Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona na stolu.

This photograph is prettier than the one on the table.

Breakdown of Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona na stolu.

• biti: to be
• ovaj: this
• sto: table
• na: on

Questions & Answers about Ova fotografija je lepša nego ona na stolu.

Why does the sentence start with ova fotografija? What does ova mean?

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.

Why is fotografija treated as feminine?

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.

What does je do in this sentence?