Ovaj gospodin je moj komšija.

to be

Breakdown of Ovaj gospodin je moj komšija.

• moj: my
• ovaj: this
• komšija: male neighbor

Questions & Answers about Ovaj gospodin je moj komšija.

Why is it ovaj and not ova or ovo?

Ovaj means this, and it has to agree with the noun it describes.

Here, gospodin is masculine singular nominative, so the correct form is ovaj.

Compare:

• ovaj gospodin = this gentleman
• ova žena = this woman
• ovo dete = this child

So the form of this changes depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun.

What exactly does gospodin mean?

Gospodin is a polite word meaning gentleman, sir, or sometimes Mr. depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means gentleman:

• Ovaj gospodin = this gentleman

It is more formal and polite than čovek, which simply means man or person in many contexts.

Why is je there?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti = to be.

So:

• je = is

The sentence structure is:

• Ovaj gospodin = this gentleman