Večeras jedemo ribu uz salatu.

In Croatian, večeras is a fixed adverb meaning tonight or this evening. It already includes the time idea, so you do not need a preposition like on or in.

• večer = evening
• večeras = tonight / this evening

So:

• Večeras jedemo ribu. = We’re eating fish tonight.

This is different from English, where time expressions often need a preposition or a different structure.

Jedemo is the 1st person plural present tense of jesti = to eat.

It means we eat or we are eating.

The ending -mo often marks we in Croatian present tense verbs.

For example:

• jedem = I eat
• jedeš = you eat
• jede = he/she/it eats
• jedemo = we eat
• jedete = you (plural/formal) eat
• jedu = they eat

So jedemo tells you the subject is we, even if mi is not stated.

Yes. Croatian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

So:

• (Mi) jedemo ribu. = We eat fish.

Both are correct, but mi is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Mi jedemo ribu, a oni meso. = We’re eating fish, and they’re eating meat.

This is very common in Croatian.

Because ribu is the accusative singular form of riba.

The noun riba means fish, but when it is the direct object of the verb jesti (to eat), it goes into the accusative case.

• riba = nominative singular
• ribu = accusative singular

So:

• Riba je svježa. = The fish is fresh.
  Here riba is the subject.
• Jedemo ribu. = We are eating fish.
  Here ribu is the object.

This is a very important Croatian pattern.

For the same reason as ribu: salatu is the accusative singular of salata.

• salata = nominative singular
• salatu = accusative singular

In this sentence, salatu follows the preposition uz, and uz normally takes the accusative when it means with / alongside / together with in this kind of context.

So:

• uz salatu = with salad / along with salad

Here uz means something like with, alongside, or served with.

So:

• ribu uz salatu = fish with salad

Literally, uz often has the basic sense of next to / by / alongside, but in food contexts it commonly means that one item is served together with another.

Examples:

• piletina uz rižu = chicken with rice
• odrezak uz krumpir = steak with potatoes

So in this sentence, uz salatu tells you what accompanies the fish.

Croatian often uses the present tense for a planned or expected future action, especially when a time word makes the meaning clear.

So:

• Večeras jedemo ribu. can mean
  We’re eating fish tonight or We eat fish tonight.

This is very similar to English:

• Tonight we’re eating fish.

Because večeras already places the action in the future or near future, the present tense sounds natural.

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English because cases and verb endings carry a lot of grammatical information.

The neutral version is:

• Večeras jedemo ribu uz salatu.

But you could also hear:

• Jedemo večeras ribu uz salatu.
• Ribu jedemo večeras uz salatu.
• Uz salatu večeras jedemo ribu.

These versions may sound more marked or emphasize different parts of the sentence.

In everyday speech, the original sentence sounds very natural and neutral.

It can mean fish as food in general, not necessarily one whole fish.

In Croatian, singular nouns are often used in food contexts the same way English sometimes uses an uncountable noun:

• Jedemo ribu. = We’re eating fish.

This does not have to mean one fish specifically. It can simply refer to a fish dish.

The same thing happens with other foods too.

Sometimes in natural English, yes, depending on context.

A very literal translation is:

• fish with salad

But natural English might also say:

• fish and salad
• fish served with salad

The Croatian uz still carries the sense of accompaniment, so with salad is the closest match grammatically.

In practice, it modifies the whole event: the eating happens tonight.

Time adverbs like danas (today), sutra (tomorrow), večeras (tonight) commonly set the time frame for the whole sentence.

So:

• Večeras jedemo ribu uz salatu.

means the entire action of eating fish with salad takes place tonight. That is the normal interpretation.