Dječak voli dugo žvakati žvakaću gumu, ali poslije ručka ipak opere zube.

Croatian has no articles, so there is no separate word for the or a/an.

• dječak can mean the boy or a boy
• You understand which one is meant from context

So:

• Dječak voli... = The boy likes... or A boy likes...

In many beginner translations, English adds the because that sounds more natural in context.

voli is the 3rd person singular present of voljeti = to love / to like.

So:

• ja volim = I like
• ti voliš = you like
• on/ona voli = he/she likes

In Croatian, verbs like voljeti are often followed directly by an infinitive:

• voli žvakati = likes to chew
• literally: likes chew

This is very similar to English likes to chew.

dugo means for a long time or long in the sense of duration.

So:

• dugo žvakati = to chew for a long time

It is an adverb here, modifying the verb žvakati.

Compare:

• dugo spavati = to sleep for a long time
• dugo čekati = to wait a long time

In this sentence, dugo tells us how long the boy likes chewing gum.

They come from the same root connected with chewing:

• žvakati = to chew
• žvakaća guma = chewing gum

So the phrase:

• žvakati žvakaću gumu

literally looks a bit like:

• to chew chewing gum

This is completely normal in Croatian, even though the repetition may stand out to an English speaker.

Because it is the direct object of žvakati, so it must be in the accusative case.

The dictionary form is:

• žvakaća guma = chewing gum

But after the verb žvakati, it changes to accusative:

• žvakati žvakaću gumu = to chew chewing gum

This is because both parts of the noun phrase change:

• žvakaća → žvakaću
• guma → gumu

This is a very common pattern with feminine nouns and their adjectives.

Yes, žvakaća guma is the standard full expression for chewing gum.

In everyday speech, speakers may also shorten it to:

• žvaka

But in a textbook-style sentence, žvakaća guma is perfectly normal and clear.

ali means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Dječak voli dugo žvakati žvakaću gumu
  = The boy likes to chew gum for a long time
• ali poslije ručka ipak opere zube
  = but after lunch he still / nevertheless brushes his teeth

So ali introduces the contrast.

poslije means after.

After poslije, Croatian normally uses the genitive case.

The noun is:

• ručak = lunch

In the genitive singular, it becomes:

• ručka

So:

• poslije ručka = after lunch

You can think of it as a fixed pattern:

• poslije škole = after school
• poslije posla = after work
• poslije ručka = after lunch

Yes. nakon ručka also means after lunch.

Both poslije and nakon are common and both take the genitive.

So these are both correct:

• poslije ručka
• nakon ručka

poslije often feels a little more everyday and conversational, while nakon can sound slightly more neutral or formal, but in many contexts they are interchangeable.

ipak is a very useful word. Here it means something like:

• still
• nevertheless
• all the same
• after all

In this sentence, it signals a contrast with expectation:

• He likes chewing gum for a long time,
• but he still / nevertheless brushes his teeth after lunch

So ipak adds the idea that, despite the first part, the second part still happens.

This is a very common learner question because it involves aspect.

• prati = to wash, to be washing / to wash in an ongoing or repeated sense
• oprati = to wash completely, to finish washing

Their present forms are:

• pere = he/she washes / is washing
• opere = he/she washes completely / finishes washing

In opere zube, the perfective verb oprati emphasizes a completed action: he gets his teeth cleaned.

Croatian often uses different verbs depending on whether the action is seen as:

• ongoing / repeated / process-focused → prati
• completed / result-focused → oprati

So:

• pere zube = he is brushing/washing his teeth, or he brushes them generally
• opere zube = he brushes/washes them and completes the action

In this sentence, opere gives a sense like he does brush them after lunch.

That is a very good observation.

It is true that perfective present often refers to the future, especially on its own:

• Sutra opere zube would sound odd if meant as plain present
• usually you would expect a future meaning or a special context

However, in real usage, perfective present can also appear in contexts that describe:

• regular sequences
• habitual completed actions
• vivid narration
• actions viewed as single whole events

In a sentence like this, opere zube presents the action as a complete, definite step in the routine: after lunch, he goes ahead and gets his teeth brushed.

If a learner used pere zube instead, that would also be understandable, but it would shift the nuance more toward a general/habitual activity rather than the completed result.

Because Croatian commonly uses prati / oprati zube, which literally means to wash one’s teeth, but idiomatically it is the normal way to say brush one’s teeth.

So:

• perem zube = I brush my teeth
• operem zube = I brush my teeth / I get my teeth cleaned

Croatian can also mention the toothbrush if needed:

• prati zube četkicom = to brush teeth with a toothbrush

But usually prati/oprati zube alone is enough.

Croatian often leaves out possessive words when the owner is obvious from context, especially with body parts and personal routines.

So:

• opere zube naturally means he brushes his teeth
• not someone else’s teeth

This is similar to how some European languages work. English usually needs his, but Croatian often does not.

You could say:

• opere svoje zube

but that is usually unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

zube is accusative plural.

The basic noun is:

• zub = tooth

Plural nominative:

• zubi = teeth

Accusative plural for animate/inanimate distinctions can vary by noun type, and here the form is:

• zube

So:

• opere zube = brushes the teeth / brushes his teeth

It is accusative because zube is the direct object of opere.

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, though not completely free. The sentence given is natural:

• Dječak voli dugo žvakati žvakaću gumu, ali poslije ručka ipak opere zube.

You could move some parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Dječak voli žvakati žvakaću gumu dugo, ali ipak poslije ručka opere zube.
• Poslije ručka dječak ipak opere zube.

But not every version sounds equally natural. The original sentence has a smooth, neutral flow.

In particular:

• ipak is often placed before the verb or near the element it contrasts
• time phrases like poslije ručka can move, but their placement changes emphasis

The main special letters here are:

• č as in ručak, žvakaću
  pronounced roughly like ch in church
• ć as in dječak, žvakaću
  similar to č, but softer
• ž as in žvakati, zube does not have it, but ž sounds like s in measure
• j as in dječak
  pronounced like English y in yes

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Dječak ≈ DYE-cha(k) with a soft middle sound
• žvakati ≈ ZHVA-ka-ti
• žvakaću gumu ≈ ZHVA-ka-chu GOO-moo
• poslije ručka ≈ POS-lee-ye ROOCH-ka
• opere zube ≈ O-pe-re ZOO-be

These are only approximations, but they can help at the start.

Yes, the sentence is built with present-tense forms:

• voli = likes
• opere = washes/brushes completely

In English, the most natural translation is probably something like:

• The boy likes to chew gum for a long time, but after lunch he still brushes his teeth.

Depending on context, English may choose slightly different wording to capture the nuance of ipak and opere, but grammatically the Croatian sentence is in the present.

Here are the key forms:

• dječak → dječak = boy
• voli → voljeti = to like, to love
• dugo → dugo = for a long time / long
• žvakati → žvakati = to chew
• žvakaću gumu → žvakaća guma = chewing gum
• ali → ali = but
• poslije → poslije = after
• ručka → ručak = lunch
• ipak → ipak = still, nevertheless
• opere → oprati = to wash/brush completely
• zube → zub = tooth

Looking up the dictionary form is especially important in Croatian because case endings and verb forms can change the surface form a lot.