Naš stan je velik, ali kuhinja je mala.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• Naš = our
• stan = apartment / flat
• je = is
• velik = big
• ali = but
• kuhinja = kitchen
• je = is
• mala = small

So the structure is very straightforward: our apartment is big, but the kitchen is small.

You often have to learn noun gender together with the noun.

• kuhinja ends in -a, which is very often a sign of a feminine noun in Serbian.
• stan does not end in -a, and it is masculine.

This matters because words that describe the noun, such as possessives and adjectives, must agree with that gender.

Because naš must agree with stan in gender, number, and case.

Since stan is masculine singular nominative, the correct form is naš.

Compare:

• naš stan = our apartment (masculine)
• naša kuhinja = our kitchen (feminine)
• naše selo = our village (neuter)

So naš is simply the masculine form that matches stan.

For the same reason: adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

• stan is masculine singular, so the adjective is masculine singular: velik
• kuhinja is feminine singular, so the adjective is feminine singular: mala

So the endings change to match the noun.

As a learner, the safest standard form here is je velik.

In Serbian, masculine adjectives sometimes have a short form and a long form. In predicate position, after je, the short form is very common and standard:

• stan je velik

Before a noun, you will very often see the long form:

• veliki stan = a big apartment / the big apartment

You may hear je veliki in some speech, but je velik is the form you should learn first for this sentence.

Both stan and kuhinja are in the nominative singular.

That is because they are the subjects of the two clauses:

• Naš stan je velik
• kuhinja je mala

The agreeing words are nominative too:

• naš = masculine singular nominative
• velik = masculine singular nominative
• mala = feminine singular nominative

Because there are really two separate clauses joined by ali:

• Naš stan je velik
• ali kuhinja je mala

Each clause needs its own form of to be, which here is je = is.

English does the same thing: Our apartment is big, but the kitchen is small.

Serbian normally does not use articles like English a and the.

So:

• stan can mean an apartment, the apartment, or just apartment, depending on context
• kuhinja can mean a kitchen or the kitchen

The exact meaning is understood from the situation, the conversation, or other words in the sentence.

Ali means but and usually marks a clear contrast.

In this sentence, there is a strong contrast:

• the apartment is big
• the kitchen is small

So ali fits very well.

Serbian also has a, which can sometimes mean and, but, or while/whereas, often with a softer contrast. In this sentence, ali sounds more direct and natural.

Not completely. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence as given is the most neutral, natural order:

• Naš stan je velik, ali kuhinja je mala.

You can change word order for emphasis, but then the sentence may sound more marked or stylistically different. For a beginner, it is best to keep this standard order.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• naš ≈ nahsh
• je ≈ yeh
• kuhinja ≈ koo-HEE-nya

A few useful letter notes:

• š sounds like sh in ship
• j sounds like y in yes
• nj sounds like ny in canyon

So the whole sentence is approximately:

Nahsh stahn yeh VEH-lik, AH-lee koo-HEE-nya yeh MAH-lah.