Tanjir je na stolu, a kašika je blizu tanjira.

to be

Breakdown of Tanjir je na stolu, a kašika je blizu tanjira.

• a: and
• blizu: near
• sto: table

Questions & Answers about Tanjir je na stolu, a kašika je blizu tanjira.

Why is it na stolu and not na sto?

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.

Why is it blizu tanjira and not blizu tanjir?

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.

What case is stolu, and what case is tanjira?

• stolu is locative singular
• tanjira is genitive singular

In the sentence:

• Tanjir je na stolu →