Learn Hardcore Croatian: Učiteljica traži da podcrtamo glavne ideje u svakom odlomku. - The teacher asks us to underline the main ideas in each paragraph.

Using an infinitive (traži podcrtati) is not idiomatic here. The da + present tense clause works a bit like the English “that + subjunctive” (asks that we underline).

Grammatically, da podcrtamo is a subordinate clause whose verb (podcrtamo) is conjugated for person and number (1st person plural: we), not in the infinitive.

What person and tense is podcrtamo, and why is it used here?

Podcrtamo is:

1st person plural (we)
present tense
of the verb podcrtati (to underline), which is perfective.

After da, Croatian uses the present tense (even for future or requested actions) instead of a special subjunctive form. In this sentence:

da podcrtamo literally: that we underline
implied subject: mi (we), understood from the ending -mo.

So da podcrtamo describes the action the speaker (we) is being asked to perform.

Why is the teacher učiteljica and not učitelj?

Croatian marks grammatical gender quite clearly.

učitelj = male teacher (masculine noun)
učiteljica = female teacher (feminine noun formed with the suffix -ica)

The ending -ica is a very common way to form feminine professions or roles from masculine bases:

student → studentica (female student)
profesor → profesorica (female professor/teacher)

So učiteljica tells you explicitly that the teacher is female. Grammatically:

učiteljica is feminine singular
the verb traži is in 3rd person singular, and that agrees with a singular subject (regardless of gender) – so Učitelj traži and Učiteljica traži both take traži.

What exactly does traži mean here, and how is it different from pita?

Tražiti has two main meanings:

to look for, to search for
- Tražim knjigu. – I’m looking for a book.
to ask for, to request, to demand
- Učiteljica traži da podcrtamo… – The teacher asks (requests) that we underline…

In this sentence it is clearly meaning “to request”.

Pitati means “to ask (a question)”:

Učiteljica pita što znači ta riječ. – The teacher asks what that word means.

So:

use tražiti when you’re asking someone to do something / requesting something
use pitati when you’re asking for information / asking a question.

That is why traži is used here, not pita.

Why is it glavne ideje and not glavna ideja?

The base form is:

glavna ideja = main idea (singular, nominative)

In the sentence, glavne ideje is:

accusative plural, feminine
of glavna ideja → glavne ideje

Reason:

We are talking about more than one idea in each paragraph → plural.
It is the direct object of podcrtamo (what do we underline?) → accusative case.

So:

Singular nominative: glavna ideja (main idea)
Plural nominative: glavne ideje (main ideas)
Plural accusative (for feminine nouns like this): also glavne ideje

Hence: podcrtamo glavne ideje = we underline the main ideas.

What case is u svakom odlomku, and why is this case used?

U svakom odlomku uses the locative case:

svakom = dative/locative masculine singular of svaki (each, every)
odlomku = locative singular of odlomak (paragraph)

After the preposition u (in), Croatian uses:

locative when it means location (where?)
- u školi – in (the) school
- u odlomku – in (the) paragraph

Here, u svakom odlomku answers “in which place?” → in each paragraph, so we use locative:

u + svakom + odlomku
in + each + paragraph

Could the word order be different, for example Učiteljica traži da glavne ideje podcrtamo u svakom odlomku?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible. All of these are grammatically correct:

Učiteljica traži da podcrtamo glavne ideje u svakom odlomku.
Učiteljica traži da glavne ideje podcrtamo u svakom odlomku.
Učiteljica traži da u svakom odlomku podcrtamo glavne ideje.

The basic information stays the same; shifting parts changes emphasis or rhythm, not core meaning.

The original order – da podcrtamo glavne ideje u svakom odlomku – is very natural and neutral: verb + object + location/time phrase, similar to English underline the main ideas in each paragraph.

Why is there no word for “we” (like mi) in the sentence?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: personal pronouns (I, you, we, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

podcrtamo has the ending -mo, which clearly means 1st person plural (we).
So mi is understood and normally left out.

You could say:

Učiteljica traži da mi podcrtamo glavne ideje…

but adding mi usually sounds like extra emphasis on we (e.g. that we underline them, as opposed to someone else). In a normal instruction, you just use podcrtamo.

What is the difference between podcrtati and podcrtavati, and why is the perfective verb used?

Croatian has aspect: most verbs come in imperfective and perfective pairs.

podcrtavati – imperfective, “to be underlining / to underline repeatedly, habitually”
podcrtati – perfective, “to underline (as a single, complete action)”

In da podcrtamo, the verb is perfective (podcrtati) because the teacher is asking for a single, complete action: underline the ideas once in this exercise.

If we wanted to describe a regular habit, we would choose imperfective:

Učiteljica uvijek traži da podcrtavamo glavne ideje.
The teacher always asks us to (keep) underlining / to habitually underline the main ideas.

Does traži translate better as “asks”, “requests” or “demands” here?

Context decides the nuance, but tražiti in the school context usually falls between “asks” and “requires”.

Literal core meaning: to request, to require
In a classroom, the teacher’s request is usually more like a requirement, but it’s not as strong as an angry demand.

So natural English translations are:

The teacher asks us to underline the main ideas in each paragraph.
The teacher wants us to underline the main ideas in each paragraph.
The teacher requires that we underline the main ideas in each paragraph. (a bit stronger/formal)

All of them reflect traži da podcrtamo reasonably well.