Zaštitna oprema je zaštitila zaposlenog od povrede na radu.

Because oprema is a feminine singular noun in Serbian, and the adjective has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

So:

• zaštitna = feminine singular
• oprema = feminine singular

That is why the phrase is zaštitna oprema = protective equipment.

If the noun were masculine, you might see zaštitni instead.

Je is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb biti (to be) and it is used to form the past tense in Serbian.

The past tense here is:

• je zaštitila = protected

So the structure is:

• je
  • past participle

In this sentence:

• Zaštitna oprema je zaštitila...
• The protective equipment protected...

This is a very common way to form the past tense in Serbian.

In Serbian past tense, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

The subject here is:

• zaštitna oprema — feminine singular

So the verb must also be feminine singular:

• masculine singular: zaštitio
• feminine singular: zaštitila
• neuter singular: zaštitilo

That is why you get:

• Zaštitna oprema je zaštitila...

because oprema is feminine.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can identify it as the thing doing the action:

• Zaštitna oprema = the protective equipment
• it is the thing that protected someone

So:

• zaštitna oprema = nominative singular

Because zaposlenog is in the accusative singular, used here for the direct object of the verb.

The sentence answers the question:

• Koga je zaštitila? = Whom did it protect?
• zaposlenog = the employee

Also, zaposlen refers to a person, so it is masculine animate. In Serbian, masculine animate nouns/adjectives in the accusative singular often look like the genitive singular.

So:

• nominative: zaposleni = the employee
• accusative: zaposlenog = the employee (as object)

Grammatically, it comes from an adjective meaning employed, but here it is being used like a noun, meaning employee.

This is very common in Serbian. An adjective can stand alone when the noun is understood.

So:

• zaposleni can mean an employed person / employee
• zaposlenog = the employee in the accusative

You can think of it as similar to English expressions like the injured, the unemployed, or the accused, where an adjective functions like a noun.

Because the preposition od requires the genitive case.

So:

• povreda = nominative singular
• povrede = genitive singular

In this sentence:

• od povrede = from injury / against injury

This is a very common pattern in Serbian:

• od + genitive

Literally, na radu means at work or on the job.

Here:

• rad = work
• na radu = at work / while working / in the workplace context

So povreda na radu is a set phrase meaning:

• work-related injury
• injury at work
• occupational injury

Even though the whole sentence meaning is already known, it is useful to recognize povreda na radu as a common expression.

Radu is in the locative singular.

That is because the preposition na can take different cases depending on meaning, and here it means at/on/in relation to work, which calls for the locative.

So:

• rad = nominative
• radu = locative after na

Examples of the same pattern:

• na stolu = on the table
• na poslu = at work
• na radu = at work / on the job

Because the sentence refers to injury in a general sense, not to several separate injuries.

So:

• od povrede = from injury
• od povreda would mean from injuries and would sound different

In many languages, including Serbian, a singular noun is often used in this kind of general, abstract meaning.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, though the given version is the most neutral and natural.

The basic order here is:

• subject + auxiliary + verb + object + prepositional phrase

That is a standard, straightforward order.

You could also rearrange it for emphasis, for example:

• Zaposlenog je zaštitila zaštitna oprema.
  = It was the protective equipment that protected the employee.

But the original sentence is the most natural if you are simply stating a fact.

This is about verb aspect, which is very important in Serbian.

• zaštititi is perfective
• štititi is imperfective

In this sentence, zaštitila comes from zaštititi, which presents the action as completed: the equipment successfully protected the employee.

By contrast:

• štitila would suggest an ongoing, repeated, or background action: was protecting, used to protect

So here, zaštitila is the better choice because the sentence describes a completed result.

Because Serbian has no articles.

English says:

• the protective equipment
• an employee
• the employee

Serbian simply uses the noun and context:

• zaštitna oprema
• zaposlenog

Whether something is the, a, or just general is understood from context.

That is normal in Serbian and many other Slavic languages.

In Serbian, oprema is a singular noun.

It often corresponds to English equipment, which is also grammatically singular/uncountable:

• oprema je... = the equipment is...

So even though it may refer to multiple items collectively, grammatically it behaves as a singular feminine noun.

That is why the verb is singular:

• oprema je zaštitila

Sometimes yes, but the meaning is not exactly identical.

• zaposleni = employee
• radnik = worker

Radnik can sound a bit narrower or more specifically like a worker/laborer depending on context, while zaposleni is often broader and more neutral in workplace language.

So:

• zaštitila zaposlenog = protected the employee
• zaštitila radnika = protected the worker

Both can be correct, but zaposlenog matches employee more directly.

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

• ZAH-shtee-tna oh-PREH-ma yeh zah-SHTEE-tee-la zah-POS-leh-nohg od POH-vreh-deh nah RAH-doo

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• š sounds like sh
• č / ć are both kinds of ch sounds
• j is like English y
• stress is not usually marked in normal writing, so learners usually pick it up by listening

The important thing is to pronounce each vowel clearly:

• a, e, i, o, u

Serbian vowels are generally pure and short compared with many English vowel sounds.