Uprkos manjku, povećali smo prihod.

Uprkos means despite or in spite of.

It normally takes the dative case, which is why you get manjku rather than the dictionary form manjak.

• manjak = shortage, lack, deficit
• uprkos manjku = despite the shortage / despite the deficit

A very similar word is unatoč, which is used the same way:

• unatoč manjku = despite the shortage

Because uprkos requires the dative singular.

The noun is:

• nominative: manjak
• dative: manjku

So:

• manjak = a shortage / deficit
• uprkos manjku = despite the shortage

This is a very common thing to watch for in Serbian: many prepositions force a specific case.

Manjak usually means shortage, lack, or deficit, depending on context.

In this sentence, it could mean things like:

• a shortage of resources
• a lack of something needed
• a financial deficit

So uprkos manjku could be understood as:

• despite the shortage
• despite the lack
• despite the deficit

The exact English translation depends on the wider context.

Povećali smo is the past tense in Serbian.

It is made from:

• the l-participle: povećali
• the auxiliary biti in the present tense: smo

So:

• povećali smo = we increased

This is the normal way Serbian forms the past tense.

Because the participle agrees with the subject.

Here the subject is we, and the form povećali is used for:

• masculine plural
• or a mixed group
• or often a general we when the group is not all female

Compare:

• povećao sam = I increased (male speaker)
• povećala sam = I increased (female speaker)
• povećali smo = we increased
• povećale smo = we increased (all-female group)

So if a group of women were speaking, you could also hear povećale smo prihod.

Both are possible, but povećali smo prihod is very natural Serbian word order.

In Serbian, the auxiliary smo is a clitic, which means it tends to go in the second position of its phrase or clause. Because of that, you often see:

• Povećali smo prihod.

rather than:

• Smo povećali prihod. ❌

You can also say:

• Mi smo povećali prihod.
• Prihod smo povećali.

These different orders can shift emphasis slightly, but the basic meaning stays the same.

Because Serbian often drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

The ending and auxiliary already show the subject:

• povećali smo = we increased

So mi is not necessary unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Mi smo povećali prihod, a oni rashode nisu smanjili. = We increased revenue, but they didn’t reduce expenses.

This is very common in Serbian.

Not exactly.

Prihod usually means income or revenue, not profit.

A useful distinction:

• prihod = revenue / income
• rashod = expense
• profit / dobit = profit

So:

• povećali smo prihod = we increased revenue/income
• It does not automatically mean we increased profit

That is an important vocabulary distinction, especially in business or finance.

Povećati is perfective.

That means it presents the action as a completed whole: the revenue was increased.

Its imperfective partner is usually:

• povećavati = to be increasing / to increase repeatedly or over time

Compare:

• Povećali smo prihod. = We increased the revenue. / We managed to increase revenue.
• Povećavali smo prihod. = We were increasing revenue / We used to increase revenue.

So in your sentence, the perfective verb fits well because it describes a completed result.

Yes, that can be a very good translation depending on context.

Possible translations include:

• Despite the shortage, we increased revenue.
• Despite the deficit, we increased revenue.
• In spite of the shortfall, we increased income.

Which one sounds best depends on what manjak refers to:

• physical lack of something -> shortage
• missing amount / underperformance -> shortfall
• financial negative balance -> deficit

Because uprkos manjku is an introductory prepositional phrase placed before the main clause.

So the structure is:

• Uprkos manjku, = despite the shortage
• povećali smo prihod. = we increased revenue

The comma helps separate the introductory element from the main statement. In short sentences like this, it is very natural and standard.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

Uprkos manjku, povećali smo prihod.
OO-prkoss MAHN-ykoo, po-VE-cha-lee smo PREE-hot

A few helpful points:

• nj sounds like the ny in canyon
• ć is a soft sound, somewhat like a softer ch
• h is pronounced, unlike in many English dialects
• d at the end of prihod may sound slightly devoiced, closer to t in actual speech

If you want to read it naturally, the stress and rhythm are roughly:

Uprkos manjku, povećali smo prihod.

Yes. Serbian word order is flexible, though some versions are more natural in certain contexts.

Possible variants:

• Uprkos manjku, povećali smo prihod.
• Prihod smo povećali uprkos manjku.
• Uprkos manjku, prihod smo povećali.
• Mi smo uprkos manjku povećali prihod.

These all keep basically the same meaning, but they change the emphasis:

• uprkos manjku first -> emphasizes the contrast
• prihod earlier -> emphasizes what was increased
• mi included -> emphasizes we

The original sentence is a very natural, neutral way to say it.