Lift je mali, a moja majka ide stepenicama.

The elevator is small, and my mother goes by the stairs.

Breakdown of Lift je mali, a moja majka ide stepenicama.

• biti: to be
• ići: to go
• mali: small
• moj: my

Questions & Answers about Lift je mali, a moja majka ide stepenicama.

Why is it Lift je mali and not Lift je malo?

Because mali has to agree with lift, which is a masculine singular noun.

In Serbian, adjectives agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• lift = masculine singular
• so mali = masculine singular form of small

Compare:

• mali lift = a small elevator
• mala soba = a small room
• malo dete = a small child

So malo would be neuter, which does not match lift.

What is je doing in Lift je mali?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti = to be.

So:

• lift je mali = the elevator is small

This is the normal Serbian equivalent of the English verb is.

A quick comparison:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

What does a mean here?

A often means and, , or , depending on context.