Brod je nov.

to be

Breakdown of Brod je nov.

• nov: new
• brod: a ship; boat

Questions & Answers about Brod je nov.

What does brod mean, and why is there no word for the or a?

Brod means ship or boat, depending on context.

Serbian does not have articles like the and a/an. So Brod je nov. can mean:

• The ship is new.
• A ship is new.
• The boat is new.

In real usage, context tells you which English translation fits best.

What does je mean here?

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

So:

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

In Brod je nov., je means is.

Why is nov used, and not some other form like nova or novo?

Because adjectives in Serbian must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Brod is a masculine singular noun, so the adjective also has to be masculine singular:

• masculine: nov
• feminine: nova
• neuter: novo

So:

• brod → nov
• not nova
• not novo