Kuhinja je mala, ali lepa.

to be

Breakdown of Kuhinja je mala, ali lepa.

• ali: but
• mali: small
• lep: beautiful

Questions & Answers about Kuhinja je mala, ali lepa.

Why do mala and lepa end in -a?

Because they agree with kuhinja, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Serbian, adjectives usually change their form to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• sometimes case

Here:

• kuhinja = feminine singular
• mala = feminine singular form of mali (small)
• lepa = feminine singular form of lep (beautiful / pretty / nice)

So the adjective endings match the noun.

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How do I know that kuhinja is feminine?

A very common clue is the ending -a. Many Serbian nouns ending in -a are feminine.

So:

• kuhinja = kitchen → feminine

Because it is feminine, the adjectives also appear in feminine forms:

• mala
• lepa

This is a pattern you will see a lot in Serbian.

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What does je mean here?

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti ().