Žeton ostaje na tabli čak i ako preskočiš potez.

Serbian does not have articles, so there is no separate word for the or a/an. Whether žeton means a token or the token is understood from context.

So:

• Žeton can mean a token or the token
• tabla can mean a board or the board

In a rule or instruction like this, English often uses the, but Serbian simply does not need it.

Žeton means token, chip, or sometimes counter, depending on the game.

It is a masculine inanimate noun. Its basic singular form is žeton.

That matters for things like case endings and agreement later on, although in this sentence the verb form ostaje does not visibly show gender.

Ostaje means stays / remains. It is the 3rd person singular present form of the imperfective verb ostajati.

It is used here because the sentence expresses a general rule or what happens in such a situation:

• Žeton ostaje na tabli = The token stays on the board

Using the imperfective here sounds natural for instructions, rules, and repeated situations.

A perfective form like ostane can sometimes be used in other contexts, but ostaje is the most natural choice for a rulebook-type sentence.

Because na can take different cases depending on the meaning:

• na + accusative = movement onto something
• na + locative = location on something

Here the token is already on the board and remains there, so this is location, not movement. That is why Serbian uses the locative:

• na tabli = on the board

Compare:

• Stavlja žeton na tablu. = He/She puts the token onto the board.
  (movement, so na tablu)
• Žeton je na tabli. = The token is on the board.
  (location, so na tabli)

Tabli is the locative singular of tabla.

Basic form:

• tabla = board

Locative singular:

• na tabli = on the board

So this sentence gives you a very common pattern:

• na
  • locative for location

Čak i ako means even if.

• ako = if
• čak i ako = even if

So yes, you could use ako, but the meaning would be weaker:

• ako preskočiš potez = if you skip a turn/move
• čak i ako preskočiš potez = even if you skip a turn/move

The phrase čak i adds emphasis, just like even in English.

Yes. Preskočiš is the 2nd person singular present form of the perfective verb preskočiti.

That may seem strange to an English speaker, because in English we might think of this as future or hypothetical. But in Serbian, after ako it is very normal to use the present form.

So:

• ako preskočiš potez literally looks like if you skip a move
• but in meaning it works as if you happen to skip a move / if you skip your turn

Because preskočiti is perfective, it refers to a single completed action, which fits this context well.

Because the sentence is talking about one instance of skipping a turn/move, not a repeated or ongoing action.

• preskočiti = to skip once, as a completed act
• preskakati = to keep skipping, skip repeatedly, or skip in a more general ongoing way

So:

• ako preskočiš potez = if you skip a turn
• ako preskačeš poteze would suggest something more like if you keep skipping moves

In a game-rule sentence, the perfective preskočiš is the natural choice.

Because Serbian usually leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Here, preskočiš already tells us the subject is you (singular, informal).

So:

• preskočiš = you skip
• ti preskočiš = you skip, but with extra emphasis or contrast

You would add ti only if you want to stress it, for example:

• čak i ako ti preskočiš potez... = even if you are the one who skips a turn...

It is addressing one person informally, because preskočiš is 2nd person singular.

If you were speaking to:

• several people, or
• one person formally

you would use preskočite instead:

• Žeton ostaje na tabli čak i ako preskočite potez.

It is the accusative singular, but for many masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative has the same form as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: potez
• accusative: potez

The verb preskočiti takes a direct object, so potez here is in the accusative:

• preskočiti potez = to skip a move/turn

This is very common in Serbian with masculine inanimate nouns.

Literally, potez most often means move. In game contexts, though, English may translate it as turn depending on what sounds natural.

So this sentence could be understood as:

• The token stays on the board even if you skip a move
• or more naturally in many game instructions:
• The token stays on the board even if you skip a turn

The exact English choice depends on the type of game, but the Serbian is perfectly normal either way.

Serbian word order is fairly flexible. The version here sounds neutral and natural:

• Žeton ostaje na tabli čak i ako preskočiš potez.

You can move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Čak i ako preskočiš potez, žeton ostaje na tabli.

That puts more focus on the condition even if you skip a turn.

So the word order can change, but the original sentence is a very standard, natural way to say it.