Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona na stolu.

Ova means this.

So ova fotografija = this photograph.

Serbian demonstratives change for gender, number, and case. Since fotografija is a feminine singular noun, the correct form is ova.

Compare:

• ovaj = this (masculine singular)
• ova = this (feminine singular)
• ovo = this (neuter singular)

Because fotografija is feminine, you say ova fotografija, not ovaj fotografija or ovo fotografija.

In Serbian, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Fotografija is a feminine noun. One clue is that many feminine nouns in the dictionary form end in -a.

Because it is feminine, other words connected to it must match it. That is why you get:

• ova fotografija
• lepša (not lepši or lepše)

This matching is called agreement.

Je means is.

It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be).

So:

• Ova fotografija je lepša...
• This photograph is more beautiful...

In this sentence, je is necessary because it links the subject (ova fotografija) with the description (lepša).

Lepša is the comparative form of lepa / lep (beautiful, pretty).

Basic adjective:

• lep = beautiful (masculine)
• lepa = beautiful (feminine)
• lepo = beautiful (neuter)

Comparative:

• lepši = more beautiful (masculine)
• lepša = more beautiful (feminine)
• lepše = more beautiful (neuter)

Since fotografija is feminine, the comparative must also be feminine: lepša.

So je lepša means is more beautiful.

Nego means than in comparisons.

So:

• lepša nego ona na stolu
• more beautiful than the one on the table

This is a very common way to compare things in Serbian:

• veći nego = bigger than
• brži nego = faster than
• lepša nego = more beautiful than

Ona here means that one.

The full idea is something like:

• Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona fotografija na stolu.

But Serbian, like English, often avoids repeating a noun when it is already clear. So fotografija is omitted after ona.

That gives:

• ona na stolu = the one on the table

This sounds natural and normal.

Na stolu means on the table.

The noun sto means table. Here it becomes stolu because after na when talking about location (where something is), Serbian uses the locative case.

So:

• sto = table
• na stolu = on the table

This is different from motion toward something. For example:

• Stavila sam knjigu na sto. = I put the book onto the table.
  Here it is movement, so the case is different.
• Knjiga je na stolu. = The book is on the table.
  Here it is location.

In your sentence, the photograph is being identified by location, so na stolu is correct.

Yes, that is also correct.

Serbian commonly makes comparisons in two ways:

• lepša nego ona na stolu
• lepša od one na stolu

Both mean essentially the same thing: more beautiful than the one on the table.

The difference is grammatical structure:

• nego
  • a full comparison phrase
• od
  • genitive case

That is why after od, ona changes to one:

• nego ona na stolu
• od one na stolu

Both are natural, though learners often find nego easier at first because it feels closer to English than.

Both can be possible in different contexts, but they are not exactly the same.

Very roughly:

• ova = this
• ta = that (near you / already mentioned / more neutral)
• ona = that (over there / more distant)

In this sentence, ona na stolu suggests that one on the table, often with a sense of distance or contrast.

In real speech, context matters a lot, and Serbian speakers may choose ta or ona depending on what they want to emphasize. But ona is perfectly natural here.

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

The most neutral version here is:

• Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona na stolu.

You might also hear variations for emphasis, but beginners should stick with the basic order:

1. demonstrative + noun
2. je
3. comparative adjective
4. comparison phrase

So this sentence is a very good standard model to learn from.

You could also say slika, depending on what you mean.

• fotografija = photograph, photo
• slika = picture, image, painting, sometimes photo in everyday speech

So:

• Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona na stolu.
• Ova slika je lepša nego ona na stolu.

Both are possible, but fotografija is more specifically photograph.

A few helpful pronunciation points:

• š sounds like sh in ship
• j usually sounds like English y in yes

So:

• lepša sounds roughly like LEP-sha
• fotografija sounds roughly like fo-to-gra-FEE-ya

Also:

• nego = NE-go
• stolu = STO-loo

The stress system in Serbian is more complex than this rough guide, but these approximations are enough for a beginner to be understood.