Tanjir je na stolu, a kašika je blizu tanjira.

Because na can take different cases depending on meaning:

• na + locative = location, meaning on / at
  • na stolu = on the table
• na + accusative = movement toward a surface/place
  • na sto = onto the table

So in this sentence, the plate is already located there, so Serbian uses the locative: stolu.

Because blizu requires the genitive case.

So:

• base form: tanjir = plate
• after blizu: tanjira = of the plate / near the plate

This is very common in Serbian. Many prepositions and preposition-like words require a specific case, and blizu is one of the words that takes the genitive.

• stolu is locative singular
• tanjira is genitive singular

In the sentence:

• Tanjir je na stolu → na
  • locative for location
• kašika je blizu tanjira → blizu
  • genitive

So the sentence is a good example of how Serbian changes noun endings depending on grammatical function.

In Serbian, je is a clitic. Clitics usually appear in the second position of a clause, not necessarily directly after the subject in the English sense.

So:

• Tanjir je na stolu
• Kašika je blizu tanjira

This is normal Serbian word order. You will often see short forms like je, sam, si, se, ga, mi placed in second position.

A often means something like:

• and
• while
• whereas
• and as for...

It connects two clauses, often with a slight contrast or shift of focus.

In this sentence:

• Tanjir je na stolu, a kašika je blizu tanjira.

This feels like:

• The plate is on the table, and/as for the spoon, it is near the plate.

It is not exactly the same as i.

• i = simple and
• a = and/but/while, often contrasting or pairing two facts

Yes, you could say i, but the nuance changes a little.

• a links the two statements with a mild contrast or separate focus
• i simply adds one fact to another

So:

• Tanjir je na stolu, a kašika je blizu tanjira.
  Slightly more natural if you are describing two related but distinct things.
• Tanjir je na stolu i kašika je blizu tanjira.
  Also correct, but more neutral and additive.

Both are understandable.

Serbian does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• tanjir can mean a plate or the plate
• kašika can mean a spoon or the spoon
• sto / stolu can mean a table / the table

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why a sentence like this can be translated in different ways depending on the situation.

• tanjir is masculine
• sto is masculine
• kašika is feminine

You can often guess gender from the ending:

• many nouns ending in a consonant are masculine: tanjir, sto
• many nouns ending in -a are feminine: kašika

This matters because adjectives, pronouns, and some past-tense forms agree with gender.

Because the form kašika here is nominative singular.

Compare:

• kašika = spoon
• kašike = spoons / of the spoon, depending on case and context

Also, the verb is je = is, which matches a singular subject.

So kašika je... clearly means the spoon is... or a spoon is...

In learner-friendly terms, yes, you can treat blizu as a word meaning near that is followed by the genitive.

You will often see it used like this:

• blizu kuće = near the house
• blizu škole = near the school
• blizu tanjira = near the plate

Some grammars classify it a bit differently depending on context, but for learning purposes, the important point is:

• blizu means near
• it is followed by the genitive case

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English, but not completely free.

For example, these are possible:

• Tanjir je na stolu.
• Na stolu je tanjir.

Both are correct, but the emphasis changes:

• Tanjir je na stolu = neutral
• Na stolu je tanjir = emphasizes the location

Likewise:

• Kašika je blizu tanjira.
• Blizu tanjira je kašika.

However, the clitic je still tends to stay in second position in its clause.

Tanjir is a masculine noun, and one common genitive singular ending for masculine nouns is -a.

So:

• tanjir → tanjira

This pattern is very common:

• grad → grada
• pas → psa
• telefon → telefona

So after blizu, you get blizu tanjira.

The most useful ones here are:

• š = like sh in shoe
  • kašika
• j = like English y in yes
  • je, tanjir, tanjira

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Tanjir je na stolu ≈ TAHN-yeer yeh nah STOH-loo
• kašika je blizu tanjira ≈ KAH-shee-kah yeh BLEE-zoo tahn-YEE-rah

Serbian spelling is quite phonetic, so once you learn the letters, pronunciation becomes much easier than in English.

Because a is joining two independent clauses:

• Tanjir je na stolu
• kašika je blizu tanjira

In Serbian, it is normal to put a comma before a when it connects clauses like this. That is similar to English punctuation in many cases.