Malo je vjerojatno da će pošiljka stići danas.

Literally, malo je vjerojatno means something like it is little probable or there is little probability.

In natural English, we would normally say It is unlikely. Croatian often expresses this idea with:

• vjerojatno = probable / likely
• malo = little, not much

So malo je vjerojatno = it is not very likely / it is unlikely.

A close synonym is:

• Nije vjerojatno = It is not likely

Both are natural, but malo je vjerojatno can sound a bit more formal or neutral.

Je is the 3rd person singular present of biti = to be.

So the structure is:

• malo = little
• je = is
• vjerojatno = likely / probable

Together: Malo je vjerojatno = It is unlikely.

Croatian does not need a dummy subject like English it. English says It is unlikely, but Croatian simply says Malo je vjerojatno.

Da introduces a subordinate clause, often equivalent to that in English.

So:

• Malo je vjerojatno = It is unlikely
• da će pošiljka stići danas = that the shipment will arrive today

Full sentence:

• Malo je vjerojatno da će pošiljka stići danas.
• It is unlikely that the shipment will arrive today.

In Croatian, da is very commonly used after expressions like:

• mislim da... = I think that...
• šteta je da... = it’s a pity that...
• vjerojatno je da... = it is likely that...

Croatian future tense is usually made with:

• a form of htjeti in its clitic future form (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će)
• plus the infinitive

Here:

• će = will
• stići = arrive

So:

• će stići = will arrive

Because pošiljka is 3rd person singular, the correct future clitic is će:

• pošiljka će stići = the shipment will arrive

Inside a da-clause, this is still normal:

• da će pošiljka stići danas

This is because će is a clitic, and Croatian clitics usually go in the second position of the clause.

So after da, the clitic će comes very early:

• da će pošiljka stići danas

Not:

• da pošiljka će stići danas ✘

This second-position rule is very important in Croatian. You will see the same kind of placement with other clitics too, such as:

• da se...
• da je...
• da ga...

Pošiljka is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of stići.

Structure:

• pošiljka = the shipment / parcel
• će stići = will arrive

So pošiljka is the thing doing the arriving, which makes it the subject.

Dictionary form:

• pošiljka (feminine noun)

Examples:

• Pošiljka stiže. = The shipment is arriving.
• Pošiljka će stići sutra. = The shipment will arrive tomorrow.

This is about aspect, which is very important in Croatian.

• stići is perfective
• stizati is imperfective

Stići focuses on the arrival as a completed event: reaching the destination. That is why it is natural here:

• pošiljka će stići danas = the shipment will arrive today

With a specific future result, Croatian often prefers the perfective verb.

Compare:

• Pošiljka će stići danas. = The shipment will arrive today.
• Pošiljka će stizati cijeli dan. = The shipment will be arriving all day / will keep arriving — this sounds odd for a single shipment, but it shows the ongoing or repeated sense of the imperfective.

So in this sentence, stići is the normal choice.

Historically and formally, vjerojatno is related to an adjective meaning probable/likely, but in this kind of sentence it behaves like part of an impersonal predicate:

• Vjerojatno je. = It is likely.
• Malo je vjerojatno. = It is unlikely.

So for a learner, the easiest way to understand it is:

• treat vjerojatno here as likely / probable
• together with je, it forms is likely / is probable

Do not overthink whether it is exactly an adjective or adverb in beginner stages. What matters most is that Malo je vjerojatno is a fixed, natural pattern meaning It is unlikely.

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, although some positions sound more natural than others.

Original:

• Malo je vjerojatno da će pošiljka stići danas.

You can also say:

• Malo je vjerojatno da će danas pošiljka stići.
• Danas je malo vjerojatno da će pošiljka stići.
  This puts more focus on today.

The most neutral version is usually the original one, with danas near the end.

So yes, danas can move, but moving it changes emphasis.

No, not naturally in standard Croatian in this structure.

After expressions like malo je vjerojatno, Croatian normally uses a da-clause:

• Malo je vjerojatno da će pošiljka stići danas.

English can sometimes use either:

• It is unlikely that the shipment will arrive today
• The shipment is unlikely to arrive today

Croatian usually prefers the first type:

• Malo je vjerojatno da...

You generally do not replace that with an infinitive construction here.

Not exactly, though they can overlap.

• pošiljka = shipment, consignment, dispatch, parcel in a broader/logistics sense
• paket = package, parcel, pack

Pošiljka is often used in delivery, postal, and tracking contexts, and can sound a bit more official or technical.

So in a shipping/tracking sentence, pošiljka is very natural:

• Pošiljka je poslana. = The shipment has been sent.
• Pošiljka će stići sutra. = The shipment will arrive tomorrow.

A casual speaker might sometimes say paket if they mean a physical parcel, but pošiljka fits very well here.

You can, but it will sound unnatural.

Word-for-word:

• Malo = little
• je = is
• vjerojatno = probable/likely
• da = that
• će = will
• pošiljka = shipment
• stići = arrive
• danas = today

That gives something like:

• Little is probable that the shipment will arrive today.

English does not say that naturally. The correct natural translation is:

• It is unlikely that the shipment will arrive today.

This is a good example of why Croatian should often be understood as a whole structure, not only word by word.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

• Malo ≈ MAH-lo
• je ≈ yeh
• vjerojatno ≈ vyeh-roh-YAHT-no
• da ≈ dah
• će ≈ roughly chyeh or a soft tyeh/chyeh sound
• pošiljka ≈ poh-SHEEL-yka
• stići ≈ STEE-chee with a softer ć
• danas ≈ DAH-nahs

A few sound notes:

• j is like English y
• š is like English sh
• ć is a soft sound somewhat between t and ch, softer than č
• č and ć are different sounds in Croatian, though many learners do not master the contrast immediately

The sentence stress and rhythm are fairly even compared with English.