Kaput je obično na stolici, a ne na krevetu.

The coat is usually on the chair, and not on the bed.

Breakdown of Kaput je obično na stolici, a ne na krevetu.

• biti: to be
• ne: not
• a: and
• na: on

Questions & Answers about Kaput je obično na stolici, a ne na krevetu.

What does each word in Kaput je obično na stolici, a ne na krevetu mean?

• kaput = coat
• je = is
• obično = usually
• na = on
• stolici = chair in the form needed after na for location
• a = and / while / whereas / but depending on context
• ne = not
• krevetu = bed in the form needed after na for location

So the sentence means something like: The coat is usually on the chair, not on the bed.

Why is je in second position?

In Serbian, short unstressed words like je often follow the second-position clitic rule. That means they usually come after the first stressed element in the clause.

Here:

• Kaput is the first element
• so je comes right after it

That is why you get:

• Kaput je obično na stolici...

This is very normal Serbian word order.

Why are stolica and krevet changed to stolici and krevetu?