Stvar je neispravna.

to be

Breakdown of Stvar je neispravna.

• stvar: thing
• neispravan: not working; faulty

Questions & Answers about Stvar je neispravna.

Why does neispravna end in -a?

Because stvar is a feminine singular noun, and adjectives in Serbian usually agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• stvar = feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular:
  • masculine: neispravan
  • feminine: neispravna
  • neuter: neispravno

So Stvar je neispravna is a normal example of adjective agreement.

Is stvar always feminine, even though it does not end in -a?

Yes. In Serbian, many feminine nouns end in -a, but not all of them do. Stvar is one of the common feminine nouns that ends in a consonant.

That is why you get:

• ova stvar = this thing
• ta stvar je neispravna = that thing is defective

So the adjective and demonstrative words treat stvar as feminine.

What does je mean here?

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti = to be.

So in this sentence:

• stvar = the thing/item
• je = is
• neispravna = defective / not functioning properly

This is the normal Serbian way to make a sentence like X is Y.

Why is there no word for the or ?