Hvataljke su pored rešetke.

Su is the 3rd person plural present form of biti (to be).

So:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is
• mi smo = we are
• vi ste = you are
• oni/one/ona su = they are

In this sentence, hvataljke is plural, so Serbian uses su:
Hvataljke su ... = The clamps/tongs are ...

Because the preposition pored requires the genitive case.

The dictionary form is rešetka.
Its genitive singular is rešetke.

So:

• rešetka = base form
• pored rešetke = next to / beside the grate

This is a very common pattern in Serbian: certain prepositions always force a specific case, and pored takes the genitive.

Here, hvataljke is in the nominative plural because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can see that from the agreement:

• subject: hvataljke = plural
• verb: su = plural

So the structure is:

• Hvataljke = subject
• su = verb
• pored rešetke = location phrase

The singular would be hvataljka.

No. Serbian normally does not use articles like English the and a/an.

That means Hvataljke su pored rešetke could be understood as:

• The tongs/clamps are next to the grate
• Some tongs/clamps are next to a grate

Which one sounds best depends on the context. Serbian usually leaves that to the situation rather than marking it with an article.

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although different orders change the focus or emphasis.

Neutral order:

• Hvataljke su pored rešetke.

If you want to emphasize the location, you could say:

• Pored rešetke su hvataljke.

That sounds more like:

• Next to the grate are the tongs/clamps.

One important detail: su is a clitic, so it tends to appear in the second position of the clause.

Usually, yes: pored often means beside, next to, or alongside.

It usually suggests fairly close physical position.

Compare:

• pored = beside / next to
• blizu = near / close to

So pored is often more specific than blizu. If something is pored something else, it is typically right beside it, not just somewhere nearby.

A rough guide:

• hvataljke ≈ HVA-talj-ke
• rešetke ≈ re-SHET-ke

A few useful pronunciation points:

• h is pronounced
• v is pronounced
• š sounds like English sh
• lj is a single Serbian sound, similar to the lli in million for many English speakers

So:

• rešetke has a clear sh sound
• hvataljke has that special lj sound in the middle

In this sentence, no. After pored, it is understood as genitive singular.

Why?

• the base form is rešetka
• after pored, Serbian expects the genitive
• the genitive singular of rešetka is rešetke

So here rešetke means of the grate / of the grid / of the rack, depending on the exact vocabulary meaning.

Even though rešetke can look like a plural form in other contexts, after pored it is functioning as genitive singular.

You would change both the noun and the verb:

• Hvataljka je pored rešetke. = The clamp/tong is next to the grate.

So the change is:

• hvataljke → hvataljka
• su → je

This is basic subject-verb agreement:

• singular subject → je
• plural subject → su