Moj deda je još živ.

• moj = my; a possessive adjective
• deda = grandfather / grandpa; the subject
• je = is; the 3rd person singular of biti (to be)
• još = still
• živ = alive

So the structure is basically:

my grandfather + is + still + alive

A useful thing to notice is that živ is an adjective used after je, just like alive in English.

Yes, Serbian can leave it out if the context already makes it clear whose grandfather you mean.

• Moj deda je još živ. = My grandfather is still alive.
• Deda je još živ. = Grandpa / Grandfather is still alive.

Using moj makes the possession explicit. In English, my is often required, but in Serbian it is more optional when the relationship is obvious from context.

This is because je is a clitic in Serbian. Clitics are short unstressed words that usually go in the second position of the sentence or clause.

In Moj deda je još živ, the first unit is Moj deda, and then the clitic je comes right after it.

That is why this sounds natural:

• Moj deda je još živ.

This would sound less neutral or unnatural in standard usage:

• Moj deda još je živ.

Serbian clitic placement is one of the most important word-order patterns to learn.

Here još means still.

So in this sentence, it adds the idea that the grandfather continues to be alive up to now.

Be careful: još can mean different things in other contexts, such as:

• more
• another
• yet / still

But in Moj deda je još živ, the meaning is clearly still.

Because živ must agree with deda, which is masculine singular.

The adjective živ changes by gender:

• živ = masculine
• živa = feminine
• živo = neuter

Examples:

• Moj deda je živ. = masculine
• Moja baka je živa. = feminine
• Dete je živo. = neuter

So živ is used because deda is grammatically masculine.

Here deda is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The basic dictionary form is also deda.

So:

• Moj deda je još živ. → deda is the subject, so nominative is used.

A learner may expect another ending because masculine nouns often look different in different cases, but here the subject form is exactly what you need.

Yes, deda is a very common and normal Serbian word for grandfather / grandpa.

Depending on region, family, or style, you may also hear other words, but deda is very standard and common in Serbian.

A helpful nuance:

• deda can sound like grandpa in everyday speech
• in many contexts it also simply works as the ordinary word for grandfather

So this sentence sounds natural and idiomatic.

Yes. I dalje also means still / continuing to.

So these are both possible:

• Moj deda je još živ.
• Moj deda je i dalje živ.

Difference in feel:

• još živ is very common and straightforward
• i dalje živ can sound slightly more emphatic about continuation

In most everyday situations, još is the simplest and most natural choice.

Yes, Serbian word order is flexible, but not all versions are equally neutral.

The most neutral form here is:

• Moj deda je još živ.

You may also hear altered word order for emphasis, for example:

• Još je moj deda živ.

That can sound more marked, as if emphasizing still or contrasting with expectations.

So the learner should treat Moj deda je još živ as the default pattern, and learn other orders later as stylistic or emphatic variations.

Yes. Je is the short unstressed form, and jeste is the full form.

In ordinary neutral statements, Serbian usually uses the short clitic form:

• Moj deda je još živ.

The full form jeste is used for emphasis, contrast, or in some formal styles:

• Moj deda jeste živ. = My grandfather really is alive.

So in this sentence, je is the normal choice.

The two special letters here are:

• š = like sh in shoe
• ž = like the s in measure or the g in genre

So:

• još sounds roughly like yosh
• živ sounds roughly like zheev

Also:

• j in Serbian is pronounced like English y
• i is like ee in see

So još živ is approximately: yosh zheev

Serbian does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So deda can mean:

• grandfather
• the grandfather
• sometimes just grandpa

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why Serbian can say:

• Moj deda je još živ.

without needing any word corresponding to the before grandfather.