Imate li nekakvu običnu torbu za posao, a ne samo skupe?

Imate li is a standard way to form a yes/no question in Croatian.

• imate = you have
• li = a question particle

So Imate li...? means Do you have...?

In standard Croatian, li usually comes right after the verb, which is why it is Imate li, not something like Li imate.

A very common alternative in everyday speech is Da li imate...?, but Imate li...? is shorter and often feels a bit more elegant or standard.

It can be either:

• formal singular: when speaking politely to one person
• plural: when speaking to more than one person

So in a shop, Imate li...? would normally be addressed politely to one shop assistant, like English Do you have...? when speaking respectfully.

If you were speaking informally to one friend, you would say Imaš li...?

Because it has to match torbu.

The noun torba is:

• feminine
• singular
• here in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of imate

So the adjective/pronoun also has to be feminine singular accusative:

• nekakav = masculine
• nekakva = feminine nominative
• nekakvu = feminine accusative

That is why nekakvu is the correct form here.

Nekakvu means something like:

• some kind of
• some sort of
• any kind of

In this sentence, it makes the request sound less specific and more natural, as if the speaker is saying:

• Do you have some ordinary work bag... ?
• Do you have any normal bag for work... ?

It can sound a little vaguer than neku.

Compare:

• neku torbu = some bag
• nekakvu torbu = some kind of bag / any sort of bag

Because both are in the accusative singular feminine.

Here is the pattern:

• obična torba = nominative, an ordinary bag
• običnu torbu = accusative, an ordinary bag as the object of the verb

Since torba is the thing being asked for, it is the direct object after imate, so Croatian uses the accusative:

• Imate običnu torbu. = You have an ordinary bag.
• Imate li običnu torbu? = Do you have an ordinary bag?

The adjective has to agree with the noun, so:

• obična → običnu
• torba → torbu

Not necessarily. In this context, običnu means:

• ordinary
• simple
• normal
• basic

So obična torba za posao is an ordinary/simple bag for work, not something fancy or luxury.

It does not automatically mean boring in a negative way. In a shopping context, it usually suggests something practical and not expensive-looking.

After the preposition za in this meaning, Croatian uses the accusative.

So:

• za posao = for work

The noun posao is masculine inanimate, and in the singular its accusative form is the same as the nominative:

• nominative: posao
• accusative: posao

That is why it still looks unchanged.

So the structure is:

• torba za posao = a bag for work

A ne samo introduces a contrast.

Here it means something like:

• and not just
• rather than only
• not only

So the speaker is contrasting two ideas:

• an ordinary bag for work
• expensive ones

The conjunction a often has a contrastive function in Croatian. It is not exactly the same as and in English; here it is closer to whereas / and not / but rather depending on context.

So:

• ...a ne samo skupe = ...and not just expensive ones

Because the noun after skupe is omitted, but understood.

The full idea is:

• a ne samo skupe torbe = and not just expensive bags

Croatian often leaves out a noun when it is obvious from context. So skupe stands on its own, but it really means skupe torbe.

That is why it is plural: the speaker is referring to expensive bags in general, not to one single bag.

Because it agrees with the omitted noun torbe.

If we mentally restore the full phrase, we get:

• skupe torbe

Here torbe is feminine plural, so the adjective must also be feminine plural:

• skupe

Since the noun is omitted, the adjective remains by itself, but its form still shows what kind of noun is understood.

Yes, absolutely.

• neku običnu torbu = some ordinary bag
• nekakvu običnu torbu = some kind of ordinary bag / any ordinary-ish bag

Both are possible. The difference is mostly nuance:

• neku is more neutral and common
• nekakvu can sound a bit vaguer, sometimes slightly more tentative, like just some kind of normal bag

So both are natural, but nekakvu adds a bit of I’m not asking for anything special.

Yes. In fact, that would be the fuller version.

• a ne samo skupe = natural, because torbe is understood
• a ne samo skupe torbe = more explicit

Croatian often drops repeated nouns when the meaning is already clear. English does this too:

• not just the expensive ones

So the shorter Croatian version sounds normal and idiomatic.

Yes, it sounds natural and polite.

It gives the idea that the customer wants:

• something practical
• something suitable for work
• not only expensive options

If you wanted a slightly simpler version, you could also say:

• Imate li neku običnu torbu za posao, a ne samo skupe?

If you wanted to sound a little more direct:

• Imate li običnije torbe za posao, a ne samo skupe?

But the original sentence is perfectly understandable and natural.