Dežurna učiteljica stoji u hodniku i pazi da djeca ne trče po stepenicama.

Dežurna is an adjective meaning on duty, assigned to supervise, or responsible at that moment.

It ends in -a because it agrees with učiteljica, which is a feminine noun. Croatian adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

So:

• dežurni učitelj = a male teacher on duty
• dežurna učiteljica = a female teacher on duty

In a school context, dežurna učiteljica is the teacher whose job is to supervise students during that period.

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

So a noun like učiteljica can mean:

• a teacher
• the teacher

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, English naturally uses the because the situation makes it specific, but Croatian does not need a separate word for that.

It usually means a female teacher, especially in a primary-school context.

A few useful contrasts:

• učiteljica = female teacher
• učitelj = male teacher
• nastavnica / nastavnik = teacher, often for subject teaching in higher grades or secondary school

So učiteljica is not just grammatically feminine; it also refers to a female person.

Yes, stoji literally means stands.

It comes from stajati = to stand.

Croatian often uses posture verbs such as:

• stajati = stand
• sjediti = sit
• ležati = lie

in places where English might sometimes use a more general expression like be or be standing.

So here stoji u hodniku suggests that the teacher is physically standing in the hallway, not just abstractly present there.

Because Croatian has one main present tense form where English often distinguishes between:

• simple present: she stands
• present continuous: she is standing

So:

• stoji can mean stands or is standing
• pazi can mean watches / is watching / makes sure
• trče can mean run / are running

Context tells you whether the meaning is habitual, general, or happening now.

Hodniku is in the locative singular.

After u, Croatian uses:

• locative for location: u hodniku = in the hallway
• accusative for movement into something: u hodnik = into the hallway

So:

• stoji u hodniku = she is standing in the hallway
• If someone were walking into it, you would use u hodnik

Here pazi da means something like:

• makes sure that
• sees to it that
• keeps watch so that

The verb is paziti, which can mean watch, take care, be careful, or keep an eye on, depending on context.

So pazi da djeca ne trče... is not just she watches that... in a literal English sense. It means she is supervising and making sure this does not happen.

Because after paziti in this meaning, Croatian naturally uses a da-clause.

So:

• pazi da djeca ne trče = she makes sure that the children do not run

This structure is very common in Croatian. English often uses an infinitive in places where Croatian prefers da + present tense, but here Croatian wants a full clause because it expresses a whole situation being controlled or prevented.

Yes:

• dijete = child
• djeca = children

This is an irregular plural, so it does not follow the most predictable pattern.

Some useful forms are:

• dijete = child
• djeca = children
• djece = of the children
• djeci = to/about the children
• djecu = the children (object)
• djecom = with the children

In this sentence, djeca is the subject, so it is in the nominative form.

Because djeca is plural in meaning: children.

So the verb must also be plural:

• dijete ne trči = the child is not running
• djeca ne trče = the children are not running

The ending -e in trče shows 3rd person plural.

Trče comes from the imperfective verb trčati = to run.

That is the natural choice here because the sentence is about preventing a general or ongoing kind of behavior: running on the stairs.

If you used a different verb such as potrčati, the meaning would shift more toward:

• start running
• run off suddenly
• a single completed event

But the teacher is supervising so that the children do not engage in this behavior at all, so ne trče is the best fit.

Here po stepenicama means something like:

• on the stairs
• along the stairs
• up and down the stairs

The noun stepenicama is plural, and after po here it is in the locative.

A useful nuance:

• po stepenicama is very natural with trčati and suggests movement around/on the stairs
• uz stepenice would mean specifically up the stairs
• niz stepenice would mean specifically down the stairs

So ne trče po stepenicama is a very natural way to say that the children are not allowed to run on the stairs.

Usually, yes, when talking about a staircase or stairs as a whole.

• stepenice = stairs / staircase
• stepenica = one stair / one step

So in this sentence, po stepenicama refers to the stairs as a set, which matches English on the stairs.

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence has a very natural, neutral order.

Current order:

• Dežurna učiteljica stoji u hodniku i pazi da djeca ne trče po stepenicama.

This presents the scene smoothly: first where the teacher is, then what she is doing.

You can change word order in Croatian, but that usually changes emphasis or sounds more marked. So while other orders may be possible, this one is a good standard model for learners.