Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje polako.

• Učiteljica = noun, feminine singular, subject of the sentence
• ponavlja = verb, 3rd person singular present tense
• pitanje = noun, neuter singular, direct object
• polako = adverb, describing how the action happens

So the structure is basically:

subject + verb + object + adverb

Učiteljica means female teacher, while učitelj means male teacher.

Croatian often marks biological gender directly in nouns for people:

• učitelj = male teacher
• učiteljica = female teacher

So the sentence specifically tells you the teacher is a woman.

Ponavlja is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb ponavljati.

That means it matches subjects like:

• on = he
• ona = she
• ono = it
• or a singular noun like učiteljica

So:

• Ja ponavljam = I repeat / I am repeating
• Ti ponavljaš = you repeat
• Učiteljica ponavlja = the teacher repeats / is repeating

This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Croatian.

• ponavljati = imperfective
• ponoviti = perfective

In this sentence, ponavlja suggests an action viewed as ongoing, habitual, or repeated:

• The teacher is repeating the question
• The teacher repeats the question

If you used ponovi, that would point more to a completed single action:

• Učiteljica je ponovila pitanje. = The teacher repeated the question.
• Učiteljica će ponoviti pitanje. = The teacher will repeat the question.

So ponavlja is the natural choice here.

Pitanje is the direct object of the verb, so it is in the accusative case.

The noun pitanje is neuter singular, and for many neuter nouns, nominative and accusative look the same.

So:

• pitanje = nominative singular
• pitanje = accusative singular

That is why the form does not visibly change.

Because pitanje is the singular form.

Its plural is:

• pitanja = questions

Compare:

• Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje. = The teacher repeats the question.
• Učiteljica ponavlja pitanja. = The teacher repeats questions.

So the sentence refers to one question.

Polako is an adverb meaning slowly.

It tells you how the teacher repeats the question.

Compare:

• govori polako = speaks slowly
• hoda polako = walks slowly
• ponavlja polako = repeats slowly

It modifies the verb, not the noun.

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

The neutral version here is:

• Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje polako.

But you could also hear:

• Učiteljica polako ponavlja pitanje.
• Pitanje učiteljica ponavlja polako.
• Polako učiteljica ponavlja pitanje.

These versions may shift the focus or emphasis, but the basic meaning stays similar.

English depends heavily on word order for grammar. Croatian depends more on case endings and verb forms, so word order can be freer.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Croatian present tense often covers both:

• a habitual meaning: repeats
• a current ongoing meaning: is repeating

So Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje polako could mean:

• The teacher repeats the question slowly
• The teacher is repeating the question slowly

Usually the situation tells you which meaning is intended.

Because Croatian has no articles.

English says:

• the teacher
• a teacher
• the question
• a question

Croatian simply says:

• učiteljica
• pitanje

Whether it means the or a depends on context.

So Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje polako could be understood as:

• The teacher repeats the question slowly
• or, in some contexts, A teacher repeats a question slowly

Usually context makes it clear.

A rough pronunciation is:

pi-TA-nye

A few useful points:

• ti before je often sounds like tye or ch-like + ye depending on speech, but learners often approximate it as pi-ta-nye
• the ending -je is not like English jee; it is lighter

You do not need a perfect accent at first, but it helps to hear native audio because pitanje can be tricky for English speakers.

No, but it is a very natural one.

You may also hear:

• sporo = slowly

So:

• Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje polako.
• Učiteljica ponavlja pitanje sporo.

Both are understandable. Polako often sounds very natural in everyday speech.

Yes, very often.

Croatian is a pro-drop language, which means the subject pronoun is often left out because the verb already shows the person and number.

So if the context is clear, you could simply say:

• Ponavlja pitanje polako.

That means:

• She is repeating the question slowly
• or He is repeating the question slowly, depending on context

But in your sentence, učiteljica is included because the speaker wants to name who is doing the action.

Because Croatian usually does not need subject pronouns unless there is emphasis or contrast.

So instead of saying:

• Ona ponavlja pitanje polako

Croatian often just says:

• Ponavlja pitanje polako

If the noun učiteljica is already there, adding ona would usually be unnecessary unless you want contrast, such as:

• Ona ponavlja pitanje, a on piše odgovor.
  She is repeating the question, and he is writing the answer.

Yes.

For example:

• Učiteljica polako ponavlja pitanje.

This is also very natural and may sound even more usual to some speakers than putting polako at the very end.

Croatian often allows adverbs in several positions:

• before the verb
• after the verb
• after the object

The choice depends on rhythm, emphasis, and style more than on strict grammar.