Na stoliću je ljubičasta šalica.

Because na here means on, and with a static location Croatian normally uses the locative case.

• base form: stolić = small table / little table
• locative singular: stoliću = on the small table

So:

• na stoliću = on the small table

If it were movement onto the table, Croatian would usually use the accusative instead:

• Stavio sam šalicu na stolić. = I put the cup onto the small table.

So the difference is:

• na stoliću = location, already there
• na stolić = motion toward/onto it

Here na means on.

Croatian na can often mean:

• on
• at
• sometimes even to, depending on the context and case used

In this sentence, because it is followed by the locative (stoliću), it means a fixed position:

• Na stoliću = On the small table

This is a very common Croatian pattern:

• na stolu = on the table
• na krevetu = on the bed
• na polici = on the shelf

Because Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence:

• Na stoliću je ljubičasta šalica.

literally looks like:

• On the small table is a purple cup.

This is completely natural in Croatian. The sentence starts with the location, which is often what the speaker wants to introduce first.

You could also say:

• Ljubičasta šalica je na stoliću.

That is also correct, but it sounds a bit different in emphasis:

• Na stoliću je ljubičasta šalica. → focuses first on the location
• Ljubičasta šalica je na stoliću. → focuses first on the cup

So the word order is not random; it helps show what the speaker is highlighting.

Because the adjective must agree with the noun šalica.

Šalica is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative in this sentence

So the adjective also has to be:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

That gives:

• ljubičasta šalica = purple cup

Compare:

• ljubičast stol = purple table
• ljubičasta šalica = purple cup
• ljubičasto more = purple sea

And in another case:

• Vidim ljubičastu šalicu. = I see a purple cup.

There it becomes ljubičastu because the noun phrase is in the accusative.

Because šalica is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

In this sentence:

• Na stoliću = location phrase
• je = is
• ljubičasta šalica = the thing that is on the table

So ljubičasta šalica is the subject, and subjects normally go in the nominative:

• šalica = nominative
• šalicu = accusative

Compare:

• Na stoliću je ljubičasta šalica. = There is a purple cup on the small table.
• Vidim ljubičastu šalicu. = I see a purple cup.

Not exactly.

• stol = table
• stolić = small table, often a little table, side table, or coffee table

The ending -ić is a common diminutive ending in Croatian. It often makes a word sound smaller, cuter, or more informal.

So:

• stol = table
• stolić = little/small table

In many contexts, English would naturally translate stolić as:

• small table
• side table
• coffee table

depending on the situation.

Because Croatian has no articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• šalica can mean a cup, the cup, or just cup
• the exact meaning depends on context

In this sentence, English might translate it as:

• There is a purple cup on the small table.
• The purple cup is on the small table.

Both are possible depending on the situation.

Croatian usually shows definiteness through:

• context
• word order
• stress/emphasis
• sometimes demonstratives like ta (that) or ova (this)

For example:

• Na stoliću je šalica. = There is a cup on the small table.
• Na stoliću je ta šalica. = That cup is on the small table.

Yes, very naturally.

Although the sentence literally contains is, Croatian often uses this structure the way English uses there is.

So:

• Na stoliću je ljubičasta šalica.

can be understood as either:

• A purple cup is on the small table.
• There is a purple cup on the small table.

The Croatian sentence does not need a separate word for there in this kind of existential/location sentence.

A few sounds here are especially important:

• š sounds like sh in shoe
• č sounds roughly like ch in church
• ć is a softer sound than č; many learners start by making it a softer ch
• lj is like the lli in million for many English speakers, though not exactly the same

Rough learner-friendly pronunciation:

• stoliću ≈ sto-LEE-chu (with a soft ch)
• ljubičasta ≈ LYU-bee-cha-sta
• šalica ≈ SHA-lee-tsa

Also, Croatian stress can vary by dialect and standard accent rules are more detailed than most beginners need at first, so it is usually enough early on to focus on clear vowels and consonants.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• na stoliću = on the small table / little table
• na stolu = on the table

So the difference is not grammatical but lexical:

• stol = table
• stolić = small table, side table, coffee table

If the object really is a smaller table, stoliću is the better choice.

Yes, in a normal present-tense sentence like this, je is needed.

Croatian does sometimes omit forms of to be in certain styles, especially in headlines, notes, or very informal speech, but in a standard full sentence you say:

• Na stoliću je ljubičasta šalica.

not normally:

• Na stoliću ljubičasta šalica.

So for learners, the safe rule is:

• in present-tense statements like this, keep je

It is in the nominative singular.

You can tell because:

• šalica is the subject
• ljubičasta agrees with it

So both words match in:

• gender: feminine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

This is a core Croatian pattern: adjectives agree with the nouns they describe.

So in this sentence you have two different case areas:

• na stoliću = locative
• ljubičasta šalica = nominative

That mix is very common in Croatian sentences.