Ovaj plan ima smisla.

They are in the nominative singular masculine.

• plan is a masculine singular noun.
• ovaj means this and must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
• The phrase ovaj plan is the subject of the sentence, so nominative is the expected case.

So:

• ovaj = nominative singular masculine
• plan = nominative singular masculine

They match, which is exactly what Serbian requires.

Because Serbian does not have articles like English.

So Serbian usually says:

• plan = plan / a plan / the plan

The exact meaning depends on context.

Here, ovaj does not function like the. It specifically means this. So ovaj plan means this plan, not just the plan.

Ima is the 3rd person singular present tense of imati, which means to have.

So:

• ja imam = I have
• ti imaš = you have
• on/ona/ono ima = he/she/it has

In this sentence, the subject is ovaj plan, which is singular, so ima is the correct form.

Because imati smisla is the normal Serbian expression for to make sense.

English uses make:

• This plan makes sense.

Serbian uses have:

• Ovaj plan ima smisla.

This is just one of those patterns you learn as a set expression. It is very natural Serbian.

Because smisla is the genitive singular form of smisao.

Dictionary form:

• smisao = sense, meaning

In the expression imati smisla, Serbian uses the genitive:

• ima smisla

This is a fixed and very common pattern.

Also, nouns like smisao often change shape in other cases:

• smisao → smisla
• posao → posla

So even though the base form is smisao, after ima in this expression you normally say smisla.

Yes, that is a very good idea.

Learners often do best if they memorize:

• ima smisla = makes sense
• nema smisla = doesn’t make sense

That is more useful than trying to build it word by word every time.

You will hear it very often in everyday speech.

Yes, you can, but it is not exactly the same in feel.

• Ovaj plan ima smisla. = This plan makes sense.
• Ovaj plan je smislen. = This plan is sensible / meaningful / well thought out.

The first one is the most direct and everyday equivalent of makes sense.

The adjective smislen exists, but ima smisla is usually the more natural choice for this exact idea.

This word order is the most neutral and natural one.

Serbian word order is more flexible than English, but that does not mean all orders sound equally normal.

The standard order here is:

• Ovaj plan = subject
• ima = verb
• smisla = complement

So Ovaj plan ima smisla is the best default version.

Other orders may be possible in special contexts for emphasis, but as a learner, this is the one you should use.

You say:

• Ovaj plan nema smisla.

Here, nema is the negative form of ima.

So:

• ima smisla = makes sense
• nema smisla = doesn’t make sense

This negative expression is extremely common.

A very common way is:

• Da li ovaj plan ima smisla?

That means:

• Does this plan make sense?

In more informal speech, you may also hear:

• Ima li ovaj plan smisla?

Both are correct, but Da li... is often easiest for learners to use.

It changes to agree with the noun.

Examples:

• ovaj plan = this plan masculine singular
• ova ideja = this idea feminine singular
• ovo rešenje = this solution neuter singular
• ovi planovi = these plans masculine plural

So you could say:

• Ova ideja ima smisla.
• Ovo rešenje ima smisla.
• Ovi planovi imaju smisla.

Notice that the demonstrative changes, and in the plural the verb changes too:

• ima = singular
• imaju = plural

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Ovaj ≈ OH-vai with j sounding like English y
• plan ≈ plahn
• ima ≈ EE-ma
• smisla ≈ SMEES-la

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• OH-vai plahn EE-ma SMEES-la

Serbian spelling is quite regular, so once you know the sounds, pronunciation becomes much easier than in English.