Ocena je dobra.

to be

Breakdown of Ocena je dobra.

• dobar: good
• ocena: a rating

Questions & Answers about Ocena je dobra.

Why is dobra used here instead of dobar?

Because ocena is a feminine singular noun, and Serbian adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

• masculine: dobar
• feminine: dobra
• neuter: dobro

So:

• dobar student = a good male student
• dobra ocena = a good grade
• dobro dete = a good child

In Ocena je dobra, the adjective matches ocena, so it has to be dobra.

What exactly is je?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti, which means to be.

So:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on / ona / ono je = he / she / it is

In this sentence, je means is.

Why is je placed after ocena?

Because je is a clitic in Serbian. Clitics are short unstressed words that usually go in second position in the sentence or clause.

So in a simple sentence like this:

• Ocena je dobra.

the first element is Ocena, and the clitic je comes right after it.

This often looks similar to English word order, but the important Serbian rule is really the second-position clitic rule.