tenant must inform...

Because najmodavku is in the accusative case, not the nominative.

The basic form is:

• najmodavka = landlady / female landlord

But after obavijestiti (to inform someone), the person being informed is a direct object, so Croatian uses the accusative:

• obavijestiti najmodavku = to inform the landlady

This is a very common pattern:

• vidim najmodavku = I see the landlady
• zovem najmodavku = I call the landlady
• obavijestiti najmodavku = inform the landlady

It actually works very similarly to English here.

In Croatian, obavijestiti takes a direct object, so the person you inform goes in the accusative.

Pattern:

• obavijestiti + accusative

Examples:

• Obavijestio je vlasnika. = He informed the owner.
• Moram obavijestiti susjedu. = I must inform the neighbor.
• Podstanarka mora obavijestiti najmodavku...

So even though English learners may expect some other case, Croatian treats the person informed as a direct object.

Because obavijestiti is perfective, and here Croatian is talking about one completed act of informing.

Croatian often uses:

• perfective verb for a single completed action
• imperfective verb for repeated, ongoing, or habitual action

So:

• obavijestiti = to inform once / successfully notify
• obavještavati = to be informing / to inform repeatedly or as a process

In this sentence, the meaning is: the tenant must give notice / notify the landlady, meaning one completed action. That is why obavijestiti fits well.

It means if she wants to move out.

Breakdown:

• ako = if
• želi = wants
• se iseliti = to move out

So literally:

• ako se želi iseliti = if she wants to move herself out

In natural English, we just say:

• if she wants to move out

The se belongs with iseliti se, which is the usual Croatian verb for to move out.

So the verb is:

• iseliti se = to move out

Not:

• iseliti alone, in this meaning

Because of that, when another verb appears, the se stays in the sentence:

• želi se iseliti = wants to move out
• mora se iseliti = has to move out
• odlučila se iseliti = she decided to move out

This is normal with reflexive verbs in Croatian.

Because se is a clitic, and Croatian clitics usually go in a very fixed position, typically near the beginning of the clause.

So Croatian prefers:

• ako se želi iseliti

rather than:

• ako želi iseliti se

This is part of normal Croatian clitic placement. Learners often notice that se does not stay attached to the infinitive in the way English speakers might expect.

You will see similar patterns with other reflexive verbs:

• Mora se odmoriti. = He/She must rest.
• Želi se preseliti. = He/She wants to move.
• Ako se želi iseliti... = If she wants to move out...

They are similar, but not identical.

• iseliti se = move out, leave a place you have been living in
• odseliti se = move away, relocate from somewhere
• preseliti se = move house, move to another home/place

In this sentence, iseliti se is especially appropriate because it focuses on leaving the rented property.

So:

• iseliti se iz stana = move out of the apartment
• odseliti se u drugi grad = move away to another city
• preseliti se u novu kuću = move to a new house

This is genitive after the preposition prije.

• prije = before
• prije requires the genitive case

So:

• kraj = end
• kraja = of the end / end (genitive)

And:

• ugovor = contract
• ugovora = of the contract (genitive)

So:

• prije kraja ugovora = before the end of the contract

This is a common pattern:

• prije sastanka = before the meeting
• prije ručka = before lunch
• prije kraja mjeseca = before the end of the month

Because kraj often takes a dependent noun in the genitive: the end of something.

So:

• kraj ugovora = the end of the contract
• kraj dana = the end of the day
• kraj godine = the end of the year

Then the whole phrase becomes genitive after prije:

• prije kraja ugovora

So there are really two layers:

1. kraj ugovora = end of the contract
2. prije kraja ugovora = before the end of the contract

Yes, that is a very literal breakdown, and it is grammatically accurate.

A more natural English translation would usually be:

• The tenant must inform the landlady if she wants to move out before the end of the contract.

Croatian often makes gender more explicit in nouns than English does. English can say tenant and landlord/landlady, while Croatian here specifically shows:

• podstanarka = female tenant
• najmodavku = female landlord in the accusative

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

The given sentence is natural and standard:

• Podstanarka mora obavijestiti najmodavku ako se želi iseliti prije kraja ugovora.

You could rearrange parts for emphasis, for example:

• Ako se želi iseliti prije kraja ugovora, podstanarka mora obavijestiti najmodavku.

That puts more focus on the condition first:

• If she wants to move out before the end of the contract...

But the original version is probably the most neutral and straightforward.

Yes. In real Croatian, learners may encounter both najmodavka and stanodavka.

Both relate to a female landlord/landlady, though usage can vary by region and context. Najmodavac / najmodavka is more directly tied to the idea of leasing / renting out, while stanodavac / stanodavka is also common in everyday language for a landlord.

So if you see either, do not be surprised. In this sentence, najmodavku is completely correct.

The structure is:

Podstanarka

• mora obavijestiti najmodavku
• ako se želi iseliti prije kraja ugovora

In parts:

• Podstanarka = subject
• mora obavijestiti = modal verb + infinitive
• najmodavku = direct object
• ako... = conditional clause
• se želi iseliti = wants to move out
• prije kraja ugovora = time expression: before the end of the contract

So the sentence is basically: [Subject] + [must inform + object] + [if-clause]

That makes it a very useful model sentence for learners.