Luster je u kutiji sa nalepnicom.

to be

Breakdown of Luster je u kutiji sa nalepnicom.

• u: in
• sa: with
• kutija: a box

Questions & Answers about Luster je u kutiji sa nalepnicom.

What does luster mean in Serbian? Is it the same as English luster?

No. In Serbian, luster usually means a chandelier or a ceiling light fixture.

So this is a false friend for English speakers:

• English luster = shine, gloss
• Serbian luster = chandelier / hanging light

If you wanted the English idea of luster/shine, Serbian would more likely use words like sjaj.

What is the role of je in this sentence?

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

So:

• luster = the chandelier
• je = is
• u kutiji sa nalepnicom = in a/the box with a label/sticker

English speakers sometimes want to skip je, but in a normal Serbian sentence like this, it is needed.

What case is each noun in here?

The nouns are in three different cases:

• luster → nominative
  It is the subject of the sentence.

• kutiji → locative
  It comes after u because the meaning is location: in the box.

• nalepnicom → instrumental
  It comes after sa meaning with: with a label/sticker.

So this sentence is a good example of how Serbian changes noun endings depending on their role.