Ovaj telefon je najstariji, ali još radi.

Because telefon is a masculine singular noun, and ovaj is the masculine singular nominative form of this.

Serbian this changes by gender:

• ovaj = masculine
• ova = feminine
• ovo = neuter

So:

• ovaj telefon = this phone
• ova knjiga = this book
• ovo selo = this village

Because it is the subject of the sentence: This phone is the oldest, but still works.

The subject normally appears in the nominative case, which is the dictionary form of the noun. Here, telefon is the thing being described, so nominative is correct.

Je means is. It is the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be).

So:

• telefon je najstariji = the phone is the oldest

In Serbian, forms of to be are often short and unstressed in sentences like this.

Najstariji is the superlative form of the adjective star (old).

The pattern is:

• star = old
• stariji = older
• najstariji = oldest

So naj- is the prefix that creates the superlative, like -est in English.

Because it describes telefon, it must also match it in gender, number, and case, so we get najstariji: masculine singular nominative.

Here it primarily means oldest in age. It refers to the phone being older than the others in some group.

Depending on context, star can sometimes suggest something is old or not new, but in this sentence najstariji most naturally means the oldest one.

Ali means but. It introduces a contrast:

• najstariji = the oldest
• još radi = still works

So the idea is: It’s the oldest, but it still works.

This is a very common Serbian conjunction.

Here još means still.

So:

• još radi = still works

Be careful, because još can also mean more, another, or yet, depending on context. But in this sentence, still is the right meaning.

Yes. Radi is from the verb raditi, which often means to work.

For machines, devices, and electronics, raditi commonly means:

• to work
• to function
• to run

So telefon još radi means the phone still works / still functions.

Because Serbian often doesn’t need subject pronouns when the subject is already clear.

In English, you would say it still works. In Serbian, once ovaj telefon has been stated, you can simply say još radi.

A pronoun like on (he/it, for masculine nouns) is possible in some contexts, but it is usually unnecessary here.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more natural than others.

The given sentence:

• Ovaj telefon je najstariji, ali još radi.

is the most neutral and natural version.

You may also hear variations depending on emphasis, but beginners should stick with this order.

For example, moving još can slightly change emphasis, but ali još radi is a very normal placement.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• ovaj ≈ OH-vai
• telefon ≈ teh-leh-FOHN
• je ≈ yeh
• najstariji ≈ nai-STAR-ee-yee
• ali ≈ AH-lee
• još ≈ yosh
• radi ≈ RAH-dee

A few useful notes:

• j in Serbian sounds like English y
• š sounds like English sh
• Serbian spelling is very phonetic, so words are usually pronounced as written

Yes. Najstariji normally implies comparison within a group.

So the sentence suggests something like:

• this phone is the oldest of several phones
• this phone is the oldest one here
• this phone is the oldest I have

Even if the group is not explicitly stated, Serbian can leave it understood from context.