Čak i da dobijem godišnji u srpnju, ostat ću u gradu dok kolegica ne završi bolovanje.

Čak i da means even if.

It introduces a concession: the speaker is saying that the main result will stay the same regardless of whether that condition happens.

• Čak i da dobijem godišnji... = Even if I get vacation/annual leave...
• Ako dobijem godišnji... = If I get vacation/annual leave...

So ako is a neutral condition, but čak i da adds the idea of it wouldn’t change anything.

After čak i da, Croatian commonly uses the present tense form to talk about a hypothetical future situation.

So dobijem here does not mean literal present-time I am getting. It means something like:

• even if I were to get
• even if I get

This is very normal in Croatian subordinate clauses. English often uses present forms in similar places too:

• Even if I get time off, I’ll stay...

So the Croatian structure is not as strange as it may first seem.

Here godišnji is short for godišnji odmor, which means annual leave or vacation from work.

In everyday Croatian, people very often shorten it:

• Imam godišnji. = I’m on vacation / I have time off.
• Dobio sam godišnji. = I got annual leave approved.

So in this sentence, dobiti godišnji means to get vacation leave / to have time off approved by work.

Because u with the meaning in for a month takes the locative case.

• dictionary form: srpanj = July
• locative form: srpnju
• u srpnju = in July

This is a common pattern with months:

• u siječnju = in January
• u travnju = in April
• u srpnju = in July

So this is just the normal way to say in July.

This is the standard Croatian way of forming the future when the infinitive comes before the auxiliary.

The verb is ostati = to stay / remain.
Future is formed with the auxiliary ću:

• Ja ću ostati = I will stay
• Ostat ću = I will stay

When the infinitive comes first, Croatian normally drops the final -i of the infinitive in writing:

• ostati → ostat ću
• raditi → radit ću
• vidjeti → vidjet ću

So ostat ću is standard.
For a learner, it is useful to remember that ostat here is not a separate dictionary form; it comes from ostati.

Because u gradu means in the city as a location, and location after u takes the locative.

• u gradu = in the city (location)
• u grad = into the city (movement toward)

So the contrast is:

• Ostat ću u gradu. = I’ll stay in the city.
• Idem u grad. = I’m going into town / to the city.

This is a very important Croatian case distinction:

• where? → often locative
• where to? → often accusative

This is one of the most common things learners ask.

Here dok ... ne ... means until. The ne is not really negating the verb in the way English not would. It is part of the normal Croatian structure for marking the end point of an action.

So:

• dok kolegica ne završi bolovanje = until my colleague finishes her sick leave

Compare:

• dok = while / as long as
• dok ne = until

For example:

• Dok radim, ne zovi me. = While I’m working, don’t call me.
• Čekat ću dok ne dođe. = I’ll wait until he/she comes.

So in your sentence, ne is grammatical, not logically negative.

Završi is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of završiti.

It means finishes / completes.

In this sentence it is used because the speaker is talking about the moment when the colleague’s sick leave ends. That is a completed event, so Croatian naturally uses the perfective verb završiti.

So:

• završiti = to finish, to bring to an end
• završi = she finishes / she will finish (depending on context)

After dok ne, this kind of present form often refers to a future endpoint:

• dok ne završi = until she finishes

Bolovanje means sick leave or medical leave from work.

It does not just mean illness in general. It specifically refers to the period when someone is officially away from work because of health reasons.

A very common expression is:

• biti na bolovanju = to be on sick leave

So:

• Kolegica je na bolovanju. = My colleague is on sick leave.
• završiti bolovanje = to finish sick leave / to come to the end of one’s sick leave

Yes. Kolegica is specifically a female colleague.

The masculine form is kolega.

So Croatian makes this distinction directly in the noun:

• kolega = male colleague
• kolegica = female colleague

In this sentence, the speaker is clearly referring to a woman because of the word kolegica.

The order is natural, but not completely fixed.

The sentence begins with Čak i da dobijem godišnji u srpnju..., which gives emphasis to the concessive idea: even if that happens...

You could also say:

• Ostat ću u gradu čak i da dobijem godišnji u srpnju.

That is still understandable and correct, but the original order sounds very natural because it sets up the condition first and then gives the result.

So the word order is flexible, but the original version has a clear and natural flow.