Dzieci robią małe zwierzęta z plasteliny i stawiają je na stole.

Dzieci means children. It is the nominative plural form, so it works as the subject of the sentence.

A useful thing to know is that dzieci is the plural of dziecko (child), but it does not look like a regular plural. It is an irregular noun, so learners usually just have to memorize:

• dziecko = child
• dzieci = children

Because dzieci is plural, the verb also has to be plural: robią, stawiają.

Because the subject is plural: dzieci = children.

In Polish, the verb changes depending on who is doing the action.
Robią is the 3rd person plural form of robić (to make / to do).

Compare:

• dziecko robi = the child makes
• dzieci robią = the children make

The same thing happens with stawiają:

• dziecko stawia = the child places
• dzieci stawiają = the children place

Polish robić can often mean either to do or to make, depending on context.

Here, the object is małe zwierzęta (small animals), so the meaning is clearly make:

• robić zwierzęta z plasteliny = to make animals out of modeling clay

If the object were an activity or task, English would often use do:

• robić zadanie = do homework / do an exercise
• robić obiad = make dinner

So the Polish verb is the same, but English chooses different words depending on the situation.

Because małe zwierzęta is the direct object of robią (they make), and with this meaning it is in the accusative plural.

For inanimate/neuter plural nouns like zwierzęta, the accusative plural looks the same as the nominative plural:

• małe zwierzęta = small animals

So in this sentence:

• Dzieci robią małe zwierzęta...
• Children are making small animals...

You might see małych zwierząt in other structures, but not here. For example, that form is a genitive plural form.

The singular is zwierzę (animal), and the plural is zwierzęta (animals).

This is a common pattern for some neuter nouns in Polish:

• zwierzę → zwierzęta
• dziecko → dzieci (different, irregular)
• imię → imiona

So zwierzęta is just the normal plural form of zwierzę.

Because z here means from / out of, and after z in this meaning Polish uses the genitive case.

So:

• plastelina = modeling clay
• z plasteliny = out of modeling clay

This is different from another use of z meaning with, which often takes the instrumental:

• z kolegą = with a friend

So z can mean different things, and the case depends on the meaning.

The basic form is plastelina. After z meaning out of/from, the noun goes into the genitive singular:

• plastelina → plasteliny

This is a very common change for feminine nouns ending in -a:

• książka → z książki = from the book
• glina → z gliny = out of clay
• plastelina → z plasteliny = out of modeling clay

Je means them and refers back to małe zwierzęta.

So the sentence says:

• Dzieci robią małe zwierzęta z plasteliny i stawiają je na stole.
• The children make small animals out of modeling clay and place them on the table.

In Polish, object pronouns often appear where English would use them, it, him, her, etc.

Because je is the normal unstressed accusative plural pronoun here, meaning them.

Since stawiają takes a direct object, Polish uses the accusative:

• stawiają je = they place them

Ich can also sometimes mean them, but it is used differently and often sounds more emphatic, contrastive, or belongs to a different case pattern depending on context.

For a learner, the safest basic rule here is:

• je = them (direct object, non-emphatic)
• stawiają je = they place them

Because na stole describes location: where the animals are being placed or end up resting. In Polish, na can take different cases depending on whether you mean location or movement toward a destination.

Here:

• na stole = on the table
• this is locative

Compare:

• położyć coś na stół = to put something onto the table
• coś leży na stole = something is lying on the table

With stawiać, Polish often uses na + location phrase in everyday usage when talking about placing something on a surface.

The basic form is stół (table).
After na in the meaning on (location), it becomes stole, which is the locative singular.

So:

• stół = table
• na stole = on the table

This is a very common pattern:

• dom → w domu
• stół → na stole
• park → w parku

Stawiać often means to place, to put, or more literally to set/stand something upright.

In this sentence, stawiają je na stole is naturally understood as:

• they place them on the table
• they put them on the table

Compared with kłaść (to lay/put down) and położyć (to put down, perfective), stawiać often suggests setting something in position, often on a surface.

For a beginner, put/place is the best translation here.

Because the sentence describes two actions done by the same subject:

1. Dzieci robią małe zwierzęta z plasteliny
2. (Dzieci) stawiają je na stole

The second Dzieci is omitted because it is understood already. This is very normal in Polish, just like in English:

• The children make small animals and place them on the table.

The word i simply means and.

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

The neutral order here is:

• Dzieci robią małe zwierzęta z plasteliny i stawiają je na stole.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Z plasteliny dzieci robią małe zwierzęta i stawiają je na stole.
• Dzieci stawiają je na stole i robią małe zwierzęta z plasteliny.

Those versions may sound more marked or emphasize different parts. The original sentence is the most natural, straightforward order for a learner to use.

Yes, both verbs are imperfective:

• robią from robić
• stawiają from stawiać

Imperfective is used here because the sentence presents the actions as an ongoing/general scene, not as completed single actions.

If you wanted to emphasize completed actions, you might use perfective verbs such as:

• zrobią = they will make / they complete making
• postawią = they will place / they complete placing

But in a simple descriptive sentence about what the children are doing, the imperfective is the natural choice.