Nemam ulaznicu za poslednju predstavu, ali imam dve ulaznice za sledeću.

to have

Breakdown of Nemam ulaznicu za poslednju predstavu, ali imam dve ulaznice za sledeću.

• ne: not
• ali: but
• za: for

Questions & Answers about Nemam ulaznicu za poslednju predstavu, ali imam dve ulaznice za sledeću.

Why is it Nemam, and not Ne imam?

In Serbian, the negative form of imati (to have) is usually built as a single word:

• imam = I have
• nemam = I do not have

So Nemam ulaznicu means I don’t have a ticket.

This is very common with a few verbs, where the negative form is written together:

• znam → ne znam
• imam → nemam
• hoću → neću

So here, nemam is simply the normal negative form.

Why is there no ja in the sentence?

Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

• Nemam already means I don’t have
• Imam already means I have

So Ja nemam... is possible, but it sounds more emphatic, like I don’t have... as opposed to someone else.

The version in the sentence is the most natural neutral wording.

What does ulaznica mean exactly?

Ulaznica means ticket, especially an admission ticket or entry ticket.

It comes from the idea of entry/admission: