Iza štale vidimo ovce i jedno malo janje.

Because iza requires the genitive case, and the genitive singular of štala is štale.

• dictionary form: štala
• genitive singular: štale

So iza štale means behind the stable/barn.

In this sentence, iza takes the genitive.

So:

• iza štale = behind the stable

This is something worth memorizing: when you use iza, the noun after it normally goes into the genitive.

Vidimo is the 1st person plural present tense of vidjeti, meaning we see.

So the verb ending -mo tells you the subject is we.

• vidim = I see
• vidiš = you see
• vidi = he/she/it sees
• vidimo = we see

It is not written, because Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Here, vidimo already means we see, so mi is unnecessary.

You could say Mi vidimo..., but it is usually only added for emphasis or contrast.

Ovce is the accusative plural of ovca in this sentence, because it is the direct object of vidimo.

• dictionary form: ovca = sheep
• accusative plural: ovce

For this noun, the nominative plural and accusative plural look the same:

• nominative plural: ovce
• accusative plural: ovce

So the form itself does not change, but its role in the sentence does.

Mainly from the verb form and the sentence structure.

• vidimo means we see
• so the subject is already built into the verb: we
• that means ovce must be one of the things being seen, so it is the object

Even though ovce could also be a nominative plural form, the verb makes the sentence clear.

Because janje is a neuter singular noun, and both jedno and malo must agree with it in gender, number, and case.

• janje = neuter singular
• jedno = neuter singular form of one
• malo = neuter singular form of small/little

So:

• masculine: jedan mali...
• feminine: jedna mala...
• neuter: jedno malo...

Since janje is neuter, jedno malo janje is the correct combination.

It is in the accusative singular, because it is also a direct object of vidimo.

However, for many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular have the same form. So:

• nominative: janje
• accusative: janje

That is why the noun itself does not visibly change.

It literally means one, but in sentences like this it can also feel a bit like English a or one.

Croatian has no articles, so there is no separate word exactly like a or the.

That means:

• janje can mean a lamb or the lamb, depending on context
• jedno janje adds the idea of one lamb or a certain lamb

So jedno malo janje can sound like one little lamb, but in natural English it may sometimes be translated simply as a little lamb.

Because in Croatian, adjectives and words like jedan/jedna/jedno normally come before the noun.

So the normal order is:

• jedno malo janje
• not usually janje malo jedno

Croatian word order is flexible in some contexts, but this adjective + noun order is the standard one.

Not completely. Croatian word order is more flexible than English because case endings show grammatical roles.

This sentence begins with Iza štale to set the scene first:

• Iza štale vidimo ovce i jedno malo janje.

That is very natural.

You could also say:

• Vidimo ovce i jedno malo janje iza štale.

That version is also grammatical, but it puts the location later and changes the emphasis a little.

A useful part here is nj.

• nj is pronounced like the ny sound in canyon
• so janje sounds roughly like YAH-nyeh

Also:

• j in Croatian is like English y
• š is like English sh

So:

• štale begins with a sht sound
• janje has that ny sound in the middle