Zebra stoji pokraj žirafe i mirno gleda ljude.

Because pokraj requires the genitive case.

The basic form is žirafa = giraffe, but after pokraj it changes to žirafe:

• žirafa = nominative singular
• žirafe = genitive singular

So:

• pokraj žirafe = next to / beside the giraffe

This is very common in Croatian: certain prepositions automatically require a specific case.

Because gledati takes a direct object, and the direct object here must be in the accusative plural.

The noun is ljudi = people, but in this sentence it appears as ljude because it is what the zebra is looking at.

• nominative plural: ljudi = people
• accusative plural: ljude = people (as object)

So:

• Ljudi stoje. = People are standing.
• Zebra gleda ljude. = The zebra is looking at the people.

Because mirno is an adverb, not an adjective.

It describes how the zebra is looking:

• miran / mirna / mirno = calm, peaceful (adjective)
• mirno = calmly, peacefully (adverb)

In the sentence:

• mirno gleda = looks calmly

A learner might expect an adjective, but Croatian uses the adverb here, just like English uses calmly, not calm.

Stoji means is standing or stands.

It comes from the verb stajati = to stand.

So Zebra stoji means the zebra is in an upright position, standing somewhere. It is more specific than just is.

Compare:

• Zebra je ondje. = The zebra is there.
• Zebra stoji ondje. = The zebra is standing there.

They are very close in meaning. Both can mean next to, beside, or by.

• pokraj žirafe
• pored žirafe

Both are natural in many contexts. There can be slight stylistic or regional preferences, but for a learner, they are usually interchangeable in simple sentences like this.

Both also take the genitive case.

Because Croatian has no definite or indefinite articles like English the or a/an.

So:

• zebra can mean a zebra or the zebra
• žirafe can mean a giraffe or the giraffe, depending on context
• ljude can mean people or the people, depending on context

Croatian relies on context rather than articles.

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order because case endings show grammatical relationships.

The neutral order here is:

• Zebra stoji pokraj žirafe i mirno gleda ljude.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Pokraj žirafe zebra stoji i mirno gleda ljude.
• Ljude zebra mirno gleda.

These versions may sound more marked or literary depending on context, but they are still understandable. English is much more rigid about word order than Croatian.

Because the same subject, zebra, applies to both verbs.

The sentence structure is:

• Zebra = subject
• stoji = first verb
• i = and
• gleda = second verb

So the meaning is:

• The zebra stands ... and looks ...

Croatian does not need to repeat the subject if it stays the same.

I means and.

It connects the two actions:

• stoji = stands
• gleda = looks

So:

• stoji ... i ... gleda = stands ... and ... looks

Very simple, but important: Croatian i is pronounced like English ee, not like English eye.

A few sounds here are especially important for English speakers:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• lj is a single Croatian sound, like a soft ly sound
• j is pronounced like English y

So roughly:

• žirafe ≈ zhi-RA-fe
• ljude ≈ LYU-de

And in the full sentence:

• Zebra stoji pokraj žirafe i mirno gleda ljude.

Approximate pronunciation:

• ZE-bra STO-yi PO-krai zhi-RA-fe i MIR-no GLE-da LYU-de

Because zebra is the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the nominative case.

The other nouns have different roles:

• zebra = subject → nominative
• žirafe = object of the preposition pokraj → genitive
• ljude = direct object of gleda → accusative

This is one of the biggest patterns in Croatian: the form of a noun depends on its role in the sentence.

In this sentence, gleda most naturally means looks at.

The verb gledati often implies directing your eyes toward something, and it commonly takes a direct object:

• gledati televiziju = to watch TV
• gledati ljude = to look at / watch people

So in this sentence, gleda ljude could be understood as either:

• looks at the people
• watches the people

The best English choice depends on context.

Yes. Both are in the 3rd person singular present tense.

• stoji = he/she/it stands / is standing
• gleda = he/she/it looks / is looking

Because the subject is zebra, English would use it, but since Croatian nouns have grammatical gender, zebra is grammatically feminine. Even so, the verb form in the present tense does not show gender here, only person and number.

Most naturally, it describes an action happening right now or a scene in progress:

• the zebra is standing
• it is calmly looking at people

Croatian present tense often covers both English simple present and present continuous. So the exact English translation depends on context.

In a picture description, for example, English would usually say:

• The zebra is standing next to the giraffe and calmly looking at the people.