Napetost mišića smanjite tako što se protegnete.

It has two parts:

1. Napetost mišića smanjite = the main instruction

   • napetost = tension
   • mišića = of the muscles
   • smanjite = reduce

2. tako što se protegnete = how you do it

   • tako što = by, by doing, in such a way that
   • se protegnete = you stretch

So the structure is basically:

Reduce muscle tension by stretching.

Also, napetost is the direct object here, so it is in the accusative, but its form looks the same as the nominative.

Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

A more neutral order would be:

Smanjite napetost mišića tako što se protegnete.

Starting with Napetost mišića puts extra focus on muscle tension. This is common in instructions, ads, health advice, and similar styles.

So both are understandable, but the given sentence foregrounds the thing being affected.

Smanjite is the imperative form of smanjiti.

It means reduce! in the sense of giving an instruction or recommendation.

Grammatically, it is the 2nd person plural imperative, which in Croatian can be used for:

• you all
• one person formally/politely

So depending on context, it can mean:

• all of you, reduce...
• please reduce... when speaking politely to one person

Mišića is in the genitive.

In the phrase napetost mišića, it means the tension of the muscles or more naturally muscle tension.

This is very common in Croatian: one noun is followed by another noun in the genitive to show a relationship like of in English.

For example:

• boja zida = the color of the wall
• bol u leđima is different, but napetost mišića follows the noun + genitive pattern

One extra detail: mišića can look the same in both genitive singular and genitive plural, but here it is understood collectively as muscles.

Tako što introduces the method or means of doing something.

Here it means:

• by
• by doing
• in such a way that

So:

smanjite tako što se protegnete
= reduce it by stretching

This is a very useful pattern in Croatian:

• Problem riješite tako što nazovete podršku.
  = Solve the problem by calling support.

• Kondiciju poboljšate tako što redovito vježbate.
  = You improve fitness by exercising regularly.

Because the verb is protegnuti se, a reflexive verb.

It literally means something like to stretch oneself, but in natural English we usually just say to stretch.

So:

• protegnuti se = to stretch
• protegnete se = you stretch

In this sentence, the clitic se comes before the verb:

• što se protegnete

That word order is normal in Croatian, because short words like se often appear near the beginning of the clause.

Because after tako što, Croatian normally uses a finite verb, not an infinitive.

So Croatian says:

• tako što se protegnete

rather than something like:

• tako što protegnuti se — not correct

And it is not protegnite se because the main command is already in smanjite. The second part explains how to do that command.

So the logic is:

• Do X
• by doing Y

In Croatian, that often becomes:

• X smanjite tako što Y napravite

Both smanjiti and protegnuti se are perfective verbs.

That fits the meaning well here, because the sentence presents the actions as complete, practical steps:

• smanjite = reduce it
• protegnete se = stretch

In instructions, perfective verbs often sound natural when the speaker is talking about achieving a result.

If you used imperfective forms, the meaning would shift more toward an ongoing or repeated activity. For example:

• smanjujte = keep reducing / reduce repeatedly
• protežite se = stretch repeatedly / keep stretching

Those are possible in other contexts, but the given sentence is a neat, result-oriented instruction.

Yes. Napetost is the direct object of smanjite, so it is in the accusative singular.

But many Croatian feminine nouns ending in -ost have the same form in nominative and accusative singular.

So:

• nominative: napetost
• accusative: napetost

That is why there is no visible change.

Yes. Some natural alternatives are:

• Smanjite napetost mišića tako što se protegnete.
• Napetost mišića smanjite istezanjem.
• Napetost mišića smanjite protezanjem.

The version with tako što is slightly more explicit about the method.

The versions with istezanjem or protezanjem are more compact and mean roughly by stretching.

The main ones are:

• š = like sh in ship
• ć = a soft sound, somewhat like a very soft ch; English does not have an exact match
• ž would be like the s in measure, though it does not appear here

So roughly:

• mišića → mee-shee-cha with a softer final cha
• što → shto
• smanjite → approximately smahn-yee-teh
• protegnete → approximately pro-teg-ne-te

These are only rough guides, but they can help at first.