Školarina je skupa.

to be

Breakdown of Školarina je skupa.

• skup: expensive
• školarina: tuition; a course fee

Questions & Answers about Školarina je skupa.

Why is it skupa and not skup or skupo?

Because skupa has to agree with školarina, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Serbian, adjectives change form to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• case

Here the forms are:

• masculine: skup
• feminine: skupa
• neuter: skupo

So:

• stan je skup = the apartment is expensive
• školarina je skupa = the tuition is expensive
• vino je skupo = the wine is expensive

What does je mean here?

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti = to be.

So the sentence is built like this:

• školarina = tuition
• je = is
• skupa = expensive

Literally: Tuition is expensive.

Can I leave out je in this sentence?

Normally, no.

In a full standard sentence like this, Serbian needs the verb :