Dječak čeka sestru ispred škole.

Because sestru is the accusative singular form of sestra. The verb čekati takes a direct object, and direct objects usually go in the accusative. So:

• sestra = nominative, dictionary form
• sestru = accusative singular

Here, the sister is the person being waited for, so sestru is correct.

Because ispred requires the genitive case. The basic form is škola, but after ispred it becomes škole.

So:

• škola = nominative singular
• škole = genitive singular

That is why ispred škole means in front of the school.

Dječak is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence—the one doing the action. In Croatian, the subject is normally in the nominative.

So in this sentence:

• Dječak = the boy, subject
• čeka = is waiting / waits
• sestru = the sister, direct object

Čeka is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb čekati.

So:

• čekati = to wait
• čeka = he/she/it waits, or is waiting

In Croatian, the present tense can often translate as either English waits or is waiting, depending on context.

Croatian does not have articles like English a/an and the. That means dječak can mean a boy or the boy, depending on context. The same is true for sestru and školu/škole in other contexts.

Learners often want a one-to-one equivalent of English articles, but Croatian usually leaves that information to context.

Not necessarily. By itself, sestru just means sister in the accusative, and the exact meaning depends on context. It could be his sister, the sister, or even a sister if the wider situation makes that clear.

If you want to say specifically his own sister, Croatian often uses svoju sestru. If you want to emphasize his as opposed to someone else’s, you might use njegovu sestru.

Because Croatian čekati works differently from English wait for. In Croatian, you usually just say čekati + accusative object.

So English says:

• wait for his sister

But Croatian says more literally:

• čekati sestru = wait sister

This is a very common pattern and something English speakers need to get used to.

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English because cases show what each noun is doing in the sentence.

The sentence Dječak čeka sestru ispred škole is a neutral, natural order. But you could also say:

• Ispred škole dječak čeka sestru.
• Sestru dječak čeka ispred škole.

These versions shift emphasis, but the core meaning stays similar. English is much less flexible here.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation would be:

• Dječak ≈ DYE-chak
• čeka ≈ CHEH-ka
• sestru ≈ SEH-stru
• ispred ≈ EES-pred
• škole ≈ SHKO-leh

A few useful sound notes:

• j sounds like English y
• č sounds like ch in church
• š sounds like sh in shoe

The spelling in Croatian is quite regular, so once you learn the letters, pronunciation becomes much easier.

Yes, pred školom is also possible, and both can mean in front of the school. However, ispred škole is very common when talking about being outside and in front of a building.

The grammar is different:

• ispred škole = ispred
  • genitive
• pred školom = pred
  • instrumental

In many everyday situations, the meanings overlap, but ispred škole is a very natural choice in this sentence.

It could be either, depending on context. The Croatian present tense can express:

• something happening right now: The boy is waiting for his sister
• something habitual: The boy waits for his sister

If you only see the sentence by itself, both readings are possible. Usually the wider context tells you which one is meant.