Questions & Answers about Djeca imaju deset prstiju na rukama.
Why is the word for fingers prstiju instead of the usual plural?
In Croatian, numbers from five onwards (like deset) require the noun that follows to be in the genitive plural. The masculine noun prst (finger) has a highly irregular genitive plural form, which is prstiju.
Djeca ends in -a like a singular feminine noun. Why does it use the plural verb imaju?
Djeca is a collective noun meaning children. Even though it changes its endings like a feminine singular noun, it takes a plural verb because it logically refers to multiple people. That is why it pairs with imaju (they have) instead of ima (he/she/it has).
Does rukama mean hands or arms here?
The word ruka translates to both hand and arm in English. You have to rely on context to know which one is meant. Since this sentence talks about fingers (prstiju), na rukama specifically means on their hands.
What case is na rukama and why?
It is in the locative case. We use the preposition na with the locative to express a static location, answering where the fingers are. Because ruka is feminine and we are talking about multiple hands, it takes the plural locative ending -ama.