Dječak traži bombon, dok djevojčica radije uzima voće nego slatkiš.

Here is the case breakdown:

• Dječak — nominative singular
  It is the subject of traži.

• bombon — accusative singular
  It is the direct object of traži.

• djevojčica — nominative singular
  It is the subject of uzima.

• voće — accusative singular
  It is the direct object of uzima.

• slatkiš — also functioning as an accusative singular in the comparison after nego
  The full idea is basically uzima voće, a ne slatkiš or uzima voće nego slatkiš = she takes fruit rather than a sweet.

A useful thing to notice is that voće is grammatically singular in Croatian, even though in English fruit can feel mass-like or collective.

Because they are masculine inanimate singular nouns, and in Croatian that often means:

• nominative singular = accusative singular

So:

• bombon can be nominative or accusative
• slatkiš can be nominative or accusative

That is why the form does not change here.

Compare that with a masculine animate noun:

• dječak = nominative
• dječaka = accusative

For example:

• Dječak traži bombon.
• Vidim dječaka.

So the lack of change in bombon and slatkiš is normal.

Here dok means while or whereas.

It links two clauses and creates a contrast:

• Dječak traži bombon
• dok djevojčica radije uzima voće nego slatkiš

So the idea is not only time overlap, but also contrast: the boy wants one thing, whereas the girl prefers something else.

In other contexts, dok can also mean things like until or as long as, but that is not the meaning here.

Radije means rather, preferably, or in many contexts it corresponds to English would rather or prefer.

So:

• radije uzima voće nego slatkiš
  = she would rather take fruit than a sweet
  = she prefers fruit to a sweet

It is the comparative form related to rado, which has the general idea of doing something willingly or gladly.

A very common Croatian pattern is:

• radije + verb + X nego Y

For example:

• Radije pijem čaj nego kavu.
• Radije idem pješice nego autom.

So in your sentence, radije marks preference.

Because Croatian uses nego in this kind of preference / rather than comparison.

So:

• radije ... nego ... = rather ... than ...

That is the normal pattern here.

By contrast, od is commonly used with adjective or adverb comparisons:

• veći od = bigger than
• bolji od = better than
• brže od = faster than

So:

• radije voće nego slatkiš ✔
• bolje od njega ✔

In short:

• nego = than / rather than in this kind of contrast
• od = than after many comparatives like veći, bolji, stariji, etc.

Not exactly.

• bombon usually means a piece of candy or bonbon
• slatkiš is broader: a sweet, treat, candy, or sugary snack in general

So bombon is more specific, while slatkiš is more general.

That means the sentence is quite natural:

• the boy is looking for a candy
• the girl prefers fruit rather than a sweet / sugary treat

It can suggest little girl, because the ending -ica is diminutive in origin, but in everyday Croatian djevojčica is also the normal word for a girl child.

So depending on context, it may be translated as:

• girl
• little girl

It contrasts with:

• djevojka = girl / young woman / girlfriend, depending on context

So if the person is clearly a child, djevojčica is the natural choice.

Because uzima is the imperfective verb form, from uzimati, and it fits a general, repeated, or ongoing situation better.

• uzima = is taking / takes / tends to take
• uzme = takes in a completed, one-time sense, from the perfective verb uzeti

Croatian often uses the imperfective when describing habits, preferences, or a general scene.

That works well here:

• djevojčica radije uzima voće
  = the girl tends to choose/take fruit instead

Also, uzima does not have to mean only literal takes. Depending on context, it can mean:

• takes
• chooses
• picks
• sometimes even has or goes for

So here uzima voće is very natural for chooses/takes fruit.

No. Croatian word order is fairly flexible because case endings show grammatical roles.

The sentence as given is a neutral, natural order:

• Dječak traži bombon, dok djevojčica radije uzima voće nego slatkiš.

But Croatian can move words around for emphasis. For example:

• Bombon traži dječak...
  puts more emphasis on bombon
• Voće djevojčica radije uzima...
  emphasizes voće

That said, not every rearrangement sounds equally natural in every context. The original version is a good standard pattern.

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

So:

• dječak can mean the boy or a boy
• bombon can mean the candy or a candy

The exact meaning depends on context.

If Croatian wants to be more specific, it can use other words, such as:

• taj dječak = that boy
• ovaj bombon = this candy
• jedan bombon = one / a certain candy

But very often, no article is needed at all.

A rough guide:

• č sounds like ch in church
• ž sounds like the s in measure
• š sounds like sh in shoe
• j sounds like English y

So roughly:

• Dječak ≈ dyeh-chak
• traži ≈ trah-zhee
• djevojčica ≈ dye-VOY-chee-tsa
• slatkiš ≈ SLAHT-keesh

A few notes:

• The dj part in dječak and djevojčica is softer than plain English d; for beginners, dy is a decent approximation.
• Croatian spelling is generally very phonetic, so once you learn the letter values, pronunciation becomes much easier.