Provjerite vodu za piće, konzerviranu hranu i rokove trajanja.

Provjerite is the imperative form of provjeriti, meaning check.

More specifically, it is the 2nd person plural imperative. Croatian uses this form:

• when speaking to more than one person
• or as a polite/formal command to one person
• and very often in instructions, warnings, and notices

So in a sentence like this, provjerite sounds natural for an instruction such as Check ...

Because they are all direct objects of provjerite.

After a verb like provjeriti (to check), Croatian normally uses the accusative case for the thing being checked.

That is why you get:

• voda → vodu
• konzervirana hrana → konzerviranu hranu
• rokovi → rokove

So the sentence is listing three things to check, and all of them are in the accusative.

Za piće literally means for drinking.

So voda za piće means drinking water or water fit for drinking.

This is a very normal Croatian expression. It is not just any water; it means water intended to be drunk.

You may also see pitka voda, which also means drinking water / potable water.

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• konzervirana hrana = canned food
  both words are feminine singular nominative

But in this sentence, the phrase is the direct object of provjerite, so it must go into the accusative singular:

• konzerviranu hranu

Both words change together:

• konzervirana → konzerviranu
• hrana → hranu

Rokove trajanja means expiration dates, use-by dates, or more literally shelf-life limits depending on context.

The singular phrase is:

• rok trajanja = expiration date / shelf life

Here it appears in the plural accusative:

• rokove trajanja = expiration dates

This is a very common phrase in Croatian, especially on packaging, in shops, and in safety instructions.

Because trajanja is in the genitive.

The noun trajanje means duration or lasting. In the phrase rok trajanja, Croatian uses a noun + genitive structure, literally something like:

• the limit/date of duration
• or more naturally, expiration date

So:

• rok trajanja = singular
• rokove trajanja = plural of rok, while trajanja stays in the genitive singular

Only the first noun changes for number and case here:

• rok → rokove
• trajanja stays as the dependent genitive form

Yes. Provjerite can be:

• a command to more than one person
• or a polite/formal command to one person

If you are talking to one person informally, you would say:

• Provjeri vodu za piće, konzerviranu hranu i rokove trajanja.

So:

• provjeri = singular informal
• provjerite = plural or polite/formal

In public instructions, Croatian usually prefers provjerite.

Because Croatian does not have articles like English a and the.

So Croatian simply says:

• Provjerite vodu za piće, konzerviranu hranu i rokove trajanja.

Whether the meaning is check the drinking water or check drinking water depends on the context.

This is completely normal in Croatian. Learners often expect an article, but Croatian does not use one.

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence uses a very natural instructional order:

• Provjerite
  • list of things

But the list itself could be rearranged, for example:

• Provjerite rokove trajanja, konzerviranu hranu i vodu za piće.

That would still be grammatical. The original order may sound more natural depending on the context, but Croatian often allows this kind of reordering much more easily than English.

Because i means and, and in a simple list Croatian normally does not put a comma before the final i.

So this is standard:

• vodu za piće, konzerviranu hranu i rokove trajanja

This works just like standard English punctuation in a list without the Oxford comma. Croatian normally avoids a comma before i unless there is some special structural reason.