Merna traka je pored skice na komodi.

to be

Breakdown of Merna traka je pored skice na komodi.

• na: on
• pored: beside
• komoda: a chest of drawers

Questions & Answers about Merna traka je pored skice na komodi.

What does Merna traka mean, and why are there two words?

Merna traka means measuring tape.

It has two words because Serbian often forms this kind of expression with:

• an adjective: merna = measuring / measurement-related
• a noun: traka = tape / strip / band

So literally, it is something like measurement tape, but the natural English translation is measuring tape.

Also, merna is in the feminine singular form because it matches traka, which is a feminine noun.

Why is it merna and not merni or merno?

Because adjectives in Serbian must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here, traka is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:

• masculine: merni
• feminine: merna
• neuter: merno

That is why you get merna traka.

Why is je in the second position?

In Serbian, short forms like je often follow the second-position clitic rule. This means they usually come very early in the sentence, typically after the first stressed element or phrase.

So in:

Merna traka je pored skice na komodi.

the phrase Merna traka comes first, and je follows it.

This is very normal Serbian word order.