Questions & Answers about Gledam ptice i dječaka.
Why is it dječaka instead of dječak?
Dječak (boy) is the direct object of the verb gledam (I watch), so it needs to be in the accusative case. Because a boy is a living being (animate masculine noun), we add an -a to the end, making it dječaka.
Why does ptica (bird) change to ptice here?
Ptica is a feminine noun. Since the sentence talks about multiple birds (plural) and they are the direct object (accusative case), the normal -a ending changes to -e, giving us ptice.
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
In Croatian, you usually do not need to say ja (I). The verb gledam already has the -m ending, which clearly tells us that "I" am the one doing the watching.
The translation says "I am watching", but doesn't gledam just mean "I watch"?
Croatian doesn't have a separate tense for actions happening right now like English does with "am watching". The single word gledam can mean either "I watch" or "I am watching" depending on what makes sense in the situation.