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Questions & Answers about Ovo je kul.
What does ovo mean exactly, and why not ovaj or ova?
Ovo is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative this.
Serbian has different forms of this depending on grammatical gender:
- ovaj = this (masculine)
- ova = this (feminine)
- ovo = this (neuter)
In Ovo je kul., ovo is used because it means this thing / this situation / this in a general sense. It often points to something without naming it as a masculine or feminine noun.
For example:
- Ovo je dobro. = This is good.
- Ova knjiga je dobra. = This book is good.
- Ovaj film je dobar. = This film is good.
Why is je used here?
Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti = to be.
So:
- ja sam = I am
- ti si = you are
- on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is
In Ovo je kul., je simply means is.
Why isn’t the sentence just Ovo kul?
In normal Serbian, the verb to be is usually required in the present tense, unlike in some other languages where it can be omitted.