Lek je u apoteci.

Because after u when it means in / inside / at a place, Serbian usually uses the locative case.

• Base form: apoteka = pharmacy
• Locative singular: apoteci = in/at the pharmacy

So:

• u apoteci = in the pharmacy / at the pharmacy

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the locative singular ends in -i.

Apoteci is in the locative singular.

The noun changes like this:

• Nominative: apoteka
• Locative: u apoteci

In this sentence, the locative is used because the phrase tells you where the medicine is.

No. U can take different cases depending on meaning.

• u + locative = location
  
  • Lek je u apoteci. = The medicine is in/at the pharmacy.
• u + accusative = motion into somewhere
  
  • Idem u apoteku. = I’m going to the pharmacy.

So the key difference is:

• where? → locative
• where to? → accusative

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

So:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

In Lek je u apoteci, je means is.

Usually, in a normal full sentence like this, no: you keep it.

• Lek je u apoteci. = correct

Leaving it out would sound incomplete in standard Serbian.

Serbian sometimes drops elements in very informal speech, headlines, or notes, but for learners, it is best to treat je as necessary here.

Lek most often means medicine, medication, or remedy.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• medicine
• medication
• drug (in a medical/pharmaceutical sense)

But for a learner, medicine is usually the safest basic translation.

Related words:

• lek = a medicine / remedy
• lekovi = medicines
• lečiti = to treat / heal
• lekar = doctor

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

So lek can mean:

• a medicine
• the medicine

And apoteci can mean:

• in a pharmacy
• in the pharmacy
• at the pharmacy

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why Lek je u apoteci. can be understood in more than one article-based way in English.

Usually yes. Apoteka is the normal word for a pharmacy or drugstore where medicines are sold.

So:

• u apoteci = at the pharmacy / in the pharmacy

In everyday use, it is the standard word you should learn.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Lek je u apoteci.

But you may also see:

• U apoteci je lek.
• Je lek u apoteci? (more marked; usually used in certain contexts)

Changing the order often changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

• Lek je u apoteci. = neutral statement
• U apoteci je lek. = emphasis on where it is

For beginners, the original order is the safest one to use.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

lek ye oo ah-poh-TEH-tsee

More carefully:

• lek = like English leck
• je = roughly ye
• u = oo
• apoteci = ah-po-TE-tsi

A few useful notes:

• j in Serbian sounds like English y in yes
• c in Serbian sounds like ts
• Stress in apoteci falls on te

Yes. In many contexts, u apoteci can be understood naturally as either:

• in the pharmacy
• at the pharmacy

English often chooses at for places like shops, pharmacies, schools, and stations, even when Serbian uses u.

So the Serbian wording is normal even if the best English translation in context uses at.

If you want to express movement into the pharmacy, you would use u + accusative:

• u apoteku

So compare:

• Lek je u apoteci. = The medicine is in/at the pharmacy.
  
  • location
• Nosim lek u apoteku. = I am taking the medicine to the pharmacy.
  
  • movement toward/into

This is a very important Serbian pattern:

• u apoteci = location
• u apoteku = destination

If you want to say The medicines are in the pharmacy, you would say:

• Lekovi su u apoteci.

Changes:

• lek → lekovi = medicines
• je → su = are

So the pattern is:

• singular: Lek je u apoteci.
• plural: Lekovi su u apoteci.