Cilj je uštedeti novac.

Serbian does not have articles like the or a/an. So cilj can mean goal or the goal, depending on context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the: The goal is to save money. Serbian simply says Cilj je...

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti, meaning to be. Here it works just like is in English.

So:

• cilj = goal
• je = is
• uštedeti novac = to save money

Literally: Goal is to save money.

Because Serbian often uses the infinitive after expressions like cilj je... to say what the goal, plan, or intention is.

So Cilj je uštedeti novac means:

• The goal is to save money

This is very similar to English, where to save is also an infinitive.

This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Serbian.

• štedeti = imperfective, focusing on the process or habit of saving
• uštedeti = perfective, focusing on achieving the result

So:

• Cilj je štedeti novac suggests a general activity or habit: The goal is to save money / be economical
• Cilj je uštedeti novac suggests reaching a result: The goal is to save up money / manage to save money

In this sentence, uštedeti makes sense because a goal often points to a completed result.

Novac is the direct object of uštedeti, so it is in the accusative case.

However, novac is a masculine inanimate noun, and for many masculine inanimate nouns in Serbian, the nominative and accusative forms are the same.

So:

• nominative: novac
• accusative: novac

That is why the form does not change.

Yes, absolutely. That is also very natural Serbian.

Two common ways to express this idea are:

• Cilj je uštedeti novac.
• Cilj je da se uštedi novac.

The second version uses a da-clause, which is very common in Serbian. It can sound a bit more clause-based and less compact than the infinitive version.

A few related versions are:

• Cilj je da uštedimo novac. = The goal is for us to save money.
• Cilj je da se uštedi novac. = more impersonal, roughly The goal is to save money / for money to be saved

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order. But Cilj je uštedeti novac is the most neutral and straightforward version.

You may also see:

• Uštedeti novac je cilj.

This is possible, but it sounds more marked, more emphatic, or more stylistically shaped. For a learner, the original order is the safest default.

There is a regional standard difference:

• uštedeti = common in Ekavian Serbian
• uštedjeti = common in Ijekavian Serbian

So both of these can be correct, depending on the variety:

• Cilj je uštedeti novac.
• Cilj je uštedjeti novac.

They mean the same thing.

It can cover both ideas depending on context, just like English save money often can.

It may mean:

• to put money aside
• to avoid spending money
• to end up with money saved

The perfective verb uštedeti especially highlights the successful result: money has been saved.

Yes, it is natural and correct. It sounds neutral and standard.

That said, in everyday speech many speakers often prefer a da-clause, so Cilj je da se uštedi novac may sound a bit more conversational to some people. But the infinitive version is still perfectly normal and clear.