Questions & Answers about Nož i viljuška su desno od tanjira.
Why are nož and viljuška singular, not plural?
Because the sentence is talking about one knife and one fork. In Serbian, if you join two singular nouns with i (and), each noun can stay singular:
- nož = knife
- viljuška = fork
Together, though, they make a plural subject, which is why the verb is plural.
If you meant several knives and forks, then the nouns themselves would be plural too.
Why is the verb su used here instead of je?
Su is the 3rd person plural form of biti (to be).
Since Nož i viljuška means knife and fork—two things together—the verb must be plural:
- je = is
- su = are
So:
- Nož je desno od tanjira. = The knife is to the right of the plate.
- Nož i viljuška su desno od tanjira. = The knife and fork are to the right of the plate.
Why does tanjir become tanjira?
Because after od, Serbian uses the genitive case.
The basic dictionary form is tanjir, but in the phrase desno od ... (to the right of ...), the noun after changes form: