Na spratu je naš stan, a lift nije dobar.

to be

Breakdown of Na spratu je naš stan, a lift nije dobar.

• dobar: good
• ne: not
• a: and

Questions & Answers about Na spratu je naš stan, a lift nije dobar.

Why is it na spratu? What case is spratu?

Spratu is in the locative singular.

That is because na means on/in/at here in a location sense, and with that meaning it takes the locative:

• na spratu = on the floor / upstairs

A very useful pattern is:

• na + locative for location
• na + accusative for motion toward something

For example:

• Stan je na spratu. = The apartment is on the floor / upstairs.
• Idem na sprat. = I’m going upstairs.

So in your sentence, na spratu is correct because it describes where the apartment is.

Why is the sentence Na spratu je naš stan, not Na spratu naš stan je?

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

In this sentence, the first unit is Na spratu, so je comes right after it:

• Na spratu je naš stan.

This is a very normal Serbian word order.

You can also say:

• Naš stan je na spratu.

That version may feel a bit more straightforward to an English speaker. The original sentence puts more focus first on the location: On the floor / upstairs is our apartment.