Mama joj polako pokazuje kako napraviti čvrst čvor i onda odvezati vezice.

Joj is the dative singular form of the pronoun meaning to her.

In this sentence, Mama joj pokazuje... means Mom is showing her...

Croatian often uses the dative for the person who receives something indirectly, including information, help, or instruction. So:

• pokazati nekome = to show someone
• joj = to her

A useful comparison:

• Mama je vidi. = Mom sees her.
  Here you use ju because her is the direct object.
• Mama joj pokazuje. = Mom is showing her.
  Here you use joj because her is the indirect object.

Pokazuje is the 3rd person singular present tense of pokazivati/pokazuje or more commonly the imperfective partner of pokazati used as pokazivati. In everyday usage, pokazuje here means is showing or shows.

It fits because the sentence describes an ongoing action:

• Mama joj polako pokazuje... = Mom is slowly showing her...

Why not the others?

• pokazati = infinitive, to show
• pokaže = usually a present/future-related form of the perfective verb, not the best choice for an ongoing process here

Since the action is in progress and unfolds step by step, Croatian naturally uses the imperfective present: pokazuje.

Because after kako in this kind of sentence, Croatian commonly uses the infinitive to mean how to do something.

So:

• kako napraviti čvrst čvor = how to make a firm knot
• i onda odvezati vezice = and then untie the laces

This is very similar to English how to make... and how to untie...

Croatian can also express this idea in other ways, but kako + infinitive is a very common and straightforward structure.

Here kako means how.

It introduces the instructions or method that Mom is demonstrating:

• pokazuje kako napraviti... = shows how to make...

So kako is not asking a question here. It introduces an embedded clause, like in English:

• She shows her how to tie a knot.

In other contexts, kako can also be used in direct questions:

• Kako si? = How are you?

But in your sentence, it means how in the sense of the way to do something.

Polako is an adverb meaning slowly.

It modifies pokazuje, so the idea is:

• Mama joj polako pokazuje... = Mom is slowly showing her...

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, so you may also hear variations like:

• Mama joj pokazuje polako...
• Polako joj mama pokazuje...

But the original order sounds natural and keeps the focus on the gentle, gradual way the action is happening.

Also, polako can sometimes carry a nuance of carefully, gently, or step by step, depending on context.

Yes. Čvrst and čvor are both in the accusative singular masculine, because they belong together as adjective + noun and function as the direct object of napraviti.

Base forms:

• čvrst = firm, solid, tight
• čvor = knot

In this sentence:

• napraviti čvrst čvor = to make a firm/tight knot

Because čvor is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular:

• nominative: čvrst čvor
• accusative: čvrst čvor

So even though the form does not change visibly here, grammatically it is the direct object.

Not exactly, but tight is a very natural translation in this context.

The basic meaning of čvrst is:

• firm
• solid
• strong

So čvrst čvor is literally something like a firm/secure knot. In natural English, that often becomes a tight knot or a secure knot.

So if you're learning vocabulary, it helps to remember:

• čvrst stol = a sturdy table
• čvrst stisak = a firm grip
• čvrst čvor = a firm/secure/tight knot

Vezice here means shoelaces or laces.

It is the plural of vezica, which can mean a small tie, lace, or string depending on context. In everyday speech, when people talk about tying and untying vezice, they very often mean shoelaces.

So:

• vezica = lace / little tie
• vezice = laces / shoelaces

The surrounding context makes the meaning clear:

• make a knot
• then untie the laces

That strongly suggests shoe-tying.

Odvezati means to untie or to unfasten by untying.

So:

• vezati = to tie
• odvezati = to untie

This is a very natural verb here because we are talking about laces and knots.

You may also encounter razvezati, which can also mean untie in many contexts. The difference is often small in everyday usage, and native speakers may use both depending on style, region, or nuance.

But odvezati vezice is completely normal and idiomatic.

Both napraviti and odvezati are perfective infinitives, and that makes good sense here because the sentence refers to complete, goal-oriented actions:

• make a knot
• untie the laces

Croatian often prefers perfective verbs when talking about a single completed result or step in a sequence.

So the focus is not on the process in the abstract, but on achieving each result:

• first: napraviti čvor
• then: odvezati vezice

Meanwhile, the main verb pokazuje is imperfective, because the act of showing is ongoing.

This is a very common contrast in Croatian:

• ongoing main action: pokazuje
• completed sub-actions being demonstrated: napraviti, odvezati

In this sentence, vezice is the direct object of odvezati, so it is in the accusative plural.

However, for many inanimate feminine nouns, the accusative plural looks the same as the nominative plural.

So:

• nominative plural: vezice
• accusative plural: vezice

That is why there is no visible change.

This can be confusing for English speakers because English relies more on word order than case endings, while Croatian uses case even when the form sometimes happens to stay identical.

Yes, the sentence could work without onda, but i onda adds a clear sense of sequence:

• and then

So the sentence presents the steps in order:

1. napraviti čvrst čvor
2. onda odvezati vezice

Without onda, it would still be grammatical, but slightly less explicit about the order of actions.

Compare:

• ...kako napraviti čvrst čvor i odvezati vezice.
  = ...how to make a tight knot and untie the laces.

• ...kako napraviti čvrst čvor i onda odvezati vezice.
  = ...how to make a tight knot and then untie the laces.

So onda helps the sentence feel more instructional and step-by-step.

Here Mama means Mom/Mum, not mother in the formal sense.

Croatian does not use articles, so there is no word for the or a before it.

Depending on context, mama can function either:

• as a regular noun: a mother / the mother
• or as a family title used almost like a name: Mom

In your sentence, it most naturally feels like Mom:

• Mama joj polako pokazuje... = Mom is slowly showing her...

The capital M is there because it starts the sentence. Inside a sentence, you would normally write mama unless it is being used as a proper form of address in a special way.

This is tricky for English speakers because of the consonant clusters.

A rough guide:

• č sounds like ch in church, but a bit firmer
• v is like English v
• r is a trilled or tapped r
• st is pronounced fully
• čvor begins again with čv

So:

• čvrst ≈ ch-vrst
• čvor ≈ ch-vor

The r in čvrst can act almost like a vowel in Slavic languages, which is why the word may feel difficult at first.

Best strategy:

1. say čvor
2. then čvrst
3. then combine them slowly: čvrst čvor

It is normal if this takes practice.