Magla je svuda okolo.

to be

Breakdown of Magla je svuda okolo.

• svuda: everywhere
• magla: fog
• okolo: around

Questions & Answers about Magla je svuda okolo.

Why is there no word for the or a in this sentence?

Serbian does not have articles like English a and the. So magla can mean fog, a fog, or the fog, depending on context.

In Magla je svuda okolo, you understand the intended meaning from the situation, not from an article.

What does each word in Magla je svuda okolo do grammatically?

• Magla = a noun, feminine singular, nominative; it is the subject.
• je = is, the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be).
• svuda = an adverb meaning everywhere.
• okolo = an adverb meaning around, all around, or around here/there, depending on context.

So the structure is basically:

subject + is + adverb(s)

Why is je used here?

Je is the short present-tense form of biti (to be) for he/she/it is. Since magla is singular, Serbian uses singular je.

So:

• Magla je... = The fog is...

Even though magla is feminine, the verb in the present tense is still . The form does not change for masculine, feminine, or neuter singular subjects.