Inače kupujem knjige.

Generally, I buy books.

Breakdown of Inače kupujem knjige.

• knjiga: book
• kupovati: to buy
• inače: otherwise; generally

Questions & Answers about Inače kupujem knjige.

What does inače mean here?

Here, inače means usually, generally, or as a rule. It gives the sentence a habitual meaning, so Inače kupujem knjige means that buying books is something you do in general, not just at this moment.

Can inače mean something else in other contexts?

Yes. Inače is a very useful word with a few related meanings depending on context. It can mean:

• usually / generally
• otherwise
• sometimes something like as for that / apart from that

In this sentence, the meaning is clearly the usually / generally one.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

Because Serbian often omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.
The ending in kupujem already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• kupujem = I buy / I am buying
• ja kupujem = I buy, but with extra emphasis on I

In neutral sentences, leaving out ja is completely normal.

What form is kupujem?