Kralj vodi vojsku.

Because vojsku is the accusative singular form, and the army is the direct object of vodi.

The dictionary form is vojska. In this sentence, the verb is acting on it, so Croatian changes the noun’s form:

• vojska = army (nominative)
• vojsku = army (accusative)

This is a very common pattern for feminine nouns ending in -a.

Kralj is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence — the one performing the action.

So:

• kralj = the subject
• vojsku = the object

Vodi is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb voditi.

It matches kralj, which is singular.

A few forms of voditi are:

• ja vodim = I lead
• ti vodiš = you lead
• on/ona vodi = he/she leads

So kralj vodi literally means the king leads / the king is leading.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Croatian present tense often covers both:

• English simple present: leads
• English present continuous: is leading

So Kralj vodi vojsku could mean:

• The king leads the army
• The king is leading the army

The surrounding context tells you which is meant.

Because Croatian normally does not use articles.

There is no direct equivalent of English the or a/an in ordinary Croatian grammar. So Kralj vodi vojsku can mean:

• The king leads the army
• A king leads an army

Usually the situation or previous context makes the meaning clear.

No, not completely.

Kralj vodi vojsku is the most neutral order: subject + verb + object. But Croatian word order is fairly flexible because case endings show the grammatical roles.

For example:

• Kralj vodi vojsku = neutral
• Vojsku vodi kralj = puts more emphasis on kralj
• Vodi kralj vojsku = possible in a marked or stylistic context

Even if the order changes, kralj is still the subject and vojsku is still the object.

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

• kralj ≈ kraly / krahly
• vojsku ≈ VOY-skoo

Helpful pronunciation points:

• j is pronounced like English y in yes
• lj is a special Croatian sound, pronounced together as one unit
• voj- sounds like voy-

The lj sound does not match a normal English sound exactly, but ly is a useful beginner approximation.

It is singular.

Vojska means army as one unit. Its plural is vojske, meaning armies.

So vojsku here is the accusative singular form of vojska.

Yes. Voditi is an imperfective verb.

That means it is naturally used for:

• ongoing actions
• repeated actions
• general statements

So Kralj vodi vojsku can describe something happening now or something generally true.

At a more advanced level, Croatian often uses other verbs for a completed act of leading someone or something somewhere, but voditi is the normal basic verb to learn in a sentence like this.