Policajka piše zapisnik.

Croatian has no articles, so it does not use words like the or a/an.

So Policajka piše zapisnik can mean:

• The policewoman is writing a report
• A policewoman is writing the report
• The policewoman writes reports

The exact interpretation depends on context.

Policajka means policewoman or female police officer.

The ending -ka is a common way to form a feminine noun in Croatian. Compare:

• policajac = policeman / police officer
• policajka = policewoman

In this sentence, policajka is the subject.

Piše is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb pisati (to write).

So:

• ja pišem = I write / am writing
• ti pišeš = you write / are writing
• on/ona piše = he/she writes / is writing

Because the subject is policajka (she), the verb is piše.

In Croatian, the present tense often covers both:

• writes
• is writing

So piše can mean either:

• writes
• is writing

Croatian does not need a separate auxiliary verb like English is in this kind of sentence.

Good question. Zapisnik is the direct object, so it is in the accusative case.

However, zapisnik is a masculine inanimate noun, and for many masculine inanimate nouns in Croatian, the nominative singular and accusative singular are identical.

So:

• nominative: zapisnik
• accusative: zapisnik

That is why the form does not visibly change.

You know this from a combination of case and meaning:

• policajka is in the nominative, which is the usual case for the subject
• zapisnik is the object of the verb piše

Also, semantically, it makes sense that the policewoman writes the report, not the other way around.

Even though zapisnik looks the same in nominative and accusative, Croatian speakers understand its role from the grammar and context.

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible because cases help show grammatical roles.

The most neutral order here is:

• Policajka piše zapisnik.

But you could also say:

• Zapisnik piše policajka.
• Piše policajka zapisnik.

These alternatives may sound more marked and may shift focus or emphasis. For example:

• Zapisnik piše policajka may emphasize the report
• Policajka piše zapisnik is the most straightforward, neutral sentence

Yes. Pisati is an imperfective verb.

That means it often refers to:

• an ongoing action
• a repeated action
• a general process

So piše zapisnik suggests she is writing / she writes a report, without focusing on completion.

A common perfective partner is napisati:

• Policajka piše zapisnik. = The policewoman is writing a report.
• Policajka je napisala zapisnik. = The policewoman wrote / has written the report, with completion implied.

This aspect distinction is very important in Croatian.

Zapisnik usually means a written report, record, official write-up, or minutes, depending on context.

In police or official contexts, it often means an official report or record of what happened.

So in this sentence it is something like:

• report
• official report
• record

The best English translation depends on the situation.

No. Croatian usually does not require subject pronouns when the subject is already clear.

The verb ending often tells you the person and number:

• pišem = I
• pišeš = you
• piše = he/she/it

In this sentence, the noun policajka already tells you who is doing the action, so there is no need to add ona.

If you did say Ona piše zapisnik, it would usually add emphasis:

• She is writing the report.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

• policajka ≈ po-lee-TSAI-ka
• piše ≈ PEE-sheh
• zapisnik ≈ za-PEES-neek

A few useful sound notes:

• c in policajka sounds like ts
• š in piše sounds like sh
• j usually sounds like English y

So a rough full pronunciation is:

po-lee-TSAI-ka PEE-sheh za-PEES-neek

Yes. It is in the present tense.

Depending on context, it can mean either:

• The policewoman is writing a report right now
• The policewoman writes reports / writes a report as a regular or typical action

Croatian present tense often covers both current and habitual meanings. Context tells you which one is intended.

In the present tense, Croatian verbs agree with the subject in person and number, but not usually in gender.

So:

• policajka piše = the policewoman writes
• policajac piše = the policeman writes

The verb piše stays the same in both cases.

Gender becomes more visible in some past tense forms:

• Policajka je pisala. = The policewoman was writing / wrote
• Policajac je pisao. = The policeman was writing / wrote

So in the present tense, the feminine subject does not make the verb look different.