Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Serbian: Rashod je neočekivan. - The expenditure is unexpected.

Hardcore Serbian
/Managing a household budget
/Rashod je neočekivan.

Rashod je neočekivan.

Word

Rashod je neočekivan.

Meaning

The expenditure is unexpected.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Serbian

Lesson

Managing a household budget

Breakdown of Rashod je neočekivan.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Serbian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Serbian now

Questions & Answers about Rashod je neočekivan.

Why is je used in Rashod je neočekivan?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti (to be), so it means is.

So the structure is:

Rashod = subject
je = is
neočekivan = adjective/predicate adjective

Serbian normally uses je in this kind of sentence, unlike Russian, where the present-tense to be is often omitted. In standard Serbian, Rashod neočekivan would sound incomplete or nonstandard in ordinary usage.

Why is neočekivan in that form?

Because it agrees with rashod.

In Serbian, adjectives must match the noun in:

gender
number
case

Rashod is:

masculine
singular
nominative

So the adjective also appears as neočekivan.

Compare:

Rashod je neočekivan. → masculine singular
Isplata je neočekivana. → feminine singular
Kašnjenje je neočekivano. → neuter singular
Troškovi su neočekivani. → masculine plural

What case is here?

rashod

It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

The adjective neočekivan is also in the nominative because it is linked to the subject through je.

So this is a basic subject + to be + adjective sentence.

What exactly does rashod mean?

Rashod is a somewhat formal or financial/accounting word. It usually means:

expense
expenditure
outflow
cost item in a financial sense

It is often used in business, accounting, administration, and economics.

Learners should know that in everyday speech, people may more often use words like:

trošak = cost/expense
troškovi = costs/expenses

So rashod is correct, but it sounds more technical or formal than some everyday alternatives.

Is neočekivan just an adjective, or is it related to a verb?

It is an adjective, but it is clearly related to the verb očekivati (to expect).

Breakdown:

očekivati = to expect
očekivan = expected
neočekivan = unexpected

The prefix ne- makes it negative, just like un- or not in English.

So neočekivan literally means something like not expected.

Can the word order change?

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

Rashod je neočekivan.

But you could also say:

Neočekivan je rashod.

That version puts more focus or emphasis on neočekivan.

Very roughly:

Rashod je neočekivan. = neutral statement
Neočekivan je rashod. = It is the expense that is unexpected / stronger emphasis on unexpected

Both are grammatical, but the first one is the most straightforward for learners.

Why is there no word for a or the?

Because Serbian has no articles.

English says:

The expense is unexpected
An expense is unexpected

Serbian does not have separate words for a/an/the. Context tells you whether something is definite or indefinite.

So Rashod je neočekivan can correspond to English with or without an article, depending on context.

How do you pronounce Rashod je neočekivan?

A learner will often want help with these sounds:

š = sh as in shoe
č = ch as in church
j = y as in yes

A rough pronunciation guide:

Rashod ≈ RA-shod
je ≈ ye
neočekivan ≈ ne-o-CHE-ki-van

A few notes:

Serbian spelling is quite phonetic, so words are usually pronounced as written.
je is short and unstressed in normal speech.
neočekivan has four clear parts: ne-o-če-ki-van.

Could I translate neočekivan as surprising?

Sometimes yes, but unexpected is the more direct and accurate meaning.

neočekivan = unexpected
iznenađujuć / iznenađujuće = surprising

In many contexts, something unexpected is also surprising, but they are not exactly the same idea.

So for this sentence, unexpected is the safest choice.

Is this sentence formal or natural in everyday conversation?

It is natural, but it sounds somewhat formal, especially because of rashod.

This kind of sentence fits well in:

business language
accounting
reports
official explanations

In casual conversation, people might be more likely to say something using trošak or troškovi, depending on the context.

So the grammar is completely normal, but the vocabulary leans a bit toward formal/financial Serbian.

Would this look different in Cyrillic?

Yes. Serbian can be written in both Latin and Cyrillic script.

The Cyrillic version is:

Расход је неочекиван.

Letter by letter:

Rashod → Расход
je → је
neočekivan → неочекиван

Both scripts are standard in Serbian.

What is the opposite of rashod?

In financial language, the usual opposite is prihod.

rashod = expense / expenditure
prihod = income / revenue

So a learner may notice this useful contrast:

Prihod je visok. = The income/revenue is high.
Rashod je neočekivan. = The expense is unexpected.

This pair is especially common in accounting and business Serbian.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io