Učiteljica objašnjava ovaj težak zadatak polako.

teacher

Breakdown of Učiteljica objašnjava ovaj težak zadatak polako.

• polako: slowly
• ovaj: this
• težak: difficult

Questions & Answers about Učiteljica objašnjava ovaj težak zadatak polako.

What is the basic word order in this sentence, and is it fixed?

The sentence Učiteljica objašnjava ovaj težak zadatak polako. uses the neutral Croatian word order:

• Subject: Učiteljica (the teacher)
• Verb: objašnjava (explains / is explaining)
• Object: ovaj težak zadatak (this difficult task)
• Adverb: polako (slowly)

So it is S–V–O–(Adverb), which is very similar to English.

However, Croatian word order is flexible. You can move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Učiteljica polako objašnjava ovaj težak zadatak.
  – Emphasis slightly more on how she explains (slowly).

• Ovaj težak zadatak učiteljica objašnjava polako.
  – Emphasis shifts to this difficult task.

The meaning stays roughly the same; word order mainly changes nuance and focus, not basic grammar.

Why is it učiteljica and not učitelj?

Both words mean teacher, but they differ in gender:

• učitelj = male teacher (masculine noun)
• učiteljica = female teacher (feminine noun; -ica is a common feminine suffix)

In this sentence, učiteljica explicitly tells you the teacher is a woman.

If the teacher were male, the sentence would be:

• Učitelj objašnjava ovaj težak zadatak polako.