Jutros sam se probudila rano zbog kiše.

Jutros means this morning and refers specifically to the morning of today.

It is different from ujutro, which usually means in the morning more generally.

• Jutros sam se probudila rano. = I woke up early this morning.
• Obično se budim rano ujutro. = I usually wake up early in the morning.

So in your sentence, jutros sets the time right away.

Sam is a clitic form of biti and Croatian clitics usually go in second position in the sentence, after the first stressed word or phrase.

So:

• Jutros sam se probudila... is natural.
• You normally would not begin the sentence with sam.

This is a very common Croatian word-order rule. English speakers often expect a more fixed order, but Croatian is more flexible, especially with clitics.

The verb here is probuditi se, which means to wake up.

In Croatian, many verbs are used with se even when English does not use oneself. So se does not always need to be translated literally.

Compare:

• probuditi se = to wake up
• probuditi nekoga = to wake someone up

So:

• Probudila sam se. = I woke up.
• Probudila sam sestru. = I woke my sister up.

Probudila is the past participle, and it agrees with the speaker’s gender and number.

Here:

• probudila = feminine singular
• probudio = masculine singular
• probudili = masculine/mixed plural
• probudile = feminine plural

So this sentence was said by a female speaker.

As for word order, both sam se probudila and some other arrangements are possible, but sam must stay in the clitic position. The sentence as given is fully natural.

Croatian past tense is usually formed with:

• the present tense of biti as an auxiliary
• plus the past participle

Here:

• sam = I am / auxiliary have-like part used for past tense
• probudila = past participle

So:

• sam probudila = I woke up / I have woken up depending on context

With se, it becomes:

• sam se probudila

This is the normal way to form the past tense in Croatian.

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb form already tells you who the subject is.

In this sentence, sam already tells you it is I, and probudila also shows the speaker is feminine singular.

So ja is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Compare:

• Sam se probudila rano. = neutral, normal
• Ja sam se probudila rano. = I woke up early, maybe contrasting with someone else

Rano means early.

It is an adverb, and adverbs do not change for gender, number, or case.

So no matter who is waking up, rano stays the same:

• On se probudio rano.
• Ona se probudila rano.
• Oni su se probudili rano.

English speakers sometimes look for agreement, but adverbs in Croatian are invariable.

Because zbog requires the genitive case.

The noun kiša is the dictionary form, or nominative singular. After zbog, it changes to genitive singular:

• nominative: kiša
• genitive: kiše

So:

• zbog kiše = because of the rain

This is a very important pattern to remember: zbog + genitive

It is genitive singular.

The base noun is:

• kiša = rain

After the preposition zbog, it becomes:

• kiše

Many Croatian prepositions require a specific case, and zbog always takes the genitive.

Zbog usually means because of or due to.

It is often used with reasons or causes, and very often those causes are inconvenient or negative, such as:

• zbog kiše = because of the rain
• zbog bolesti = because of illness
• zbog gužve = because of traffic / crowds

But it is not strictly limited to negative situations. It can also just mark a reason.

Not directly in this exact structure.

• zbog is followed by a noun phrase
• jer introduces a full clause

So:

• zbog kiše = because of the rain
• jer je padala kiša = because it was raining

Both can express the reason, but the grammar is different.

Yes, Croatian word order is quite flexible.

You could also hear:

• Jutros sam se rano probudila zbog kiše.
• Zbog kiše sam se jutros rano probudila.
• Rano sam se jutros probudila zbog kiše.

The meaning stays similar, but the emphasis changes.

What usually stays important is the placement of the clitics, especially sam and se, near the beginning of the sentence.

Yes. This is a difference of aspect, which is very important in Croatian.

• probuditi se = perfective, a completed event: to wake up
• buditi se = imperfective, ongoing or repeated action: to be waking up, to wake up regularly

So:

• Jutros sam se probudila... describes one completed event this morning.
• Svako jutro se budim rano. = I wake up early every morning.

English does not mark this distinction as strongly, so learners often need time to get used to it.

Because Croatian has no articles.

English uses a and the, but Croatian does not. The meaning is understood from context.

So kiše can mean:

• rain
• the rain

depending on the situation.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the rain, but Croatian simply says kiše.

Almost the same, but one word changes:

• female speaker: Jutros sam se probudila rano zbog kiše.
• male speaker: Jutros sam se probudio rano zbog kiše.

The difference is only in the past participle:

• probudila = feminine
• probudio = masculine

That is one of the first things English speakers notice about Croatian past tense.