Precrtajte pogrešan odgovor.

Precrtajte is the imperative form of the verb precrtati.

In this sentence, it means a command: cross out.

More specifically, it is the:

• 2nd person plural imperative = you all, cross out
• or the polite/formal singular imperative = please cross out

So Croatian uses the same form both for:

• speaking to more than one person
• speaking politely to one person

The ending -jte is a very common marker of the 2nd person plural imperative in Croatian.

Compare:

• precrtaj = cross out! (to one person, informal)
• precrtajte = cross out! (to several people, or to one person formally)

This is very common in textbook instructions, classroom language, notices, and formal commands.

Yes, it can be.

Croatian often uses the 2nd person plural form as a polite singular command, much like using you formally in some other languages.

So Precrtajte pogrešan odgovor. could mean:

• Cross out the incorrect answer. said to a group
• Please cross out the incorrect answer. said politely to one person

In schoolbooks and instructions, this form is extremely common.

Precrtati means to cross out, to strike through, or to draw a line through something so that it is marked as wrong or removed.

It is built from:

• crtati = to draw
• prefix pre- = here it helps give the idea of drawing across/through something

So precrtati literally suggests drawing over or through something.

Because pogrešan must agree with odgovor.

Here:

• odgovor = answer
• it is masculine singular
• it is the object of the verb

Since odgovor is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative singular looks the same as its nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: pogrešan odgovor
• accusative: pogrešan odgovor

That is why nothing visibly changes here.

Because in Croatian, masculine inanimate nouns usually have the same form in nominative and accusative singular.

So:

• odgovor = nominative singular
• odgovor = accusative singular too

If it were a masculine animate noun, you would usually see a different accusative form.

So even though odgovor is the direct object of precrtajte, its form stays odgovor.

The dictionary form is pogrešan.

It means wrong, incorrect, or mistaken.

Here it agrees with odgovor, so we get:

• masculine singular: pogrešan odgovor
• feminine singular: pogrešna
• neuter singular: pogrešno

Examples:

• pogrešan odgovor = incorrect answer
• pogrešna rečenica = incorrect sentence
• pogrešno pitanje = incorrect question

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

The neutral, very natural instruction style is:

• Precrtajte pogrešan odgovor.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Pogrešan odgovor precrtajte.

That sounds more marked, as if emphasizing the incorrect answer specifically.

In exercises and instructions, putting the verb first is the most normal choice.

You would say:

Precrtaj pogrešan odgovor.

Compare:

• Precrtaj = informal singular
• Precrtajte = formal singular or plural

So if a teacher is writing instructions in a workbook, precrtajte is much more likely.

Precrtajte comes from the perfective verb precrtati.

That matters because instructions and commands often use the perfective when the speaker wants the action to be completed as a single task.

So here the idea is:

• do this action once, completely

That fits exercise instructions very well:

• Write
• Circle
• Underline
• Cross out

The imperfective partner would be related to ongoing/repeated action, but in workbook commands Croatian usually prefers the perfective form.

A helpful rough breakdown is:

pre-cr-taj-te

A few tips:

• r in Croatian can be trilled or tapped
• j is pronounced like English y
• aj sounds roughly like eye
• stress is not usually marked in normal spelling, so beginners often just learn the word as a whole

So it sounds approximately like: preh-TSR-tie-teh, though that is only a rough English-style guide.

Yes, very common.

Croatian exercise books often use short imperative instructions like:

• Zaokružite točan odgovor. = Circle the correct answer.
• Podcrtajte riječi. = Underline the words.
• Spojite rečenice. = Match/connect the sentences.
• Precrtajte pogrešan odgovor. = Cross out the incorrect answer.

So this sentence is very typical classroom and workbook Croatian.