Udaljenost gledanja utječe na odsjaj zaslona.

Utječe is the 3rd person singular present tense of utjecati (to affect / to influence).

It is singular because the subject is udaljenost gledanja, which is treated as one thing: viewing distance.

So the structure is basically:

• Udaljenost gledanja = the subject
• utječe = affects
• na odsjaj zaslona = the thing being affected

If the subject were plural, the verb would change too.

Gledanja is the genitive singular of gledanje (viewing, watching).

In Croatian, one noun often modifies another by putting the second noun into the genitive, where English might use:

• of
• or a noun used as an adjective

So:

• udaljenost gledanja literally = distance of viewing
• natural English equivalent = viewing distance

This is a very common Croatian pattern.

Gledanje is a verbal noun formed from the verb gledati (to watch, to look at).

So it means something like:

• watching
• viewing
• the act of looking

In this sentence, gledanja helps define what kind of distance is meant: not just any distance, but the distance from which you view the screen.

Because the verb utjecati normally goes with the preposition na when it means to affect / influence something.

So Croatian uses the pattern:

• utjecati na + accusative

Examples:

• To utječe na mene. = That affects me.
• Vrijeme utječe na raspoloženje. = Weather affects mood.

So in your sentence:

• utječe na odsjaj zaslona

That is the normal construction.

Because odsjaj is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the accusative singular, many masculine inanimate nouns look the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: odsjaj
• accusative: odsjaj

Even though the form does not visibly change, it is still accusative because it comes after na with utjecati na.

Zaslona is the genitive singular of zaslon (screen).

It is in the genitive because it depends on odsjaj:

• odsjaj zaslona = the screen’s glare
• literally: glare of the screen

This is another common Croatian noun + genitive pattern.

Compare:

• boja auta = the color of the car
• vrata kuće = the door of the house
• odsjaj zaslona = the glare of the screen

Yes. It is completely natural and follows a very common Croatian pattern:

• head noun first
• defining noun in the genitive after it

So:

• udaljenost gledanja = viewing distance

Croatian often expresses this idea differently from English. English likes stacked nouns (viewing distance, screen glare), while Croatian often uses noun + genitive.

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Udaljenost gledanja utječe na odsjaj zaslona.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Na odsjaj zaslona utječe udaljenost gledanja.

This puts more focus on screen glare.

Even though the order can change, the cases help show what each word is doing.

Because Croatian has no articles.

There is no direct equivalent of English a/an or the in normal usage. Whether something is understood as definite or indefinite usually comes from context.

So:

• zaslon can mean a screen or the screen
• odsjaj zaslona can mean screen glare or the glare of the screen

The listener or reader figures it out from the situation.

A rough pronunciation is:

• oot-YEH-che

A few useful points:

• u sounds like oo in food
• tj is pronounced together, not as two fully separate English sounds
• č sounds like ch in church
• e is a clear short e, like e in bed, not like English ee

So utječe should not be pronounced like English you-tee-ee-chee or anything like that.

Not exactly.

• sjaj = shine, brightness, glow
• odsjaj = reflection, glare, reflected shine

In a screen context, odsjaj is a good word for glare or reflection on the screen.

So odsjaj zaslona is more specific than just sjaj zaslona.

Yes. In many contexts, utjecati na can be translated as either:

• to affect
• to influence

The best English choice depends on context. In a technical sentence like this one, affect is often the most natural translation.

So learners should recognize that Croatian utjecati na covers a range that English may divide between affect and influence.

It breaks down like this:

• Udaljenost = distance
• gledanja = of viewing
• utječe = affects
• na = on / onto, but here part of the fixed pattern utjecati na
• odsjaj = glare
• zaslona = of the screen

So the structure is:

• [subject] + [verb] + [preposition + object]

More specifically:

• Udaljenost gledanja = subject
• utječe = verb
• na odsjaj zaslona = prepositional object required by the verb

This is a very typical Croatian sentence structure.