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Learn Hardcore Serbian: Moj deda je još živ. - My grandfather is still alive.

Hardcore Serbian
/Replacing a lost bank card
/Moj deda je još živ.

Moj deda je još živ.

Word

Moj deda je još živ.

Meaning

My grandfather is still alive.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Serbian

Lesson

Replacing a lost bank card

Breakdown of Moj deda je još živ.

Questions & Answers about Moj deda je još živ.

What does each word in Moj deda je još živ do grammatically?

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.

Why is moj used here? Can Serbian leave it out?

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.

Why is the verb je in the middle? Why not put it somewhere else?

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

živ

alive

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second position

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.

What exactly does još mean here?

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.

Why is it živ and not some other form like živa or živo?

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.

What case is deda here?

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.

Is deda the normal Serbian word for grandfather?

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.

Could I also say Moj deda je i dalje živ?

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.

Can the word order change?

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.

Is je the same as jeste?

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.

How do you pronounce još živ?

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

Why is there no article like the in Serbian?

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.

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