Ta krojačica ima staro glačalo, ali kaže da njime najbolje pegla košulje.

Ta is a demonstrative word, usually meaning that or sometimes this, depending on context and tone.

In Ta krojačica, it points to a specific tailor/dressmaker already known in the conversation:

• ta krojačica = that tailor / that dressmaker
• in some contexts, it can feel like that particular dressmaker

Croatian demonstratives are often more flexible than English this/that, so the exact translation depends on context.

Yes. Krojačica is feminine and refers to a woman.

Related forms:

• krojač = a male tailor
• krojačica = a female tailor / dressmaker

The ending -ica is a common feminine ending in Croatian nouns.

Because glačalo is a neuter noun, so the adjective has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

Here:

• glačalo = neuter singular
• staro = neuter singular form of star

So:

• staro glačalo = an old iron

Compare:

• stari kaput = old coat (masculine)
• stara haljina = old dress (feminine)
• staro glačalo = old iron (neuter)

It is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of ima (has).

However, with many neuter nouns, the accusative singular looks exactly the same as the nominative singular, so:

• nominative: glačalo
• accusative: glačalo

That is why the form does not change.

Because ali means but, and it connects two clauses:

• Ta krojačica ima staro glačalo
• ali kaže da njime najbolje pegla košulje

In Croatian, a comma is normally used before ali, just like in English before but in many similar sentences.

Because da introduces a subordinate clause, similar to English that:

• kaže da... = she says that...

So:

• kaže da njime najbolje pegla košulje = she says that she irons shirts best with it

This is a very common Croatian structure after verbs like:

• kaže = says
• misli = thinks
• zna = knows
• vidi = sees

Njime means with it.

It is the instrumental singular form of the pronoun referring to glačalo (iron). Since the iron is the tool being used, Croatian uses the instrumental case.

So:

• glačalo = iron
• njime = with it / by means of it

In this sentence:

• njime najbolje pegla košulje = she irons shirts best with it

Because Croatian often uses the instrumental without a preposition to show the means or instrument used to do something.

So:

• pišem olovkom = I write with a pencil
• režem nožem = I cut with a knife
• pegla njime = she irons with it

Using s njim would usually mean with him/it in the sense of accompaniment, not necessarily instrument. Here the bare instrumental njime is the natural choice because the iron is the tool.

Because Croatian has two common word families here:

• glačalo = iron
• glačati = to iron

and also:

• pegla = iron (in everyday speech)
• peglati = to iron

In real usage, speakers often mix these naturally.
So glačalo and peglati appearing in the same sentence is not strange.

A rough style difference:

• glačalo / glačati can sound a bit more formal or standard
• pegla / peglati can sound more everyday or colloquial

Because najbolje is an adverb, not an adjective here. It modifies the verb pegla (irons), so it means best.

The comparison is:

• dobro = well
• bolje = better
• najbolje = best

So:

• dobro pegla = she irons well
• bolje pegla = she irons better
• najbolje pegla = she irons best

It is not describing the shirts; it is describing how she irons them.

Here košulje is accusative plural, because it is the direct object of pegla.

Singular:

• nominative: košulja = shirt
• accusative: košulju

Plural:

• nominative: košulje
• accusative: košulje

So in the plural, nominative and accusative look the same here.

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

So košulje can mean:

• shirts
• the shirts

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is normal in Croatian, and learners have to get used to reading definiteness from the situation rather than from an article.

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

The original sentence:

• Ta krojačica ima staro glačalo, ali kaže da njime najbolje pegla košulje.

Other orders are possible, for example:

• ...ali kaže da košulje njime najbolje pegla.
• ...ali kaže da najbolje njime pegla košulje.

These versions may shift emphasis slightly:

• putting njime earlier can emphasize the tool
• putting najbolje earlier can emphasize best
• putting košulje earlier can emphasize what she irons

The original order sounds natural and neutral.

Yes. Pegla is 3rd person singular present tense of peglati.

So:

• ja peglam = I iron
• ti peglaš = you iron
• on/ona pegla = he/she irons

In this sentence, the subject is still ta krojačica, so pegla means she irons.

Yes, that is the natural implication.

The contrast is created by ali (but):

• she has an old iron
• but she says she irons shirts best with it

So the idea is: even though the iron is old, she considers it the best tool for ironing shirts.