Learn Hardcore Russian: Уверенный докладчик спокойно отвечает на вопросы после лекции. - A confident speaker calmly answers questions after the lecture.

Докладчик is in the nominative case (dictionary form), which typically marks the subject in Russian. In this sentence, the verb отвечает (answers) agrees with a singular 3rd‑person subject, so докладчик is the one doing the answering.

What does уверенный mean grammatically here—what form is it, and why?

Уверенный is a long-form adjective in masculine singular nominative, agreeing with докладчик (masculine singular nominative).

уверенный докладчик = a confident speaker/lecturer
Russian adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

Why is на вопросы used—what case is вопросы in, and why?

In отвечать на что? (to answer what? / to respond to what?), Russian uses the preposition на + accusative.
So вопросы is accusative plural here (and for many inanimate masculine nouns, accusative plural = nominative plural in form).

вопросы (nom pl) = questions
на вопросы (acc pl) = to the questions / questions (as the object of answering)

Why is it после лекции and not после лекция?

После requires the genitive case: после чего? (after what?).
So лекция becomes лекции (genitive singular).

лекция (nom sg)
после лекции (gen sg) = after the lecture

Is отвечает present tense, and how does tense work here compared to English?

Yes. Отвечает is present tense, 3rd person singular of отвечать (imperfective). Russian present tense often corresponds to English present simple (answers) or sometimes present continuous (is answering), depending on context. Here it’s a general factual description: he answers.

Why is the verb отвечает imperfective—could a perfective be used?

Отвечать (imperfective) fits because it describes a repeated/typical process: answering questions as an activity.
A perfective form would imply a completed result (e.g., answering all questions / finishing answering), and would normally be used in different contexts (often past or future). In the present tense, perfective verbs don’t express a normal “right now” present; they typically refer to future meaning.

What role does спокойно play, and where can it go in the sentence?

Спокойно is an adverb meaning calmly; it describes how the speaker answers. Word order is flexible, and placement shifts emphasis:

Уверенный докладчик спокойно отвечает… (neutral)
Уверенный докладчик отвечает спокойно… (slightly more emphasis on calmly)
Спокойно отвечает уверенный докладчик… (more stylistic/emphatic)

Could the word order be changed, and would the meaning change?

Russian word order is more flexible than English because case endings show roles. You can rearrange for emphasis:

После лекции уверенный докладчик спокойно отвечает на вопросы. (sets time first: after the lecture…)
На вопросы после лекции уверенный докладчик отвечает спокойно. (emphasizes the questions)
The core meaning stays, but what feels “highlighted” changes.

What exactly does докладчик mean—speaker, lecturer, presenter?

Докладчик literally means a person giving a report/talk (from доклад = report/presentation). Depending on context, it can be speaker, presenter, or sometimes lecturer. If you want a more explicitly academic lecturer, лектор is also common.

How do I pronounce отвечает and where is the stress?

Stress: отвеча́ет (the stress is on -ча́-).
Approximate pronunciation: at-vye-CHÁ-yet (with a soft вье sound).
Also note: unstressed о often sounds closer to a in natural speech.