Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.

I am not sure, so I will ask the teacher once again.

Breakdown of Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.

• biti: to be
• ne: not
• učiteljica: teacher
• htjeti: will
• pitati: to ask
• siguran: sure
• još jednom: once again
• pa: and then

Questions & Answers about Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.

Why is it nisam sigurna and not ja nisam sigurna?

In Croatian, subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, etc.) are usually dropped because the verb form already shows who the subject is.

• nisam = I am not (1st person singular of biti – to be)
• So nisam sigurna already clearly means I am not sure.

You can say ja nisam sigurna for emphasis – like I am not sure (maybe someone else is). But in a neutral sentence, ja is normally omitted.

Why is it sigurna and not siguran?

The adjective has to agree in gender with the speaker.

• siguran = masculine singular (e.g. a man speaking)
• sigurna = feminine singular (e.g. a woman speaking)

So:

• A woman says: Nisam sigurna.
• A man says: Nisam siguran.

The sentence given assumes the speaker is female.

What exactly does pa mean here, and how is it different from i or jer?

pa is a very common linking word. In this sentence it’s like so or and so:

• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.
  = I am not sure, so I will ask the teacher once more.

Nuances:

• pa often expresses a natural consequence, a gentle continuation, or a slight contrast.
• i just means and, without the idea of consequence.
• jer means because, and introduces a reason, not a result.

You could say:

• Nisam sigurna, zato ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.
  (I am not sure, therefore I will ask the teacher once more.)

But pa is more casual and very frequent in speech.

Why is there a comma before pa?

In Croatian, when pa connects two independent clauses (each with its own verb), a comma is normally used before it.

• Clause 1: Nisam sigurna (verb: nisam)
• Clause 2: ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu (verb: ću … pitati)

Since both are full clauses, you write:

• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.

How does ću make the future tense in pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu?

ću is the short (clitic) future form of the verb htjeti (to want), used as a future auxiliary.

The pattern is:

• ću
  • infinitive = I will [do something]

So:

• ću pitati = I will ask
• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.
  = I am not sure, so I will ask the teacher once more.

Other persons:

• ću pitati – I will ask
• ćeš pitati – you (sg.) will ask
• će pitati – he/she/it will ask
• ćemo pitati – we will ask
• ćete pitati – you (pl.) will ask
• će pitati – they will ask

Can I put ću after the verb, like pitat ću učiteljicu?

Yes, both orders are possible:

• ću pitati učiteljicu
• pitat ću učiteljicu

Both mean I will ask the teacher. The difference is style and rhythm:

• In careful / more standard written language, ću pitati (auxiliary before infinitive) is very common.
• In everyday speech, people also very often use pitat ću, dropping the final -i of pitati.

Your sentence with that order:

• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu. (more standard / neutral)
• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitat učiteljicu. (very colloquial)

What does još jednom literally mean, and how is it different from opet?

Literally:

• još = still / more / another
• jednom = one time / once

So još jednom literally means one more time or once again.

Differences:

• još jednom emphasises one more time (again, one extra time).
• opet just means again and doesn’t highlight the “one more” aspect.

In this sentence, još jednom fits well because the idea is “I’ll ask the teacher once more.”
You could also say:

• Nisam sigurna, pa ću opet pitati učiteljicu.
  (also correct, a bit less specific about “one more time”.)

Why is it učiteljicu and not učiteljica?

učiteljica is the nominative singular (dictionary form) for female teacher.

Here it is the direct object of pitati (to ask), so it must be in the accusative case:

• Nominative: učiteljica (subject)
• Accusative: učiteljicu (direct object)

Examples:

• Učiteljica objašnjava. – The (female) teacher is explaining. (subject → nominative)
• Pitam učiteljicu. – I am asking the (female) teacher. (object → accusative)

If it were a male teacher:

• Nominative: učitelj
• Accusative: učitelja
  
  • Pitam učitelja. – I am asking the (male) teacher.

Why does pitati take učiteljicu in the accusative and not something like učiteljici?

In Croatian, the verb pitati (to ask someone) takes a direct object in the accusative for the person you ask:

• pitati koga? – to ask whom? → accusative

So you say:

• pitam učiteljicu – I ask the teacher (accusative)
• pitam prijatelja – I ask my friend (accusative)

The dative form učiteljici would appear with a different structure, e.g.:

• postaviti pitanje učiteljici – to put a question to the teacher (dative: to whom?)

Can I use the present tense instead of ću pitati to talk about the future?

Sometimes Croatian uses the present to talk about a planned future, but it’s more limited than in English.

Your sentence:

• Nisam sigurna, pa pitam učiteljicu još jednom.

This sounds more like a description of what you either do regularly or are doing right now:
I am not sure, so I (typically) ask the teacher again / so I’m asking the teacher again (right now).

To clearly express a future decision (I will do it later), you normally use the future with ću:

• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.
  = I am not sure, so I will ask the teacher once more.

Can I move još jednom or učiteljicu around in the sentence?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, especially for emphasis. All of these are possible:

• … pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu. (neutral)
• … pa ću pitati učiteljicu još jednom. (slight emphasis on once more)
• … pa ću učiteljicu još jednom pitati. (emphasis on the teacher, more stylistic)

The original order is the most neutral and common in everyday speech:

• Nisam sigurna, pa ću još jednom pitati učiteljicu.