Zbog kiše ne idemo u park, ali ostajemo kod kuće.

Zbog means because of.

It is followed by the genitive case, so the noun after it changes form:

• kiša = rain
• zbog kiše = because of the rain / because of rain

This is a very common pattern in Serbian:

• zbog vremena = because of the weather
• zbog posla = because of work
• zbog tebe = because of you

Because zbog requires the genitive, and kiša is the nominative singular form.

So:

• kiša = rain
• kiše = of rain / of the rain

In this sentence, kiše is the genitive singular form of kiša.

Ne idemo means we are not going or we don’t go, depending on context.

It comes from the verb ići = to go.

Present tense of ići:

• idem = I go / am going
• ideš = you go
• ide = he/she/it goes
• idemo = we go / are going
• idete = you all go
• idu = they go

With negation:

• ne idem
• ne ideš
• ne ide
• ne idemo
• etc.

In Serbian, the present tense often covers both English simple present and present continuous, so ne idemo can mean either we don’t go or we aren’t going. In this sentence, it clearly means we aren’t going.

In Serbian, ne is usually written separately from the verb:

• ne idem = I am not going
• ne radimo = we are not working
• ne spava = he/she is not sleeping

So ne idemo is the normal spelling.

There are a few exceptions in Serbian where negative forms are written differently, but for most verbs, ne stays separate.

This is a very important Serbian pattern.

With u, the case depends on whether you mean:

• movement toward somewhere → accusative
• location in somewhere → locative

Here, idemo u park means we are going into/to the park, so it uses the accusative:

• park = accusative singular
• u park = into/to the park

Compare:

• Idemo u park. = We are going to the park.
• U parku smo. = We are in the park.

So:

• u park = destination
• u parku = location

Ali means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Zbog kiše ne idemo u park = Because of the rain, we’re not going to the park
• ali ostajemo kod kuće = but we’re staying at home

So ali works just like English but.

Because ali introduces a contrast, and in Serbian it is normally separated by a comma, just like English often does with but in a longer sentence.

So:

• Zbog kiše ne idemo u park, ali ostajemo kod kuće.

This punctuation is standard and natural.

Ostajemo means we stay, we are staying, or we remain.

It is the 1st person plural present tense form, matching we.

It comes from the verb ostajati / ostati:

• ostajati = to stay, to remain, to be staying (imperfective)
• ostati = to stay/remain once, to end up staying (perfective)

In this sentence, ostajemo kod kuće means we’re staying at home.

Because Serbian present tense often covers both:

• English simple present
• English present continuous

So:

• idemo can mean we go or we are going
• ostajemo can mean we stay or we are staying

Context tells you which meaning is intended. In this sentence, the situation is happening now or is a current plan, so English naturally uses we’re not going and we’re staying.

Kod kuće means at home.

This is a very common Serbian expression.

Literally:

• kod often means at, by, or near
• kuće is the genitive form of kuća = house/home

So kod kuće is an idiomatic way to say at home.

Compare:

• kod kuće = at home
• u kući = in the house

These are similar, but not always identical:

• Ostajem kod kuće. = I’m staying home.
• On je u kući. = He is in the house.

Kod kuće often focuses on home as your place, while u kući focuses more on being inside the building.

Because kod requires the genitive case.

So:

• kuća = house/home
• kod kuće = at home

The same happens with people:

• kod mame = at mom’s place
• kod doktora = at the doctor’s
• kod prijatelja = at a friend’s place

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English, although some versions sound more natural in neutral speech.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Zbog kiše ne idemo u park, ali ostajemo kod kuće.

You could also say:

• Ne idemo u park zbog kiše, ali ostajemo kod kuće.

This still means the same thing, but the emphasis changes slightly. Starting with Zbog kiše puts the reason first, which is very natural here.

So the meaning stays basically the same, but word order can shift emphasis.

Serbian has no articles like a or the.

So kiša can mean:

• rain
• the rain

and zbog kiše can mean:

• because of rain
• because of the rain

The exact meaning depends on context. Serbian speakers do not need a separate word for the.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

Zbog KI-she ne EE-deh-mo oo park, AH-lee osta-YE-mo kot KOO-cheh.

A few helpful notes:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• š sounds like sh
• ć is a soft sound, somewhat like a very soft ch
• j is pronounced like English y

So:

• kiše ≈ KEE-she
• idemo ≈ EE-deh-mo
• kuće ≈ KOO-cheh

Grammatically, Serbian present tense can sometimes describe either a general habit or a current situation. But in this sentence, the context strongly points to a current situation or plan:

• Because of the rain, we’re not going to the park, but we’re staying home.

That sounds like a decision for now, not a repeated habit.

If it were habitual, the context would usually make that clear.

Here are the main forms you would look up in a dictionary:

• zbog = because of
• kiša = rain
• ići = to go
• park = park
• ali = but
• ostajati / ostati = to stay, remain
• kod = at / by / near
• kuća = house, home

This is useful because some words in the sentence are not in their dictionary form:

• kiše comes from kiša
• idemo comes from ići
• ostajemo comes from ostajati
• kuće comes from kuća