Ispred hotela je mali bazen, ali voda u bazenu je hladna.

Because ispred (in front of) requires the genitive case.

• dictionary form: hotel
• after ispred: hotela

So:

• ispred hotela = in front of the hotel

This is very common in Serbian: many prepositions force a certain case, and ispred takes the genitive.

Ispred means in front of.

Pred usually means before or in front of, but it is used differently and takes a different case.

Compare:

• ispred hotela = in front of the hotel
• pred hotelom = also in front of the hotel, but with a slightly different structure

For learners, ispred + genitive is often the easiest and most direct way to say physical position in front of something.

So in this sentence, ispred hotela is completely natural.

Because u changes case depending on meaning.

When it means in / inside with a location (no movement), it takes the locative:

• u bazenu = in the pool

When it means movement into, it takes the accusative:

• Ulazim u bazen. = I am going into the pool.

In your sentence, the water is already located inside the pool, so Serbian uses u bazenu.

Because the noun has different roles, so it appears in different cases.

• mali bazen: here bazen is the subject complement after je, so it stays in the basic form, nominative
• u bazenu: here the noun comes after the preposition u, expressing location, so it becomes locative

So:

• bazen = nominative
• bazenu = locative

This kind of change is one of the most important parts of Serbian grammar.

Adjectives in Serbian must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here:

• bazen is masculine singular
• voda is feminine singular

So the adjectives change:

• mali bazen = small pool
• hladna voda = cold water

The endings show agreement:

• masculine nominative singular often ends in -i: mali
• feminine nominative singular often ends in -a: hladna

They are:

• hotel — masculine
• bazen — masculine
• voda — feminine

You can see this in the adjective agreement:

• mali bazen
• hladna voda

Knowing noun gender is essential in Serbian because adjectives, pronouns, and some verb forms depend on it.

Both are possible.

Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order. The version in your sentence puts the location first:

• Ispred hotela je mali bazen.

This sounds natural if the speaker wants to introduce the scene by saying where something is.

You could also say:

• Mali bazen je ispred hotela.

That version emphasizes the small pool a bit more.

So the difference is mostly about focus and style, not basic meaning.

Je is a short form of to be and belongs to a group of words called clitics. In Serbian, clitics usually come in the second position of the clause.

So:

• Ispred hotela je mali bazen
• voda u bazenu je hladna

Even though it may feel unusual to an English speaker, this placement is very normal in Serbian.

You should think of je here as following the typical Serbian clitic rule, not as copying English word order.

Because there are really two separate clauses joined by ali (but):

1. Ispred hotela je mali bazen
2. voda u bazenu je hladna

Each clause has its own verb je (is).

In English, you also say:

• There is a small pool...
• the water ... is cold

So Serbian also keeps the verb in both parts.

Serbian does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• hotel can mean a hotel or the hotel
• bazen can mean a pool or the pool
• voda can mean water or the water

The exact meaning is understood from context.

In this sentence:

• Ispred hotela je mali bazen could be understood as There is a small pool in front of the hotel
• voda u bazenu je hladna means the water in the pool is cold

English needs articles, but Serbian does not.

Because u bazenu is just a prepositional phrase describing which water we mean. The main subject of the second clause is still voda.

Structure:

• voda = subject
• u bazenu = description of location
• je hladna = predicate

So voda stays in the nominative, because it is the subject:

• voda u bazenu je hladna = the water in the pool is cold

Only bazen changes form because it comes after u.

Yes. That is grammatical and natural.

It means the same basic thing, but the focus shifts slightly:

• Ispred hotela je mali bazen... → starts with the location
• Mali bazen je ispred hotela... → starts with the pool itself

Serbian often allows both versions, and the choice depends on what the speaker wants to emphasize first.