Odgovornost je na aviokompaniji.

Responsibility lies with the airline.

Breakdown of Odgovornost je na aviokompaniji.

• biti: to be
• na: on
• aviokompanija: an airline
• odgovornost: liability; responsibility

Questions & Answers about Odgovornost je na aviokompaniji.

What does Odgovornost je na aviokompaniji literally mean?

Literally, it means Responsibility is on the airline.

In natural English, that usually becomes:

• The airline is responsible
• The responsibility lies with the airline
• It’s the airline’s responsibility

So na here is not really about physical position. It is part of an idiomatic way to say that responsibility rests with someone.

What does je mean here?

Je means is.

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

So the sentence breaks down like this:

• Odgovornost = responsibility
• je = is
• na aviokompaniji = on/with the airline

Serbian often uses forms of to be just as English does, although in some other sentence types Serbian may leave it out.

Why is na used here?

Na usually means on, but in Serbian it also appears in several idiomatic expressions.

Here, na + locative expresses that some duty, burden, or responsibility rests with someone:

• Krivica je na meni. = It’s my fault / The blame is on me.
• Odluka je na tebi. = The decision is up to you.
• Odgovornost je na aviokompaniji. = The responsibility is with the airline.

So this is not mainly a spatial on. It is a standard way to assign responsibility.