Kockica je pored žetona.

Kockica is a diminutive form of kocka.

• kocka = a cube, block, die
• kockica = a little cube, small block, little die

In many contexts, Serbian uses diminutives very naturally, not only to mean small, but sometimes also to sound more familiar or natural. In this sentence, kockica most likely means a small cube/block.

Je is the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be).

So:

• kockica = the cube
• je = is
• pored žetona = beside the token

Unlike in Russian, for example, Serbian normally does use the verb to be in present-tense sentences like this.

Kockica is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can think of it as the thing being described:

• Kockica = the cube
• je pored žetona = is beside the token

So the basic structure is:

• subject
  • verb
    • location phrase

Because pored requires the genitive case.

The base form is:

• žeton = token, chip

But after pored (beside / next to / by), it changes to the genitive singular:

• pored žetona = beside the token

So this is a very common Serbian pattern:

• pored + genitive

Yes, pored is normally followed by the genitive case.

Examples:

• pored kuće = beside the house
• pored auta = beside the car
• pored žetona = beside the token

So if you learn pored, it is a good idea to learn it together with its case pattern:

• pored + genitive

In this sentence, pored can often be translated as:

• beside
• next to
• by

The exact English choice depends on context. In simple spatial descriptions, next to or beside are usually the clearest translations.

So Kockica je pored žetona means that the cube is positioned near and alongside the token.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence could also appear as:

• Pored žetona je kockica.
• Kockica je žetona pored. — grammatically possible in poetry or marked speech, but not the normal choice

The most neutral version is:

• Kockica je pored žetona.

If you move pored žetona to the front, you usually place a bit more focus on the location:

• Pored žetona je kockica. = Beside the token is the cube.

In standard Serbian, not in a normal full sentence like this.

You need:

• Kockica je pored žetona.

Without je, the sentence would sound incomplete in standard usage. In very informal notes, captions, or elliptical speech, words can sometimes be dropped, but that is not the normal grammar you should learn first.

Yes. Kockica is a feminine noun.

A good clue is that it ends in -a, which is very often a feminine ending in Serbian.

Its nominative singular is:

• kockica

Because the verb here is je, you do not see any special feminine marking on the verb in the present tense. But the noun itself is feminine.

Serbian does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So kockica can mean:

• a cube
• the cube

And žetona here can mean:

• a token
• the token

The exact meaning depends on context. Serbian usually expresses definiteness through the situation, word order, stress, or additional words if needed.

The letter ž is pronounced like the s in measure or the g in genre.

So:

• žeton sounds roughly like zheh-ton
• žetona sounds roughly like zheh-toh-na

A few useful pronunciation notes for this sentence:

• ž = like s in measure
• c = like ts
• j = like English y

So je is pronounced roughly like ye.

Roughly:

• kockica ≈ KOT-see-tsa

More carefully by parts:

• ko
• cki
• ca

Useful sound notes:

• c in Serbian is always ts
• č and ć are different letters, but this word has plain c
• double consonant combinations like ck are pronounced clearly

So kockica has two c sounds, both pronounced ts.

The dictionary form is žeton.

When you look up Serbian nouns, you usually look for the nominative singular form. Here:

• dictionary form: žeton
• form used in the sentence: žetona

That change happens because pored requires the genitive singular.

It is talking about location.

The pattern:

• X je pored Y

means:

• X is beside Y

So this is a spatial description, not possession.

That matters because Serbian also uses other structures with je for different meanings, but here the phrase pored + genitive clearly signals physical position.

They are similar, but not the same.

• pored žetona = beside / right next to the token
• blizu žetona = near the token
• kod žetona = by the token / at the token’s place, but kod is more common with people or places connected to them

So for direct side-by-side position, pored žetona is the best choice.

The sentence follows this pattern:

• Nominative subject + je + prepositional phrase

In this case:

• Kockica = subject in nominative
• je = verb is
• pored žetona = prepositional phrase showing location

So it is a very useful beginner pattern for describing where something is:

• Knjiga je pored lampe.
• Lopta je pored stola.
• Kockica je pored žetona.