Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute na ispitu.

The teacher gives us clear instructions in the exam.

Breakdown of Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute na ispitu.

• nam: us
• učiteljica: teacher
• davati: to give
• na: in
• ispit: exam
• jasan: clear
• uputa: instruction

Questions & Answers about Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute na ispitu.

What does učiteljica tell me about the subject of the sentence?

Učiteljica means female teacher.

• The base noun is učitelj = (male) teacher.
• The suffix -ica usually makes a feminine form: učitelj → učiteljica.
• In this sentence, učiteljica is:
  • nominative singular feminine (subject of the sentence)
  • meaning “(the) female teacher”.

So the sentence explicitly says that the person giving instructions is a woman.

What exactly does nam mean, and why is it in that position?

Nam means “to us”.

• It is the dative plural form of the pronoun mi = “we”.
• Dative is used for indirect objects (the “receiver” of something): “gives to us”.
• Croatian has clitic pronouns (short, unstressed forms) that like to come in the second position in the sentence (or in the clause).
• In Učiteljica nam daje…, nam is that clitic, so it naturally appears right after the first stressed word (učiteljica).

So, nam = to us, and its place is mainly due to the clitic second-position rule.

Why is it jasne upute and not jasna uputa or jasno upute?

Because jasne must agree with upute, and upute is feminine plural accusative.

• uputa (sg.) → “instruction”
• upute (pl.) → “instructions”
• Here, upute is the direct object of daje (“gives”), so it’s in the accusative plural feminine.
• The adjective jasan (“clear”) must match the noun in:
  • gender: feminine
  • number: plural
  • case: accusative

The feminine plural accusative form of jasan is jasne, so we get jasne upute = “clear instructions”.

Why is upute plural, and what gender and case is it?

Upute is:

• feminine plural accusative of uputa (“instruction”)
• used here as the direct object of daje (“gives”).

Croatian very often uses the plural for things like instructions, directions, clothes, etc.—similar to English:

• English: “instructions” (usually plural)
• Croatian: upute (also plural)

So upute is naturally plural here and must take the accusative because it’s what is being given.

What is the difference between nam and nas?

They are different cases of the same pronoun mi (“we”):

• nam = dative plural → “to us / for us”

  • used for indirect objects (receivers, beneficiaries)
  • Example: Učiteljica nam daje upute. = The teacher gives us instructions.

• nas = accusative plural (or genitive) → “us”

  • used for direct objects (the thing/person directly affected by the verb)
  • Example: Učiteljica nas uči. = The teacher teaches us.

In Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute, we say nam because we are the indirect object (“gives instructions to us”), not the direct object.

Why is it na ispitu and not na ispit or u ispitu?

Because here na ispitu means “in the exam / during the exam”, and that requires:

• preposition na
  • locative case → na ispitu

Details:

• na
  • locative answers “where?” (location, setting, sometimes time):
    • na ispitu = at / in / during the exam (setting, context)
    • noun ispit (exam) in locative: ispitu
• na
  • accusative answers “where to?” (direction/motion):
    • na ispit = to the exam (movement, e.g. “Idem na ispit.” = “I’m going to the exam.”)
• u ispitu is not used for “in an exam” in this sense; sounds more like physically “inside” something and is wrong here.

So na ispitu is the idiomatic way to say “in/at the exam” in Croatian.

What tense and aspect is daje, and how does it differ from dati or dala je?

Daje is:

• present tense
• 3rd person singular
• of the imperfective verb davati = “to give (be giving, give regularly)”.

Compare:

• davati (imperfective) → daje (present): ongoing, repeated, or general action.
  
  • Učiteljica nam daje upute. = The teacher is giving us instructions / gives us instructions (habitually).
• dati (perfective) → dati / dati će / dala je: completed action.
  • Učiteljica nam je dala upute. = The teacher gave us instructions (completed in the past).
  • Učiteljica će nam dati upute. = The teacher will give us instructions (one-time future event).

So daje focuses on the process or repeated action, not on the completed result.

Can I change the word order, for example to Učiteljica daje nam jasne upute na ispitu? Does it change the meaning?

You can change the word order, but you must respect:

• the clitic position (where nam likes to go)
• the information focus (what you emphasize).

Some natural variants:

1. Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute na ispitu.
   – Neutral, subject-first. Slight emphasis on what she gives (jasne upute).

2. Na ispitu nam učiteljica daje jasne upute.
   – Emphasizes the setting “in the exam”.

3. Jasne upute nam daje učiteljica na ispitu.
   – Stronger emphasis on jasne upute and on učiteljica (as opposed to someone else).

Učiteljica daje nam jasne upute… is possible in speech, but clitics like nam more often appear immediately after the first stressed element, so Učiteljica nam daje… sounds more natural.

The basic meaning does not change; word order mainly changes emphasis and style.

Can I leave out nam? What would the sentence mean then?

Yes, you can omit nam, but the meaning changes:

• Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute na ispitu.
  → The teacher gives us clear instructions in the exam.

• Učiteljica daje jasne upute na ispitu.
  → The teacher gives clear instructions in the exam.
  (It doesn’t say to whom; it’s just a general statement about her behavior.)

So without nam, the sentence no longer specifies that we are the recipients.

Why is there no word for “the” in Učiteljica nam daje jasne upute na ispitu?

Croatian has no articles like “the” or “a/an”.

Definiteness and specificity are usually understood from:

• context
• word order
• pronouns and other clues.

So učiteljica can be translated as:

• “the teacher” (if it’s clear who we’re talking about), or
• “a teacher” (if it’s not a specific one).

In this sentence, English naturally uses “The teacher”, but Croatian expresses that idea without any article word.

Is upute the only way to say “instructions”? Are there synonyms?

Upute is the most common and neutral word for instructions / directions.

Possible alternatives (depending on context):

• instrukcije – also “instructions”, but often more technical or borrowed feel (from “instructions”).
• naputci / napuci – more formal or older-sounding “guidelines, directions”.
• smjernice – more like “guidelines” (often in official or policy contexts).

In the context of a teacher explaining what to do in an exam, jasne upute is the most natural collocation.

How would the sentence change if the teacher were male, or if this were in the past tense?

1. Male teacher (present tense)

   • Učitelj nam daje jasne upute na ispitu.
     (učitelj = male teacher; verb form stays daje because it agrees with 3rd person singular, not gender.)

2. Female teacher, past tense

   • Učiteljica nam je dala jasne upute na ispitu.
     (“gave us” – perfective, completed action.)

3. Male teacher, past tense

   • Učitelj nam je dao jasne upute na ispitu.

4. Plural subject (teachers)

   • Učitelji nam daju jasne upute na ispitu. (male / mixed group)
   • Učiteljice nam daju jasne upute na ispitu. (all female teachers)

Here the verb agrees in person and number with the subject (e.g. daje vs daju), while gender shows up mainly on the noun (učitelj / učiteljica) and on past participles (dao / dala).