Mislim da je ovo dobar odgovor.

I think that this is a good answer.

Breakdown of Mislim da je ovo dobar odgovor.

• ovo: this
• biti: to be
• dobar: good
• odgovor: answer

Questions & Answers about Mislim da je ovo dobar odgovor.

Why is there no word for I in Mislim?

Because Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.

Mislim means I think by itself.
The ending -im tells you it is 1st person singular.

So:

• Mislim = I think
• Ja mislim = I think too, but with extra emphasis on I

In neutral sentences, Serbian usually prefers just Mislim.

What is the role of da in this sentence?

Da introduces a subordinate clause, very often equivalent to English that.

So:

• Mislim da je ovo dobar odgovor. = I think that this is a good answer.

In English, that is often optional. In Serbian, da is normally needed in this kind of sentence.

You can think of the structure as:

• Mislim = I think
• da je ovo dobar odgovor = that this is a good answer

Why is it je ovo, not ovo je?

This is because je is a clitic. Clitics are short unstressed words that usually go in the second position of their clause in Serbian.

In the clause: