Questions & Answers about Nova mjesta su tamo.
Why does the word for "places" end in -a (mjesta)? Doesn't that usually mean it's a feminine singular word?
It does look like one! However, the singular word for "place" is mjesto, which ends in -o and is a neuter noun. When regular neuter nouns become plural, their ending changes to -a. So mjesta means "places".
Why is the adjective nova instead of novi or novo?
Adjectives always copy the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because mjesta is a neuter plural noun, the adjective takes the neuter plural ending, which is also -a. That gives us nova mjesta.
If nova mjesta looks exactly like a feminine singular phrase, how can I tell it's plural?
The verb is your biggest clue! The word su means "are" (for plural subjects). If the subject were actually singular, the verb would be je ("is").
Why does su come after the first two words instead of the very first word?
su is a short "helper" word (an enclitic) that generally likes to be in the second position of a sentence. However, it groups words by meaning. Nova mjesta ("new places") is a single phrase, so it counts as the first "chunk", allowing su to sit right after it.
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