Roštilj je u parku.

to be

Breakdown of Roštilj je u parku.

• u: in
• park: park
• roštilj: a barbecue; grill

Questions & Answers about Roštilj je u parku.

Why does park become parku?

Because Serbian changes noun endings according to their role in the sentence. After u when it means location (in), the noun usually goes into the locative case.

So:

• park = park
• u parku = in the park

Here, parku is the locative singular form of park.

What does je mean here?

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb biti (to be).

So:

• Roštilj je... = The barbecue/grill is...

Unlike in some other Slavic languages, Serbian normally keeps this present-tense form of to be in ordinary sentences.

Why is je in the second position?

Because je is a clitic. In Serbian, clitics usually come in the second position in the clause.

That is why the neutral sentence is:

• Roštilj je u parku.

And also why this is possible:

• U parku je roštilj.

But putting je at the very end would sound wrong in normal Serbian.