Prema ovoj mapi, muzej je blizu reke.

to be

Breakdown of Prema ovoj mapi, muzej je blizu reke.

• blizu: near
• ovaj: this
• reka: river

Questions & Answers about Prema ovoj mapi, muzej je blizu reke.

What does prema mean here?

Here prema means according to.

So Prema ovoj mapi = According to this map.

A useful thing to know is that prema can also mean toward / in the direction of in other sentences, so context matters:

• Idemo prema centru = We are going toward the center.
• Prema ovoj mapi... = According to this map...

Why is it ovoj mapi and not ova mapa?

Because prema requires the dative case.

The basic form is:

• ova mapa = this map

But after prema, both words change to dative singular:

• ova → ovoj
• mapa → mapi

So:

• prema ovoj mapi = according to this map

Why is it reke and not reka?

Because blizu normally goes with the genitive case.

The basic form is:

• reka = river

After blizu, it becomes:

• reke = of the river / near the river

So:

• blizu reke = near the river

This is very common in Serbian:

• blizu škole = near the school
• blizu grada = near the city