Telefon ne radi niti prima poruke.

Because niti already carries the negative idea of nor.

So:

• Telefon ne radi niti prima poruke. = The phone doesn’t work nor does it receive messages.

In standard Croatian, niti is commonly used after an already negative first clause, and the second verb usually does not need another ne.

A very common alternative is:

• Telefon ne radi i ne prima poruke.

This is often easier for learners, and it means the same thing: The phone doesn’t work and doesn’t receive messages.

Here niti means nor.

It connects two negative ideas:

• ne radi = doesn’t work
• niti prima poruke = nor does it receive messages

So the structure is basically:

• not X, nor Y

Croatian also has related forms:

• ni = often not even / nor / neither
• niti = a stronger or fuller conjunction, often matching nor

In this sentence, niti is a standard, natural connector.

Raditi can mean several things, depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• to work = to function
• to work = to have a job / do work

In this sentence, because the subject is telefon, radi clearly means:

• functions
• is working

So:

• Telefon radi. = The phone works / The phone is functioning.
• Telefon ne radi. = The phone doesn’t work / The phone isn’t functioning.

You would understand the job-related meaning only with a human subject, for example:

• On radi u Zagrebu. = He works in Zagreb.

Prima is the 3rd person singular present tense of primati, which means to receive.

So:

• primati = to receive
• prima = he/she/it receives

Since telefon is singular, the verb must also be singular:

• Telefon prima poruke. = The phone receives messages.

Croatian often uses present tense here just like English:

• The phone doesn’t receive messages.

Because poruke is the accusative plural, which is the form used for the direct object here.

The noun is:

• poruka = message (singular)

Plural nominative:

• poruke = messages

Plural accusative:

• poruke = messages

For this noun, the plural nominative and plural accusative happen to look the same.

So:

• prima poruke = receives messages

If it were singular, you would say:

• prima poruku = receives a message

Because Croatian has no articles.

English uses:

• the phone
• a phone

Croatian usually just says:

• telefon

Context tells you whether it means the phone, a phone, or just phone/phones in a general sense.

So:

• Telefon ne radi. can mean The phone doesn’t work or, in some contexts, A phone doesn’t work.

In this sentence, the natural English translation is The phone doesn’t work...

Yes.

Telefon is the subject of both verbs:

• ne radi
• prima

Subjects are normally in the nominative case in Croatian.

So here:

• telefon = nominative singular

It is a masculine noun, and that matches the singular verb forms:

• radi
• prima

Yes, absolutely.

That version is very common and often easier to understand for learners.

Compare:

• Telefon ne radi niti prima poruke.
• Telefon ne radi i ne prima poruke.

Both mean essentially the same thing:

• The phone doesn’t work and doesn’t receive messages.

The version with niti is a bit more compact and corresponds more closely to nor in English. The version with i ne is often more straightforward in everyday speech.

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but this sentence uses the most neutral, natural order:

• subject + negation + verb + conjunction + verb + object

So:

• Telefon = subject
• ne radi = first negative clause
• niti prima poruke = second coordinated clause

You can sometimes move words for emphasis, but the basic version is best for learners.

For example, this is the standard neutral form:

• Telefon ne radi niti prima poruke.

Changing the order might sound marked, poetic, or context-dependent.

It can be either, depending on context.

The present tense in Croatian can describe:

• a current situation
• a general property
• a repeated/habitual action

So this sentence could mean:

• The phone isn’t working and isn’t receiving messages right now.
• or This phone doesn’t work and doesn’t receive messages (in general / as a problem).

In real life, context tells you which is meant.

Because the sentence describes an ongoing state or ability, not a single completed event.

Primati is imperfective, and that fits meanings like:

• receive
• be receiving
• be able to receive
• receive regularly

Here the idea is not:

• The phone failed to receive one specific message

but rather:

• The phone is not receiving messages at all / in general

So the imperfective present prima is the natural choice.

If you wanted a one-time completed event, Croatian would use a different structure, for example with a perfective verb and usually a past tense.

Often, yes, in modern everyday usage.

Poruka means message, and in many contexts:

• poruke = messages
• very often understood as text messages

But the exact meaning depends on context. It could also mean messages more generally, including app messages or notifications, depending on the situation.

If someone is talking about a phone problem, English speakers will often naturally interpret:

• ne prima poruke as isn’t receiving messages/texts

Yes, very often that is the practical meaning.

Literally, it means:

• The phone doesn’t work
• The phone isn’t functioning

Depending on context, that may imply:

• the phone is broken
• the phone has no signal
• the phone is malfunctioning
• the phone is off or unusable

So ne radi is slightly broader than just is broken. It focuses on the fact that it is not functioning, whatever the exact reason may be.