Ovaj plan je suviše skup.

Ovaj means this and is a demonstrative adjective. It points to a specific noun, here plan.

• ovaj plan = this plan
• It agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Because plan is masculine singular in the nominative, the correct form is ovaj.

Serbian often uses demonstratives like ovaj when you want to be specific, just like English uses this.

• Plan je suviše skup. = The plan is too expensive / A plan is too expensive depending on context
• Ovaj plan je suviše skup. = This plan is too expensive

Since Serbian has no articles like the or a, words like ovaj help add specificity.

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

So:

• ovaj plan = this plan
• je = is
• suviše skup = too expensive

Together: Ovaj plan je suviše skup. = This plan is too expensive.

In Serbian, you usually need je in this kind of sentence, just as you need is in English.

Serbian often places short unstressed words, called clitics, near the beginning of the sentence, typically in second position. Je is one of these clitics.

So in:

• Ovaj plan je suviše skup.

the first unit is ovaj plan, and je comes right after it.

This is very natural Serbian word order. You may notice similar placement with other short forms like sam, si, smo, ste, su.

Suviše means too in the sense of more than is acceptable or desirable.

So:

• suviše skup = too expensive

This is different from veoma, which means very:

• veoma skup = very expensive
• suviše skup = too expensive

So suviše expresses a problem or excess, not just a high degree.

They are very close in meaning, and in many contexts both can mean too much or too.

With adjectives, both can be used:

• suviše skup
• previše skup

Both mean too expensive.

However, previše is often more common in everyday speech. Suviše can sound a bit more formal or literary in some contexts, depending on the speaker and region.

So this sentence is fully correct, but learners will also often hear:

• Ovaj plan je previše skup.

Because skup is an adjective, and it must agree with plan.

The noun plan is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective also appears in the masculine singular nominative form:

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

Compare:

• Ovaj plan je skup. = This plan is expensive.
• Ova karta je skupa. = This ticket is expensive.
• Ovo putovanje je skupo. = This trip is expensive.

Not always. Skup can also mean gathered, assembled, or be related to a collection/grouping in other contexts. But in this sentence, with plan, it clearly means expensive.

So here:

• skup = expensive

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Serbian does not have articles like English the and a/an.

That means plan can mean:

• plan
• a plan
• the plan

depending on context.

If Serbian wants to be more specific, it often uses demonstratives like:

• ovaj = this
• taj = that
• onaj = that over there

So ovaj plan gives the same kind of specificity as this plan in English.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, but not all versions sound equally neutral.

The most neutral version is:

• Ovaj plan je suviše skup.

You might also hear variations for emphasis, such as:

• Suviše je skup ovaj plan.
• Ovaj plan suviše je skup. — possible, but less natural in ordinary speech

Even when word order changes, the clitic je still tends to stay near the beginning of the clause.

So learners should treat Ovaj plan je suviše skup. as the safest standard pattern.

Ovaj is pronounced approximately OH-vai.

A few pronunciation notes:

• o is a clear short o
• v is like English v
• aj sounds like the i in English my

Serbian stress is not usually marked in normal writing, so you mostly learn it by listening. But for a beginner, saying OH-vai will be close enough.

It is in the nominative singular.

Why nominative?

Because plan is the subject of the sentence:

• Ovaj plan = the thing being described
• je suviše skup = is too expensive

So the basic structure is:

• subject
  • to be
    • adjective

That calls for the nominative in Serbian.