Ja sam gladna i želim ručak sada.

to be

Breakdown of Ja sam gladna i želim ručak sada.

• ja: I
• sada: now
• i: and

Questions & Answers about Ja sam gladna i želim ručak sada.

Why is ja used here? Can Serbian leave it out?

Yes. Serbian often drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb.

So Ja sam gladna and Sam gladna are not the same, though:

• Ja sam gladna = I am hungry, with explicit I
• Gladna sam = more natural in many everyday situations

In this sentence, ja can add a little emphasis or clarity. Very often, a native speaker would simply say:

Gladna sam i želim ručak sada.

What does sam mean?

Sam is the 1st person singular present tense of biti = to be.

So:

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

In this sentence:

• Ja sam gladna = I am hungry

Also, sam is a clitic, so it usually likes to appear near the beginning of the sentence, often in second position.

Why is it gladna and not gladan?

Because the adjective agrees with the speaker’s gender.

• gladna = said by a