Špil karata je pored table.

Špil karata literally means a deck of cards.

• špil = deck, pack
• karata = of cards

So the structure is like a deck of cards, not just cards.

If you said karte, that would just mean cards as items in general.
But špil karata refers to one complete deck/pack.

Because karata is the genitive plural form of karta.

In Serbian, when one noun describes what another noun contains or is made up of, the second noun often goes into the genitive case.

So:

• karta = card
• karte = cards (usually nominative plural)
• karata = of cards / cards (genitive plural)

In špil karata, Serbian uses the pattern:

• špil
  • genitive plural

This is very similar to English a deck of cards, a glass of water, a bottle of milk.

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be).

So:

• je = is

In this sentence:

• Špil karata je pored table.
• The deck of cards is next to the board.

Pored means next to, beside, or by.

It shows location. In this sentence, it tells you where the deck of cards is.

So:

• pored table = next to the board

A very important grammar point is that pored requires the genitive case after it.

Because pored takes the genitive case, and table is the genitive singular form of tabla.

• tabla = board / blackboard / board surface
• table = of the board / next to the board

So:

• pored table = next to the board

This is a common Serbian pattern: many prepositions require a specific case, and pored is followed by the genitive.

No. This is a very common confusion for English speakers.

Here, table is not the English word table.
It is the Serbian word tabla in the genitive singular.

So:

• tabla = board, blackboard, panel, signboard
• table = genitive form of tabla

If you want table as a piece of furniture in Serbian, the usual word is sto.

So pored table does not mean next to the table in the furniture sense.
It means next to the board.

Because Serbian does not have articles like English a and the.

So Serbian often leaves definiteness to context.

• Špil karata can mean a deck of cards or the deck of cards
• tabla can mean a board or the board

The exact meaning depends on the situation.

In English, you must choose a or the.
In Serbian, you usually do not.

Not completely. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Špil karata je pored table.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis, for example:

• Pored table je špil karata. = Next to the board is a deck of cards.

The meaning stays similar, but the focus changes.

Still, for learners, the original order is a very natural and safe one to use.

A rough pronunciation guide for English speakers:

• Špil ≈ shpeel
• karata ≈ kah-RAH-tah
• je ≈ yeh
• pored ≈ POH-red
• table ≈ TAH-bleh

A few helpful notes:

• Š is pronounced like sh in ship
• J in Serbian is pronounced like English y in yes
• Serbian vowels are usually clear and short:
  • a ≈ ah
  • e ≈ eh
  • i ≈ ee
  • o ≈ oh
  • u ≈ oo

Here are the basic dictionary forms:

• špil → špil
• karata → dictionary form karta
• je → from biti (to be)
• pored → pored
• table → dictionary form tabla

So if you look these words up, you may need to search for:

• špil
• karta
• biti
• pored
• tabla

The whole subject Špil karata is in the nominative, because it is the thing that is somewhere.

Inside that subject:

• špil is nominative singular
• karata is genitive plural, because it depends on špil

So the sentence contains more than one case at once:

• špil → nominative
• karata → genitive plural
• table → genitive singular

This is very normal in Serbian.

Yes, if the context already makes it clear that you mean a deck of cards.

• Špil je pored table. = The deck is next to the board.

But špil by itself can sometimes be less specific, so špil karata is clearer, especially for learners or when the context is new.

If you want to state it fully and clearly, Špil karata je pored table is the better version.