Manjak je zbog troška.

to be

Breakdown of Manjak je zbog troška.

• zbog: because of
• trošak: a cost; expense
• manjak: a shortfall; deficit

Questions & Answers about Manjak je zbog troška.

Why is it troška and not trošak?

Because zbog requires the genitive case.

The basic dictionary form is trošak. After zbog (because of / due to), that noun changes to genitive singular:

• trošak → nominative singular
• troška → genitive singular

So:

• zbog troška = because of the expense / due to the cost

This is one of the most important things to memorize with Serbian prepositions: many of them require a specific case.

What case is manjak here?

Manjak is in the nominative singular.

In this sentence, it is the main noun of the sentence, so it stays in its basic form:

• manjak = nominative singular

Structurally, the sentence is:

• Manjak = the shortage/deficit/lack
• je = is
• zbog troška = because of the expense

So manjak is the thing being talked about, while zbog troška explains the cause.

What exactly does zbog mean, and how is it used?