Questions & Answers about U školi radi petnaest učitelja.
Why is the verb radi in the singular form when there are fifteen teachers?
In Croatian, when you use numbers 5 and above, the group is treated as a single quantity. Because of this rule, the verb raditi (to work) takes the third-person singular form radi instead of the plural form rade.
Why is the word for teachers written as učitelja?
This is the main rule you are learning right now: nouns that come after numbers 5 and above must be in the genitive plural case. The base word is učitelj, and its genitive plural form is učitelja.
Why does the sentence use školi instead of the dictionary form škola?
The preposition u (in) here describes a static location, which requires the locative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a like škola, the ending changes to -i, making it školi.
Is it normal that the verb radi comes before the subject petnaest učitelja?
Yes, it is very common! Croatian word order is flexible. Starting with the location (U školi) and following it directly with the verb is a natural way to introduce what exists or happens in that place. You could also say Petnaest učitelja radi u školi.