Učitelj je rekao da upitnik ide na kraj pitanja, a uskličnik na kraj kratke poruke kao "Dođi odmah!".

Je rekao is the standard past tense form in Croatian.

Croatian past tense is usually made with:

• the auxiliary biti in the present tense
• plus the l-participle

So:

• rekao = the participle, said
• je rekao = he said

Because učitelj is masculine singular, the participle is rekao. If the subject were feminine, it would be rekla.

Examples:

• Učitelj je rekao = The teacher said
• Učiteljica je rekla = The female teacher said

In some informal contexts the auxiliary can be omitted, but in normal standard Croatian you keep je here.

Here da introduces a subordinate clause, similar to English that.

So:

• Učitelj je rekao da... = The teacher said that...

After verbs like reći (to say), misliti (to think), znati (to know), Croatian often uses da to introduce what was said, thought, or known.

Examples:

• Rekao je da dolazi. = He said that he is coming.
• Mislim da je to točno. = I think that is correct.

Unlike in English, Croatian commonly keeps da rather than dropping it.

In this sentence, a connects two contrasting or paired pieces of information:

• upitnik ide na kraj pitanja
• uskličnik na kraj kratke poruke

Here a is close to while, whereas, or sometimes simply and with contrast.

So the idea is:

• a question mark goes at the end of a question, whereas an exclamation mark goes at the end of a short message

Croatian a is very common when comparing two things side by side.

Examples:

• Ja pijem čaj, a on kavu. = I drink tea, and he drinks coffee / while he drinks coffee.
• Ona je visoka, a on nizak. = She is tall, while he is short.

Because Croatian often omits repeated words when they are understood from the previous part of the sentence.

The full version would be:

• Učitelj je rekao da upitnik ide na kraj pitanja, a uskličnik ide na kraj kratke poruke...

But repeating ide is unnecessary, so Croatian naturally leaves it out:

• ..., a uskličnik na kraj kratke poruke...

This is very common and sounds natural. English does this too sometimes:

• John likes tea, and Mary coffee.

So the missing verb is understood from the first clause.

This is an important Croatian pattern.

• na kraj = to the end (direction, movement)
• na kraju = at the end (location, position)

Because the sentence says where the punctuation mark goes, Croatian uses the directional form:

• ide na kraj pitanja = goes to the end of the question

If you were describing where something already is, you would use:

• Upitnik je na kraju pitanja. = The question mark is at the end of the question.

So the difference is:

• na kraj
  • motion
• na kraju
  • location

Pitanja here is in the genitive singular.

That is because the noun kraj often takes a genitive complement:

• kraj čega? = the end of what?

So:

• kraj pitanja = the end of the question
• kraj poruke = the end of the message

In the sentence:

• na kraj pitanja
• na kraj kratke poruke

the words pitanja and poruke are both genitive because they depend on kraj.

Kratke poruke is also in the genitive singular.

Since poruke depends on kraj, it must be genitive:

• kraj poruke = the end of the message

The adjective must agree with the noun in case, gender, and number:

• poruka = feminine singular
• genitive singular of poruka = poruke
• genitive singular feminine of kratka = kratke

So:

• kratka poruka = a short message
• kraj kratke poruke = the end of a short message

Yes, literally ide means goes, from ići (to go).

But in sentences about rules, placement, or instructions, Croatian often uses ići in a broader sense:

• to go
• to belong
• to be placed

So:

• Upitnik ide na kraj pitanja. does not mean the question mark is physically walking somewhere. It means:
• A question mark goes at the end of a question
• A question mark belongs at the end of a question

This is a very natural use in Croatian.

They are different kinds of words:

• pitanje = question
• upitnik = question mark

So in the sentence:

• upitnik ide na kraj pitanja means:
• the question mark goes at the end of the question

Similarly:

• uskličnik = exclamation mark
• poruka = message

These are useful punctuation terms:

• točka = full stop / period
• zarez = comma
• upitnik = question mark
• uskličnik = exclamation mark

Here kao means like or such as.

It introduces an example:

• kratke poruke kao Dođi odmah! = short messages such as Come immediately!

So the sentence gives Dođi odmah! as an example of the kind of short message that takes an exclamation mark.

Other examples:

• Voće kao jabuke i kruške = Fruit such as apples and pears
• Riječi kao ovo i ono = Words like this and that

Dođi is the imperative, second person singular, from doći (to come).

It means:

• Come!

This form is used for commands, instructions, or urgent requests.

So:

• Dođi odmah! = Come immediately!

Because it is a direct command, it naturally takes an exclamation mark.

A few similar imperatives:

• Stani! = Stop!
• Slušaj! = Listen!
• Piši! = Write!

Odmah means immediately, right away, or at once.

In:

• Dođi odmah! it strengthens the urgency of the command:
• Come immediately!

Its position is fairly flexible, but the most natural places are usually near the verb:

• Dođi odmah!
• Odmah dođi!

Both are possible, though Dođi odmah! is very natural and neutral.

Croatian does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So nouns appear without articles:

• učitelj = teacher / the teacher / a teacher
• upitnik = question mark / the question mark
• pitanja = of the question

Whether the meaning is definite or indefinite is understood from context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the in translation:

• The teacher said...
• the end of the question

But Croatian simply does not need articles for that.

The word order is natural and standard, but Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

This version is smooth and clear:

• Učitelj je rekao da upitnik ide na kraj pitanja, a uskličnik na kraj kratke poruke...

You could rearrange parts for emphasis, but not every change sounds equally natural.

For example, this is also understandable:

• Učitelj je rekao da na kraj pitanja ide upitnik...

That puts more emphasis on na kraj pitanja.

Still, for a learner, the original order is the best model to follow because it is straightforward and idiomatic.