Mrav može puzati preko cijele deke za nekoliko minuta, a djeca ga onda dugo prate pogledom.

Croatian usually does not use articles like a or the.

So mrav can mean an ant or the ant, depending on context. If you want to be more specific, Croatian can add words like:

• jedan mrav = an ant / one ant
• taj mrav = that ant / the ant in question

In this sentence, plain mrav is perfectly natural.

After the modal verb moći (can, be able to), Croatian uses the infinitive.

So:

• može = can / is able to
• puzati = to crawl

Together, može puzati means can crawl.

This is very similar to English:

• The ant can crawl
• Mrav može puzati

Puzati means to crawl.

It can be used for:

• babies
• insects
• reptiles
• anything moving slowly close to a surface

So for an ant, puzati is completely natural. It suggests creeping/crawling along a surface.

Preko usually takes the genitive case.

Here:

• deka = blanket
• genitive singular = deke
• cijela deka = the whole blanket
• genitive singular = cijele deke

So:

• preko cijele deke = across the whole blanket

This is why you see cijele deke, not cijelu deku.

Cijele comes from cijeli, meaning whole, entire.

Because it agrees with deke in:

• gender: feminine
• number: singular
• case: genitive

So:

• cijela deka = the whole blanket (nominative)
• preko cijele deke = across the whole blanket (genitive after preko)

In Croatian, za + a time expression often means within / in a certain amount of time, especially when talking about completing something.

So:

• za nekoliko minuta = in a few minutes / within a few minutes

It answers the question how long does it take until the action is completed?

If you want to say for a few minutes in the sense of duration, Croatian would more naturally use something like:

• nekoliko minuta
• nekoliko minuta dugo in some contexts
• or a different structure depending on the sentence

So here the idea is: the ant can cross the blanket within a few minutes.

Here a is a coordinating conjunction. It often means something between and, while, and sometimes a mild but.

In this sentence, it links two related actions:

• the ant crawls across the blanket
• the children then watch it for a long time

So here a is best understood as a natural linking word, something like:

• and
• while
• and then

It is not a strong contrast like English but, though sometimes a can carry a slight contrast depending on context.

Djeca is an irregular noun. It means children and is the plural form of dijete (child).

This is one of the important irregular nouns learners need to memorize:

• dijete = child
• djeca = children

Even though djeca looks singular to English learners, it is grammatically treated as plural here, which is why the verb is:

• prate = they follow/watch

not a singular form.

Ga is the accusative singular masculine animate clitic pronoun meaning him/it.

Here it refers back to mrav (ant).

So:

• mrav is masculine animate
• when it becomes the object, Croatian uses ga

In English we say:

• the children watch it

In Croatian:

• djeca ga ... prate

Even though English uses it for animals in many cases, Croatian grammar still follows the noun’s gender and animacy.

Because ga is a clitic, and Croatian clitics usually appear near the beginning of the clause, often in second position.

So in:

• a djeca ga onda dugo prate pogledom

the main opening element is djeca, and the clitic ga comes right after it.

This kind of placement is very typical in Croatian. English speakers often expect pronouns to stay closer to the verb, but Croatian clitics have their own placement rules.

Onda means then.

It shows sequence:

• first, the ant crawls across the blanket
• then, the children watch it for a long time

It helps make the sentence feel more connected in time.

Dugo is an adverb meaning for a long time or long in the adverbial sense.

It describes how long the children watch the ant.

Compare:

• dug = long (adjective)
• dugo = for a long time / long (adverb)

So:

• dugo prate = they watch/follow for a long time

Literally, prate pogledom means they follow it with their gaze.

This is a very natural Croatian expression. In smoother English, it often becomes:

• they watch it
• they follow it with their eyes
• their eyes follow it

So pratiti pogledom is an idiomatic way to describe visually tracking something.

Pogledom is the instrumental singular of pogled (look, gaze).

The instrumental case is often used for the means or instrument by which something is done.

Here the idea is:

• they follow it with their gaze

So:

• pogled = gaze/look
• pogledom = with the gaze / with their eyes

This is why the instrumental is used.

Yes, both are imperfective here.

• puzati = to crawl as an ongoing process
• pratiti = to follow/watch as an ongoing action

That fits the meaning of the sentence well:

• the ant is able to make its way across the blanket
• the children keep watching it for some time

Croatian often uses imperfective verbs when the focus is on the process, duration, or repeated/ongoing nature of an action.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, though not completely free.

For example, you could also hear variants like:

• Mrav može za nekoliko minuta puzati preko cijele deke, a djeca ga onda dugo prate pogledom.
• A onda ga djeca dugo prate pogledom.

But the original sentence sounds natural and balanced. The chosen word order helps the sentence flow clearly:

1. subject and ability
2. path and time
3. second action with the children

So while alternatives exist, the original is very normal Croatian.