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Questions & Answers about Ovo nema smisla.
Why is it nema and not ne ima?
In Serbian, the present-tense negative forms of imati are written as single words:
- nemam = I do not have
- nemaš = you do not have
- nema = he/she/it does not have
So ovo nema smisla is the normal form. Serbian does this with some very common verbs, so the negative is not always written as a separate ne + verb.
What exactly does ovo mean here?
Ovo means this.
It is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun. Serbian demonstratives change depending on gender:
- ovaj = this, masculine
- ova = this, feminine
- ovo = this, neuter
Here, ovo does not have to refer to a literal object. It can also refer to:
- a situation
- a statement
- an idea
- something happening right now
So ovo is often very broad, just like English this.
Why is it smisla instead of smisao?