Ovo je daska koju merimo mernom trakom.

this

Breakdown of Ovo je daska koju merimo mernom trakom.

• biti: to be
• koji: that (relative pronoun)
• meriti: to measure

Questions & Answers about Ovo je daska koju merimo mernom trakom.

What is the role of koju here, and why is it koju instead of koja?

Koju is the relative pronoun which/that introducing the clause koju merimo mernom trakom.

Why koju?

• It refers back to daska.
• Daska is feminine singular, so the relative pronoun must also be feminine singular.
• Inside the relative clause, it is the direct object of merimo (we measure), so it takes the accusative case.

So:

• nominative feminine singular: koja
• accusative feminine singular: koju

That is why Serbian uses koju, not koja.

Why is daska in the nominative, but koju is not?

Because they have different jobs in the sentence.

• Daska is part of the main clause: Ovo je daska = This is a board/plank.
  • Here daska is the predicate noun after je, so it appears in the nominative.
• Koju belongs to the relative clause: koju merimo mernom trakom = which/that we are measuring with a measuring tape
  • In that clause, koju is the object of merimo, so it is in the accusative.

So even though koju refers to daska, its case is determined by its function in its own clause.

What exactly is merimo?