Prtljažnik je velik.

The boot is big.

Breakdown of Prtljažnik je velik.

• biti: to be
• velik: big
• prtljažnik: a car boot or trunk

Questions & Answers about Prtljažnik je velik.

What does je mean here?

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb biti = to be.

So:

• prtljažnik = trunk / boot
• je = is
• velik = big

A few other forms of biti are:

• sam = I am
• si = you are
• je = he/she/it is
• smo = we are
• ste = you are
• su = they are

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Why is there no word for the or a?

Serbian normally does not use articles.

So prtljažnik can mean:

• the trunk
• a trunk

Which one is meant depends on the context.

This is very normal in Serbian. English speakers often look for a separate word for the or a, but Serbian usually just doesn’t have one.

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How do I know prtljažnik is masculine?

In Serbian, nouns that end in a consonant are usually masculine.

Prtljažnik ends in -k, so it is masculine singular.