Ovaj autobus je spor, pa uvek stiže kasno.

to be

Breakdown of Ovaj autobus je spor, pa uvek stiže kasno.

• autobus: bus
• kasno: late
• ovaj: this

Questions & Answers about Ovaj autobus je spor, pa uvek stiže kasno.

Why does the sentence start with ovaj? What exactly does it mean?

Ovaj means this.

So ovaj autobus = this bus.

It is a demonstrative word, used to point out a specific thing that is close, known, or being referred to right now.

• ovaj autobus = this bus
• taj autobus = that bus
• onaj autobus = that bus over there / that one

In this sentence, ovaj tells us we are talking about a particular bus, not buses in general.

Why is it ovaj autobus and not ova autobus or ovo autobus?

Because ovaj has to agree with autobus in gender, number, and case.

Here, autobus is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative (because it is the subject of the sentence)

So the correct form is:

• masculine singular nominative: ovaj
• feminine singular nominative: ova
• neuter singular nominative: ovo

Examples:

• ovaj autobus = this bus
• ova knjiga = this book
• ovo selo = this village

What is the role of je in the sentence?