To je grad.

To is a demonstrative pronoun meaning something like that or it, depending on context.

In this sentence, it often works like that when you are pointing something out or identifying it:

• To je grad. = That is a city/town.

But in natural English, we often translate it as it in some contexts, even though Serbian is using to.

Also, to is grammatically neuter singular, which is very common when referring to something in a general way.

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

So it means is.

Serbian often drops subject pronouns like ja, ti, on, but the verb to be itself is still usually expressed in sentences like this. So:

• To je grad. = That is a city/town.

You generally cannot leave out je here and still have a normal complete sentence.

Serbian has no articles, so there is no direct equivalent of English a/an or the.

That means grad can mean:

• a city
• the city
• sometimes simply city/town, depending on context

The exact meaning is understood from the situation, previous conversation, or emphasis.

So To je grad could be interpreted as:

• That is a city
• That is the city

In many basic learning examples, it is usually understood as That is a city unless context makes it definite.

Usually grad is best translated as city, but in some contexts it can also correspond to town.

The exact English choice depends on context, population size, and how the place is viewed culturally or administratively.

So when learning the word, city is the safest basic meaning, but you should know that real-life translation is not always one-to-one.

Grad is a masculine noun.

That matters in Serbian because adjectives, pronouns, and some past-tense forms often agree with the gender of the noun.

In this specific sentence, the noun’s gender does not cause much visible change beyond the noun form itself, but it will matter in other sentences, for example:

• Ovaj grad = this city
• Veliki grad = a big city

Here, both ovaj and veliki are in masculine form because grad is masculine.

Grad is in the nominative singular.

In simple identification sentences with to je ..., the noun is typically in the nominative:

• To je grad.
• To je kuća.
• To je selo.

This is the basic dictionary form of the noun.

Yes, often you can, but the nuance changes slightly.

• Ovo je grad. = This is a city/town.
• To je grad. = That is a city/town.

Very roughly:

• ovo = this
• to = that
• ono = that over there

In real speech, to je... is also very common when identifying something in a general way, so it does not always feel as strongly like English that as you might expect.

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English, but To je grad is the most neutral and standard order here.

You may also encounter different orders for emphasis in broader contexts, but for a beginner, the safest pattern is:

• To je grad.

If you change the order without a good reason, it may sound marked, poetic, or unnatural.

So it is best to learn this sentence exactly as it stands first.

Grad is pronounced roughly like grahd, with a rolled or tapped r in careful Serbian pronunciation.

A few helpful points:

• g as in go
• r is a trilled or tapped Serbian r
• a is like a in father
• d as in dog

Also, Serbian spelling is very phonetic, so words are usually pronounced much as they are written.

Yes, absolutely. It is a complete and natural sentence.

It is a very typical Serbian pattern for identifying something:

• To je + noun

For example:

• To je kuća. = That is a house.
• To je škola. = That is a school.
• To je grad. = That is a city/town.

So this is a very useful model sentence for beginners.

Because to does not have to match grad here in the way an adjective would.

In To je grad, to is acting more like a general demonstrative pronoun: that / this thing / it. It refers to something being identified, and then grad names what it is.

So the structure is more like:

• That is a city

rather than a noun phrase like:

• that city

If you were saying that city, then the demonstrative would need to agree with grad:

• taj grad = that city

Here is the contrast:

• To je grad. = That is a city.
• Taj grad... = That city...

That is why to can appear even though grad is masculine.