U ambulanti su prvo pogledali njezinu šapu i njušku.

Because u can take different cases depending on meaning:

• u + locative = location, meaning in / at
• u + accusative = movement toward somewhere, meaning into / to

Here, u ambulanti means in the clinic / at the clinic, so it uses the locative singular of ambulanta.

• nominative: ambulanta
• locative: ambulanti
• accusative: ambulantu

So:

• U ambulanti su... = They were in the clinic / At the clinic, they...
• Išli su u ambulantu. = They went to the clinic.

Su pogledali is the perfect tense of the verb pogledati.

It is made from:

• the auxiliary su = are/have in the 3rd person plural
• the past participle pogledali = looked / examined

So literally it is something like they have looked, but in natural English it is often just they looked or they examined.

Why plural? Because the sentence implies they.

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form. This is very normal.

In su pogledali, the form already tells you the subject is 3rd person plural:

• pogledao je = he looked
• pogledala je = she looked
• pogledali su = they looked

So Croatian does not need to say oni unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

Prvo means first.

It tells you this was the first action in a sequence. In this sentence, it modifies the verb phrase:

• su prvo pogledali = first looked at / examined first

Croatian word order is flexible, so prvo can move around more than first usually can in English. For example:

• U ambulanti su prvo pogledali...
• U ambulanti su pogledali prvo...

The first version is the more natural one here.

Njezinu is the accusative singular feminine form of the possessive adjective njezin = her.

It agrees with the nouns it describes:

• šapa is feminine singular
• njuška is feminine singular

Because both objects are feminine singular in the accusative, one form njezinu can cover both:

• njezinu šapu i njušku = her paw and muzzle

In other words, Croatian does not need to repeat the possessive before the second noun if the same form fits both nouns.

Because they are direct objects, so they are in the accusative case.

Both nouns are feminine singular nouns that normally end in -a in the dictionary form:

• šapa = paw
• njuška = muzzle / snout

For many feminine nouns of this type:

• nominative singular: -a
• accusative singular: -u

So:

• šapa → šapu
• njuška → njušku

That is why the sentence says:

• pogledali šapu i njušku in the accusative
• more fully: pogledali njezinu šapu i njušku

Yes. That is completely normal.

Since both nouns are:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

the possessive adjective njezinu matches both, so it does not need to be repeated.

Croatian often avoids repetition when the grammar is clear.

So these are both possible:

• pogledali njezinu šapu i njušku
• pogledali njezinu šapu i njezinu njušku

The second version is more repetitive and usually unnecessary unless you want special emphasis.

In context, it can mean more than a quick glance.

The verb pogledati basically means to look at, but in medical or practical contexts it can naturally mean:

• to check
• to inspect
• to examine briefly

So in this sentence, English might translate it as:

• they looked at her paw and muzzle first
• they first examined her paw and muzzle

Both can work depending on context.

Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order. The sentence is arranged in a natural information flow:

• U ambulanti = setting/place first
• su prvo pogledali = action
• njezinu šapu i njušku = object

A few important points:

1. U ambulanti is placed first to set the scene.
2. The auxiliary su often comes near the beginning of the clause.
3. Prvo comes before the main verb to highlight the sequence.

So the order sounds natural and idiomatic, even though English would not always arrange it the same way.

Because Croatian does not have articles.

English says things like:

• the clinic
• a paw
• the muzzle

Croatian normally expresses those ideas without separate words for the or a. The meaning is understood from context.

So:

• u ambulanti can mean in the clinic or at the clinic
• šapu can mean a paw or the paw, depending on context

It is the standard form based on njezin.

You may also encounter njen in everyday language, especially in speech and informal writing. That gives forms like njenu.

So you may hear both:

• njezinu šapu
• njenu šapu

Both mean her paw, but njezinu is often preferred in more standard or careful usage.

They refer to different animal body parts:

• šapa = paw
• njuška = muzzle / snout

So the sentence is specifically talking about checking two body parts of an animal.

Depending on context, njuška is often best translated as:

• muzzle for a dog or similar animal
• snout for some other animals

The cluster nj in Croatian is a single sound, similar to the ny in canyon for many English speakers.

So:

• njuška sounds roughly like nyoosh-ka
• njušku sounds roughly like nyoosh-koo

Also:

• š sounds like sh
• u is a clear oo sound

So njušku is approximately NYOOSH-koo.