Usprkos umoru, sinoć smo složili komodu i očistili predsoblje.

Usprkos means despite / in spite of.

It is followed by the dative case, which is why the sentence has umoru and not umor.

• umor = tiredness, fatigue (dictionary form / nominative)
• umoru = to tiredness / despite tiredness (dative form, after usprkos)

A very similar word is unatoč, which also means despite and also takes the dative:

• Usprkos umoru
• Unatoč umoru

Both are correct.

Because usprkos requires the dative case.

The noun umor is masculine, and in the singular dative it becomes umoru.

So:

• umor = nominative
• umoru = dative

This is one of the most important things to learn with prepositions in Croatian: you often need to memorize which case comes after each one.

Sinoć means last night.

It is an adverb of time, and it does not change form.

Examples:

• Došao je sinoć. = He came last night.
• Sinoć smo radili dugo. = We worked for a long time last night.

A learner may compare it with jučer navečer (yesterday evening). They are similar, but sinoć is the more natural single-word way to say last night.

Smo is the auxiliary verb to be in the 1st person plural (we are / we have, depending on the tense structure).

In this sentence, Croatian is using the perfect tense, which is formed with:

• the auxiliary biti (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su)
• plus the past participle

So:

• smo složili = we assembled
• smo očistili = we cleaned

This is a very common past-tense pattern in Croatian.

Those are past participles agreeing with the subject.

The subject is we, understood from smo. In Croatian, the participle agrees in gender and number.

For we, the forms are:

• složili / očistili = masculine plural or mixed group
• složile / očistile = feminine plural

So this sentence suggests either:

• a mixed group, or
• a group treated as masculine plural by default

If the speakers were all female, you would normally expect:

• Usprkos umoru, sinoć smo složile komodu i očistile predsoblje.

Because Croatian often drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

Here, smo already tells you the subject is we, so mi is unnecessary.

• (Mi) smo složili komodu. Both are possible, but without mi is more natural unless you want emphasis.

You might use mi if you want contrast or emphasis:

• Mi smo složili komodu, a oni nisu. = We assembled the chest of drawers, but they didn’t.

Not always. Složiti is a very flexible verb.

Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• put together
• arrange
• fold
• assemble
• compose
• agree (in reflexive forms like složiti se = agree)

In this sentence, because the object is komodu (a chest of drawers / dresser / cabinet-like piece of furniture), složili komodu most naturally means:

• assembled the chest of drawers
• put the chest of drawers together

So the context determines the best translation.

Because komoda is the direct object of složili, so it is in the accusative case.

Komoda is a feminine noun, and its accusative singular is:

• komoda → komodu

So:

• komoda = nominative
• komodu = accusative

This is a very common feminine pattern:

• žena → ženu
• kuća → kuću
• komoda → komodu

Because predsoblje is a neuter noun, and for many neuter nouns the nominative and accusative singular are the same.

So:

• predsoblje = nominative singular
• predsoblje = accusative singular

That is why it looks unchanged, even though it is also the direct object here.

Compare:

• Vidim selo. = I see the village.
• Čistimo predsoblje. = We are cleaning the hallway/entryway.

Both selo and predsoblje are neuter, so nominative and accusative singular match.

Predsoblje usually means an entry hall, hallway, foyer, or anteroom, depending on the home and the context.

In everyday translation, English speakers often say:

• hallway
• entryway
• front hall

So očistili predsoblje means they cleaned that front entrance area of the home.

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

The original sentence:

• Usprkos umoru, sinoć smo složili komodu i očistili predsoblje.

Possible variations:

• Sinoć smo, usprkos umoru, složili komodu i očistili predsoblje.
• Sinoć smo složili komodu i očistili predsoblje usprkos umoru.
• Komodu smo sinoć složili i očistili predsoblje usprkos umoru.
  (possible, but more marked)

The meaning stays basically the same, but the emphasis changes.

Croatian often moves elements around for focus, rhythm, or style.

Because both verbs belong to the same subject and the same tense, so one auxiliary can cover both.

• smo složili
• i očistili

This is completely normal in Croatian. The second verb does not need another smo.

You could repeat it for emphasis or style, but it is usually unnecessary:

• smo složili komodu i (smo) očistili predsoblje

The version without the second smo is the natural one here.

Yes, very often you could.

Both can work for assembling furniture, though the nuance may differ a little by speaker or region.

• sastaviti komodu = assemble it from parts
• složiti komodu = put it together / assemble it

In furniture contexts, both are common and natural. A learner should just know that složiti has a wider range of meanings, while sastaviti often more clearly points to assembly.

Because Usprkos umoru is an introductory phrase placed before the main clause.

The comma helps separate:

• the background circumstance: Usprkos umoru
• from the main event: sinoć smo složili komodu i očistili predsoblje

In short:

• Usprkos umoru, ... = Despite the tiredness, ...

This punctuation is natural and standard.