Pratim ne samo budžet nego i svaku stavku.

Pratim is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb pratiti.

So it means I follow, I track, or I monitor, depending on context. In this sentence, I monitor / I keep track of is probably the most natural interpretation.

Because Serbian verb endings already show the subject, pratim by itself already means I am tracking. You do not need ja unless you want extra emphasis.

In Serbian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• pratim = I track
• pratiš = you track
• prati = he/she/it tracks

So Ja pratim... is possible, but it would sound more emphatic, like I track..., maybe contrasting with someone else.

This is a very common Serbian structure meaning not only ... but also ...

So:

• ne samo budžet = not only the budget
• nego i svaku stavku = but also every item

It works very much like English not only X, but also Y.

A close alternative is ne samo ... već i ..., which means the same thing in most situations.

Because both nouns are objects of pratim, but they belong to different noun types, so their accusative forms look different.

• budžet is a masculine inanimate noun, and masculine inanimate nouns usually have the same form in accusative as in nominative

  • nominative: budžet
  • accusative: budžet

• stavka is a feminine noun, and feminine nouns in -a usually change to -u in the accusative singular

  • nominative: stavka
  • accusative: stavku

So the sentence uses:

• budžet
• svaku stavku

Because after a transitive verb like pratiti, the direct object normally goes into the accusative case.

The base form is:

• svaka stavka = every item / each item (nominative)

But in this sentence it is the object of pratim, so it becomes:

• svaku stavku = every item (accusative)

Both the adjective/pronoun svaka and the noun stavka must change to match the accusative feminine singular form.

Stavka usually means item, line item, or entry, depending on context.

In a budgeting or financial context, svaku stavku most naturally means:

• every item
• every line item
• every budget entry

So the sentence suggests careful monitoring, not just of the overall budget, but of each individual part of it.

The given word order is natural and standard:

• Pratim ne samo budžet nego i svaku stavku.

Serbian word order is more flexible than English, but the structure ne samo ... nego i ... tends to stay together because it functions as a set pattern.

You might move things around for emphasis in some contexts, but for learners, this version is the safest and most natural one to use.

Yes. That is also correct and very natural.

Both are common:

• ne samo ... nego i ...
• ne samo ... već i ...

In most everyday situations, the meaning is essentially the same: not only ..., but also ...

Because svaku comes from svaki / svaka / svako, meaning each or every.

• svaku stavku = every item / each item

By contrast, svu comes from sav / sva / sve, meaning all or the whole.

So:

• svaku stavku = every individual item
• svu stavku would not be the normal choice here
• sav budžet would mean the entire budget

The sentence is emphasizing individual entries, so svaku stavku is exactly right.

Pratiti is an imperfective verb.

That fits well because the sentence describes an ongoing activity or habit:

• I monitor
• I keep track of
• I am following

Imperfective verbs are commonly used for repeated, continuous, or general actions. Monitoring a budget and its items is exactly that kind of action.

No, it is a loanword, ultimately related to English budget. In Serbian it is spelled budžet, using Serbian spelling conventions.

A few useful notes:

• ž is pronounced like the s in measure
• the word is fully integrated into Serbian grammar
• it behaves like a regular masculine noun: budžet, budžeta, budžetu, etc.

A rough pronunciation guide for English speakers is:

PRAH-teem neh SAH-moh BOO-jet NEH-goh ee SVAH-koo STAHV-koo

A few important sounds:

• pratim = PRAH-teem
• ž in budžet sounds like the s in measure
• dj/đ is not here; dž in budžet sounds like j in judge
• stavku has a clear v-k cluster: STAHV-koo

Serbian pronunciation is generally quite phonetic, so once you know the letters, the pronunciation is fairly predictable.

You would negate the verb:

• Ne pratim ne samo budžet nego i svaku stavku.

But this sentence can sound structurally awkward because ne samo ... nego i ... already contains ne as part of the expression not only ... but also ...

In real usage, people would often rephrase to avoid confusion, depending on what exactly they mean.

For example:

• Ne pratim ni budžet ni svaku stavku. = I track neither the budget nor every item.
• Ne pratim ni budžet ni pojedinačne stavke. = I track neither the budget nor the individual items.

So yes, negation is possible, but a rewrite is often clearer.