Priča govori o duhu s otoka.

Because the two words do different jobs:

• priča = story or tale
• govori = speaks / talks / tells

So Priča govori o duhu s otoka. literally looks like:

• The story speaks/tells about a ghost from the island.

In Croatian, govoriti o + location case is a normal way to say to talk about or to be about.

duhu is in the locative singular.

That is because it comes after the preposition o, which normally takes the locative when it means about.

So:

• duh = nominative, basic dictionary form: ghost / spirit
• o duhu = about a ghost / about the ghost

This is why the sentence has o duhu, not o duh.

In Croatian, the preposition o often means about when used with verbs like:

• govoriti o = to talk about
• pričati o = to tell about
• misliti o = to think about

So in this sentence:

• govori o duhu = talks about a ghost

This is a very common pattern, and it is worth learning as a chunk: govoriti o + locative.

otoka is in the genitive singular.

The preposition s(a) often means from when talking about origin, movement away, or source, and in that meaning it takes the genitive.

So:

• otok = island
• s otoka = from the island

That is why it is otoka, not otok.

They are the same preposition. Both can mean with or from, depending on context.

• s is the usual short form
• sa is used when pronunciation is easier that way, especially before certain consonant clusters

For example:

• s otoka = from the island
• sa stola = from the table
• sa mnom = with me

In your sentence, s otoka is the normal form.

It can often be translated as either, depending on context.

• s otoka literally means something like from the island
• In natural English, off the island may also fit in some situations

In this sentence, it describes the ghost’s origin or association:

• a ghost from the island

duh can mean several related things, depending on context:

• ghost
• spirit
• sometimes more abstractly spirit in the sense of essence or mood

So o duhu s otoka could, in another context, potentially mean about the spirit from the island, but if the meaning has already been given as a ghost story, then ghost is the right interpretation here.

Croatian has no articles like a/an/the.

So duhu by itself does not tell you whether English should use:

• a ghost
• the ghost

You decide from context.

That means:

• o duhu can mean about a ghost or about the ghost
• s otoka can mean from an island or from the island, though in this sentence the island is often the most natural translation

Yes. That is also natural.

Compare:

• Priča govori o duhu s otoka. = The story talks/is about a ghost from the island.
• Priča je o duhu s otoka. = The story is about a ghost from the island.

The version with govori o sounds a little more verbal, while je o is simpler and very common too.

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

The neutral order here is:

• Priča govori o duhu s otoka.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• O duhu s otoka priča govori.
• O duhu priča govori s otoka. would usually sound odd because it may suggest the story speaks from the island, so not every rearrangement works well.

Croatian allows movement, but not all word orders are equally natural. The original sentence is the safest and most neutral one.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• priča ≈ PREE-cha
• govori ≈ GO-vo-ri
• o = short o
• duhu ≈ DOO-hoo
• s = like English s
• otoka ≈ O-to-ka

A few notes:

• č sounds like ch in church
• h is clearly pronounced, unlike in many English words
• Croatian stress exists, but learners are usually understood even if stress is not perfect

At the start of a sentence, Priča is capitalized only because it begins the sentence.

The word itself is the common noun priča meaning story. It is not usually a personal name.

If you saw it in the middle of a sentence as priča, it would still mean story.

Here are the dictionary forms:

• priča → priča = story
• govori → govoriti = to speak / talk / say
• o → preposition about
• duhu → duh = ghost / spirit
• s → preposition from / with
• otoka → otok = island

So the key forms to remember are:

• govoriti o + locative
• s(a) + genitive in the sense of from