Ako mala nećakinja počne plakati, daj joj dudu i pokaži joj knjigu sa životinjama.

Ako means if and introduces a condition.

So:

• Ako mala nećakinja počne plakati... = If the little niece starts crying...

In Croatian, this kind of if-clause often uses the present form, even when the meaning refers to a possible future situation.

Because they are both feminine singular nominative forms.

• nećakinja = niece
• mala = little / small / young, agreeing with nećakinja

Croatian adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here, mala nećakinja is the subject of the clause, so both words are in the nominative singular feminine.

Usually it means little niece in the sense of young niece, not necessarily physically small.

In family contexts, mali / mala very often means:

• little
• young
• sometimes simply small

So here an English speaker would usually understand it as the little niece or the young niece.

Because počne plakati means starts to cry or begins crying, while plače just means is crying / cries.

So there is an important difference:

• plače = she is crying
• počne plakati = she starts crying

The sentence is specifically talking about the moment the crying begins.

After početi (to begin / to start), Croatian normally uses an infinitive:

• početi plakati = to start crying
• početi jesti = to start eating
• početi raditi = to start working

This is the standard Croatian pattern.

You may sometimes hear structures with da in other varieties of the language, but in standard Croatian, početi + infinitive is the usual choice.

Počne is the 3rd person singular present form of početi.

It refers to:

• he/she/it starts
• here: she starts, because it refers to nećakinja

Also, početi is a perfective verb. In Croatian, a perfective present often refers to a single completed event in the future or in conditional contexts, especially after words like ako.

So ako ... počne plakati is a very natural way to say if she starts crying.

They are imperative forms, because the speaker is giving instructions or telling someone what to do.

• daj = give
• pokaži = show

These are the singular informal commands, used when speaking to one person with ti.

Compare:

• daj / pokaži = informal singular
• dajte / pokažite = plural or formal

So this sentence is addressed to one person informally.

Joj means to her.

It is the dative singular form of the pronoun ona (she).

So:

• daj joj dudu = give her the pacifier
• pokaži joj knjigu = show her the book

It appears twice because both verbs have the same indirect object:

• give to her
• show to her

Croatian often repeats the pronoun in coordinated commands like this. It sounds natural and clear.

Because joj is a short unstressed pronoun, called a clitic.

In Croatian, clitics usually go near the beginning of their clause, often after the first stressed word. With imperatives, they commonly come right after the imperative verb:

• Daj joj dudu
• Pokaži joj knjigu

That placement is the normal, natural one.

Because they are direct objects in the accusative singular.

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

• duda → dudu
• knjiga → knjigu

This is a very common pattern in Croatian:

• nominative singular: žena
• accusative singular: ženu

So here:

• daj dudu = give the pacifier
• pokaži knjigu = show the book

Životinjama is instrumental plural.

It is used after the preposition sa (with):

• sa životinjama = with animals

So:

• knjiga sa životinjama literally means a book with animals

Grammatically:

• singular: životinja
• instrumental plural: životinjama

Both s and sa are forms of the same preposition meaning with.

In practice, sa is often used when it sounds easier or more natural before certain consonants. Here, sa životinjama sounds smooth and completely normal.

So for a learner, the important thing is:

• s(a)
  • instrumental = with

And in this sentence, sa životinjama is the natural choice.

Not quite.

• knjiga sa životinjama = a book with animals
  This often suggests a children's book containing pictures of animals or animals as part of the content.
• knjiga o životinjama = a book about animals
  This focuses more directly on the topic.

In this sentence, sa životinjama sounds very natural for something you would show a small child.

Because Croatian has no articles.

Unlike English, Croatian does not use words like:

• a
• an
• the

So the form knjigu can mean:

• a book
• the book

The exact meaning depends on context.

The same is true for mala nećakinja:

• a little niece
• the little niece

Context tells you which one is meant.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but the version in the sentence is very natural and neutral.

This order works well because it clearly separates:

1. the condition
   Ako mala nećakinja počne plakati
2. the instructions
   daj joj dudu i pokaži joj knjigu sa životinjama

Some parts could move for emphasis, but not every alternative sounds equally natural. For a learner, this sentence is a good model to follow as it stands.