Ova žena je u prodavnici.

Because ova has to agree with žena in gender, number, and case.

• žena is feminine
• it is singular
• here it is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence

So the correct form is:

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

That is why ova žena means this woman.

Ova means this.

So:

• ova žena = this woman

Serbian demonstratives change form depending on the noun they describe. In this sentence, ova matches žena.

A learner may also see:

• ta žena = that woman
• ona žena = that woman over there / that woman

Because it is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative singular.

The basic dictionary form of the noun is also žena.

Here is the role of each word:

• ova žena = the subject
• je = is
• u prodavnici = location, in the store

Since the woman is the one being talked about, žena stays in the nominative.

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

So here:

• je = is

The whole sentence literally works like:

• Ova žena = This woman
• je = is
• u prodavnici = in the store

Unlike in some other present-tense Serbian sentences, the verb to be usually must be expressed in this kind of sentence.

Because after u meaning in, when you are talking about location, Serbian uses the locative case.

So:

• dictionary form: prodavnica = store
• locative singular: prodavnici = in the store

That is why you say:

• u prodavnici = in the store

This is a very common pattern:

• u školi = in school
• u kući = in the house
• u sobi = in the room

A very important rule is:

• u + locative = location (in, inside, at)
• u + accusative = motion toward something (into, to)

So:

• Ova žena je u prodavnici. = This woman is in the store.
  
  • location, so locative

But:

• Ova žena ide u prodavnicu. = This woman is going to / into the store.
  
  • movement, so accusative

This location-vs-motion contrast is one of the most important Serbian case patterns to learn.

No. Serbian does not have articles like English a and the.

So žena can mean:

• a woman
• the woman

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, ova žena already means this woman, so no article is needed.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order, because case endings help show what each word is doing.

The most neutral order here is:

• Ova žena je u prodavnici.

But you may also hear:

• U prodavnici je ova žena.
• Ova žena u prodavnici je. — possible, but less natural in ordinary speech

Changing the order usually changes emphasis, not the core meaning.

For example:

• U prodavnici je ova žena. puts more focus on where she is

Still, for a learner, the original version is the safest and most natural everyday choice.

The letter ž is pronounced like the s in measure or the g in genre for many English speakers.

So žena sounds roughly like:

• ZHE-na

Also:

• j in Serbian is like English y
• c is usually ts
• Serbian spelling is very phonetic, so words are generally pronounced the way they are written

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• OH-vah ZHEH-nah yeh oo proh-dahv-NEE-tsee

Word by word:

• Ova = OH-vah
• žena = ZHEH-nah
• je = yeh
• u = oo
• prodavnici = proh-dahv-NEE-tsee

This is only an English-based approximation, but it can help at the beginning.

No. Prodavnica is a standard and very common word for store/shop, but you may also hear other words depending on region and context, such as:

• radnja
• trgovina
• dućan in some areas

For a learner, prodavnica is a very good general-purpose word to know.

Yes, you could, depending on what exactly you mean.

• prodavnica usually means store/shop
• trgovina can also mean shop/store, but it can additionally mean trade/commerce in other contexts

So u prodavnici is often the clearest everyday choice for in the store.

Because the subject is already explicitly given as ova žena.

Serbian does not need an extra subject pronoun if the subject is already clear. In fact, adding one here would usually be unnecessary.

So:

• Ova žena je u prodavnici. = natural
• Ova žena ona je u prodavnici. = not correct in normal usage

The noun phrase ova žena already does the job of this woman / she in the sentence.