Staza je blizu reke.

Because blizu normally requires the genitive case in Serbian.

• Basic dictionary form: reka = river
• Genitive singular: reke = of the river / near the river after blizu

So in Staza je blizu reke, the noun changes form because of the word blizu.

Reke is genitive singular.

Here is the pattern:

• reka = nominative singular
• reke = genitive singular

A learner may notice that many feminine nouns ending in -a change to -e in the genitive singular, and reka → reke follows that pattern.

It can behave a bit like both, which is why learners often find it confusing.

In sentences like this one, blizu is commonly treated as a word meaning near/close to that takes the genitive:

• blizu reke = near the river

So even if dictionaries may label it differently depending on context, the practical thing to remember is:

• blizu means near
• the following noun usually goes in the genitive

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be), meaning is.

So:

• staza = the path / a path
• je = is
• blizu reke = near the river

In English, you must say is, and in Serbian you normally also use je here.

In standard Serbian, no—you normally keep it:

• Staza je blizu reke.

Leaving it out would sound incomplete in normal prose:

• Staza blizu reke. → not the standard full sentence here

Serbian sometimes omits forms of to be in certain styles or headlines, but for ordinary learning, you should include je.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Serbian has no articles like a or the, so:

• staza can mean a path
• staza can also mean the path

You understand which one is meant from the situation or previous context.

Staza is a feminine noun.

That matters because Serbian nouns belong to genders, and gender affects things like:

• adjective endings
• pronouns
• some past tense forms
• case endings

In this sentence, staza stays in the nominative singular because it is the subject.

Because it is in the nominative case and it matches the verb je as the thing being described.

The sentence structure is:

• Staza = subject
• je = verb
• blizu reke = predicate phrase describing where it is

So the sentence says that the path is located near the river.

No, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although some versions sound more natural depending on context.

The neutral order is:

• Staza je blizu reke.

You could also hear:

• Blizu reke je staza.
  This gives more focus to near the river.

So the original sentence is the most straightforward and neutral version for a learner.

They are similar, but not exactly the same.

• blizu reke = near the river, close to it
• pored reke = beside the river, right next to it / along it

So blizu is more general. Something can be blizu reke without being directly at its edge.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Staza je blizu reke
  roughly: STAH-zah yeh BLEE-zoo REH-keh

A few helpful notes:

• j in Serbian sounds like English y
• z is always like z in zoo
• e is usually like e in met, but a bit cleaner and tenser
• every letter is pronounced clearly

No. That would be incorrect.

In Serbian, blizu directly takes the genitive, so you say:

• blizu reke

You do not add a word meaning of like English learners might expect.

Correct:

• Staza je blizu reke.

Incorrect:

• Staza je blizu od reke.

Yes. The same pattern is very common.

Examples:

• blizu škole = near the school
• blizu grada = near the city
• blizu kuće = near the house
• blizu mosta = near the bridge

So a very useful rule is:

• learn blizu + genitive

That will help you build many similar sentences correctly.