Paluba je mokra nakon kratke kiše.

Because mokra is an adjective agreeing with paluba.

• paluba is feminine singular nominative
• Croatian adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case

So:

• mokar = masculine
• mokra = feminine
• mokro = neuter

Since paluba is feminine, the sentence uses mokra.

Compare:

• Pod je mokar. = The floor is wet.
• Paluba je mokra. = The deck is wet.
• More je mokro. = The sea is wet.

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti = to be.

So:

• Paluba je mokra. = The deck is wet.

This is one of the most common Croatian verb forms.

Because the preposition nakon requires the genitive case.

That means the noun and any adjective describing it must change form:

• kratka kiša = short rain / a short rainfall episode
• nakon kratke kiše = after a short rain

Changes:

• kratka → kratke
• kiša → kiše

So the whole phrase is in the genitive singular.

Paluba is in the nominative singular.

It is the subject of the sentence — the thing that is wet.

Croatian often uses the nominative for the subject, just like English uses the basic noun form in sentences such as The deck is wet.

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

So paluba can mean:

• a deck
• the deck

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would usually translate it as the deck, but Croatian does not need a separate word for that.

Yes, it is grammatically fine in Croatian.

Literally, it means something like of a short rain after the preposition nakon, but in natural English you would usually say:

• after a short rain
• after a brief rainfall
• after a short rain shower

So the Croatian phrase is normal, even if the most natural English wording may vary.

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

The given sentence:

• Paluba je mokra nakon kratke kiše.

A very natural alternative is:

• Nakon kratke kiše paluba je mokra.

Both mean the same thing. The difference is mainly focus or style:

• starting with Paluba focuses first on the deck
• starting with Nakon kratke kiše sets the scene first

Yes. Nakon and poslije can both mean after.

So you could say:

• Paluba je mokra nakon kratke kiše.
• Paluba je mokra poslije kratke kiše.

Both are understandable and natural. In many contexts, they are very close in meaning.

Like nakon, poslije also commonly takes the genitive here, so you still get kratke kiše.

Kiše is pronounced approximately like KEE-sheh.

A few useful pronunciation points:

• k is like English k
• i is like ee in see
• š is like sh in ship
• e is like a short eh

So:

• kiša ≈ KEE-sha
• kiše ≈ KEE-sheh

In a normal full statement like this, no — you normally keep je.

• Paluba je mokra. = correct
• Paluba mokra. = not a normal full standard sentence

Croatian can sometimes drop forms of to be in special styles, headlines, notes, or very informal speech, but in standard everyday grammar, je should stay here.