Taj je skup, ali ovaj nije.

to be

Breakdown of Taj je skup, ali ovaj nije.

• ne: not
• ali: but
• ovaj: this

Questions & Answers about Taj je skup, ali ovaj nije.

What do taj and ovaj mean in this sentence?

They are demonstratives:

• taj = that one
• ovaj = this one

In this sentence, they stand on their own, so they mean that one / this one, not that + noun / this + noun.

So:

• Taj je skup = That one is expensive
• ali ovaj nije = but this one isn’t

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Why is there no noun after taj and ovaj?

Because Serbian, like English, can leave the noun out when it is obvious from context.

For example, if you are looking at two phones, books, coats, etc., you can simply say:

• Taj je skup, ali ovaj nije.

The missing noun is understood. In English we do the same with that one and this one.

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Why is it Taj je skup and not Taj skup je or Je taj skup?

Because je is a clitic in Serbian. Clitics usually go in the second position in the clause.

So:

• Taj je skup. ✓

Here, taj takes the first position, and je comes right after it.