On nije gladan, jer sada jede ručak.

to be

Breakdown of On nije gladan, jer sada jede ručak.

• on: he
• sada: now
• ne: not

Questions & Answers about On nije gladan, jer sada jede ručak.

Why is it gladan and not some other form like gladni or gladna?

Gladan agrees with the subject on (he), so it must be masculine singular.

Here is the pattern:

• on je gladan = he is hungry
• ona je gladna = she is hungry
• ono je gladno = it is hungry
• oni su gladni = they are hungry (masculine/mixed group)
• one su gladne = they are hungry (all feminine)

So in On nije gladan, the adjective has to match on.

Why is the negative form nije, not ne je?

In Serbian, the verb je (is) has an irregular negative form: nije.

So:

• on je gladan = he is hungry
• on nije gladan = he is not hungry

You do not normally say ne je here.

The same kind of thing happens in the plural:

• oni su gladni = they are hungry
• oni nisu gladni = they are not hungry

So nije and nisu are forms you simply need to learn as standard negative forms of to be.

Is gladan an adjective, and does Serbian really say he is hungry with ?