Sat je na stolu.

to be

Breakdown of Sat je na stolu.

• sto: table
• sat: clock
• na: on

Questions & Answers about Sat je na stolu.

What does sat mean here?

In this sentence, sat means clock or watch, depending on context.

A useful thing to know is that sat can also mean hour in Serbian. So the word has more than one meaning:

• sat = clock / watch
• sat = hour

Here, because of na stolu meaning on the table, it is understood as a clock or a watch, not an hour.

What does je mean?

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb biti, which means to be.

So:

• sat = clock / watch
• je = is
• na stolu = on the table

Why is je after sat instead of before it?

Because je is a clitic in Serbian. Clitics are short, unstressed words that usually go in the second position in the sentence or clause.

So in Sat je na stolu, je comes after the first element, sat.

You will see this a lot in Serbian:

• Ana je ovde.