Uvijek ostavljam bilješke na stolu, pa ih onda ujutro ponovno čitam.

Uvijek means always.

It is placed at the beginning because Croatian often puts adverbs like always, often, or sometimes near the start of the sentence when they set the general time or frequency for the whole action.

So:

• Uvijek ostavljam... = I always leave...

You could move it in some contexts, but the version here sounds very natural and straightforward.

Ostavljam is the imperfective present form of ostavljati, meaning to be leaving / to leave regularly / habitually.

That fits this sentence because it describes a repeated routine:

• I always leave notes on the table
• then I read them again in the morning

If you used ostavim, that would be from a perfective verb and would usually suggest a completed single action rather than a habitual one. In Croatian, habitual actions are very often expressed with the imperfective aspect.

Bilješke is the direct object of ostavljam, so it is in the accusative plural.

The singular noun is:

• bilješka = note

The plural is:

• bilješke = notes

For this noun, the nominative plural and accusative plural happen to look the same, so you see bilješke here.

Bilješke usually means notes in the sense of written notes, reminders, or study notes.

In this sentence, it most naturally means something like:

• written reminders
• notes you leave for yourself
• notes you plan to read again later

So it is not banknotes or musical notes here. The context makes it clear that these are written notes.

This is a very common Croatian case question.

With na, the case depends on the meaning:

• na + accusative = movement onto something
• na + locative = location on something

Here the notes are on the table, so this is a location, not movement. That is why we get:

• na stolu = on the table

Compare:

• Stavljam bilješke na stol. = I am putting the notes onto the table.
• Bilješke su na stolu. = The notes are on the table.

In your sentence, the idea is where they are left, so na stolu is natural.

Stolu is the locative singular form of stol.

• stol = table
• na stolu = on the table

The preposition na takes the locative when it describes location.

Here pa means something like:

• and then
• so
• and so

It connects the two actions in a natural sequence:

1. I leave notes on the table
2. then I read them again in the morning

So pa is not exactly the same as simple i meaning and. It often gives a sense of consequence or next step.

Ih means them and refers back to bilješke.

Instead of repeating bilješke, Croatian uses the object pronoun:

• bilješke = notes
• ih = them

So:

• pa ih onda ujutro ponovno čitam
• and then I read them again in the morning

This makes the sentence sound natural and less repetitive.

Here ih is the accusative plural form of the third-person pronoun, meaning them.

It is accusative because it is the direct object of čitam:

• čitam ih = I read them

Because ih is a clitic, and clitics in Croatian usually appear near the beginning of the clause, often in the second position.

So in:

• pa ih onda ujutro ponovno čitam

the conjunction pa comes first, and the clitic ih follows it.

This is very typical Croatian word order. English speakers often expect the pronoun later, but Croatian likes short unstressed pronouns to appear early.

Onda means then.

It helps show the sequence:

• first I leave the notes
• then I read them in the morning

In this sentence, pa and onda work together nicely:

• pa links the two actions
• onda emphasizes the next step in time

Ujutro means in the morning.

It is a fixed adverbial form used very often in Croatian. It refers to the time of day, not movement.

So:

• ujutro = in the morning

It is best learned as a whole expression.

Not exactly.

• ujutro is the normal adverb meaning in the morning
• u jutro is much less common and usually sounds more literal or context-specific

For everyday time expressions, learners should usually use:

• ujutro = in the morning
• popodne = in the afternoon
• navečer = in the evening

So in your sentence, ujutro is the natural choice.

Ponovno means again.

In this sentence:

• ponovno čitam = I read again / read over again

Croatian also often uses opet, which can also mean again.

Very roughly:

• ponovno can sound a bit more neutral or formal
• opet is very common in everyday speech

In many sentences they are interchangeable, though small stylistic differences may exist.

Čitam is imperfective and matches the habitual meaning of the whole sentence.

The sentence describes a routine:

• I always leave notes
• then I read them again in the morning

Imperfective verbs are the normal choice for repeated, ongoing, or habitual actions.

A perfective verb such as pročitati would focus more on completing the reading of the notes, not on the general habit.

Here it clearly means I read those notes again.

That meaning is supported by:

• ih = them
• ponovno = again

So the idea is:

• I leave notes on the table
• then in the morning I reread them

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but not completely free.

This sentence is very natural as written:

• Uvijek ostavljam bilješke na stolu, pa ih onda ujutro ponovno čitam.

Some parts could move for emphasis, for example:

• Uvijek ostavljam bilješke na stolu, pa ih ujutro onda ponovno čitam.
• Uvijek ostavljam bilješke na stolu, pa ih ponovno čitam ujutro.

But the original is smooth and idiomatic. The most important restriction is that the clitic ih must stay in its usual early position.

Yes. Croatian, like English, often uses the present tense for habitual actions.

So:

• ostavljam = I leave / I am leaving
• čitam = I read / I am reading

In this context, the meaning is clearly habitual because of words like:

• uvijek = always
• ujutro = in the morning

Usually the main stress would fall on the content words, while short words like ih, pa, and na are unstressed or less stressed.

A natural rhythm would be something like:

• Uvijek ostavljam bilješke na stolu, pa ih onda ujutro ponovno čitam.

The important point for learners is that ih is weak and should not usually be stressed heavily.

A couple of sounds may be tricky for English speakers:

• č in čitam is like ch in church, but usually a bit firmer
• lj in bilješke is a single Croatian sound, similar to the lli sound in some pronunciations of million
• š in bilješke is like sh in shoe

So roughly:

• čitam ≈ CHEE-tam
• bilješke ≈ BIL-yesh-keh

These are only rough guides, but they help with the main sounds.

You could map it that way word by word for learning purposes, but that would not be natural English.

A better natural English translation is:

• I always leave notes on the table, then I read them again in the morning.

Or:

• I always leave notes on the table, so I reread them in the morning.

The Croatian sentence is very natural in its own structure, especially with the early clitic ih.