Prije putovanja uvijek provjerim jesu li sve sitnice u torbi.

Because prije normally requires the genitive case.

• putovanje = travel / trip (dictionary form, nominative)
• putovanja = genitive singular

So:

• prije putovanja = before the trip / before travelling

This is a very common pattern in Croatian:

• prije ručka = before lunch
• prije škole = before school
• prije sastanka = before the meeting

It can naturally suggest either idea, depending on context.

• prije putovanja can mean before the trip
• It can also feel like before travelling / before setting off

Croatian often uses a noun where English might use either a noun or an -ing form. So this phrase is flexible and idiomatic.

This is about aspect.

• provjeriti = perfective, to check as a completed action
• provjeravati = imperfective, to be checking / to check repeatedly or habitually

In uvijek provjerim, the speaker means something like:

• Whenever I’m about to travel, I do a check and complete it.

So the perfective form provjerim presents each checking event as a whole, finished action.

Compare:

• Uvijek provjerim... = I always check (each time, I perform the check)
• Uvijek provjeravam... = I am always checking / I habitually check, with more focus on the ongoing habit or process

Both can exist in Croatian, but provjerim sounds very natural here because the speaker is talking about a repeated but complete action done before each trip.

Yes, provjerim is grammatically present tense, first person singular: I check.

With perfective verbs, the present form can feel future-like in some contexts, but here it works in a habitual statement because of uvijek (always).

So:

• uvijek provjerim = I always check

It does not mean a one-time future I will check here. The adverb uvijek makes the habitual meaning clear.

Here jesu li means whether ... are.

The clause:

• jesu li sve sitnice u torbi

means:

• whether all the small things are in the bag

This is an embedded yes/no question. In English, we often use if or whether. In Croatian, li is a common way to form that kind of question.

So the structure is:

• provjerim
  • jesu li...
• I check
  • whether...

Both are related to the verb biti (to be), but jesu li is the full form and is especially common in clear, careful, standard phrasing.

• jesu li = are ...?
• su li can also appear in some contexts, but jesu li is more explicit and often preferred in teaching materials and standard usage.

Here, jesu li sve sitnice u torbi is a neat, standard way to say:

• whether all the little things are in the bag

Good question. In Croatian, sve sitnice means all the small items / all the little things, and the head noun sitnice is plural.

So the verb must also be plural:

• sitnice = plural
• jesu = are (plural)

Even though English might sometimes use everything, Croatian is literally saying all the little things, so plural agreement is required.

Sitnice is the plural of sitnica.

It usually means:

• small things
• little items
• odds and ends
• minor little belongings

In this sentence, it likely refers to the small important things you don’t want to forget when packing, such as:

• keys
• charger
• documents
• wallet
• medicine

So it sounds natural and practical, not overly formal.

Because u torbi expresses location: the things are in the bag.

Croatian uses:

• u + locative for location: in, inside
• u + accusative for motion toward something: into

So:

• u torbi = in the bag
• u torbu = into the bag

Here the speaker is checking where the items are, not moving them, so locative is needed.

Yes. It is a normal and natural order for an embedded yes/no question.

The sentence is built like this:

• Prije putovanja = before travelling / before the trip
• uvijek provjerim = I always check
• jesu li sve sitnice u torbi = whether all the little things are in the bag

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but this version is straightforward and idiomatic.

You might see other word orders in different contexts for emphasis, but this one is the most neutral.

Yes, in everyday speech many speakers would also say something like:

• ...provjerim da li su sve sitnice u torbi.

That also means ...I check whether all the little things are in the bag.

However, jesu li is often felt to be a bit more standard or stylistically neat in this kind of sentence, especially in teaching and formal writing.

So:

• jesu li = very good, standard choice
• da li su = also common, especially in speech

Yes, that is a very natural English interpretation.

Croatian does not explicitly say svakog (every) here, but because of uvijek (always), the meaning is clearly habitual:

• Before travelling / before a trip, I always check...
• naturally in English: Before every trip, I always check...

So English often makes the repeated meaning more explicit than Croatian does.