Šta kupujete?

Šta means what?

In this sentence, it is the object of the verb: What are you buying?

You may also sometimes see što used in similar ways in some varieties of Serbian, but šta is the standard form most learners meet first for what?

The ending -te shows that the verb is for you plural or formal you singular.

So kupujete can mean:

• you all are buying
• you are buying when speaking politely to one person

This comes from the pronoun vi, but Serbian often leaves pronouns out when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

It can be either:

• plural: speaking to two or more people
• formal singular: speaking politely to one person

So without more context, the sentence itself does not tell you which one is meant. Context, tone, and situation decide that.

Because Serbian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form kupujete already tells you the subject is vi:

• vi kupujete = you buy / you are buying
• kupujete = same meaning in most contexts

Including vi is possible, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

It can be formal, but not always.

Because kupujete matches vi, it can be used:

• for one person formally
• for more than one person, whether formal or informal

Examples:

• speaking to a customer politely: Šta kupujete?
• speaking to several friends: Šta kupujete?

So the form itself is not automatically formal; it depends on whether vi is singular-polite or plural.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Šta ≈ shta
• kupujete ≈ koo-poo-yeh-teh

A few details:

• š sounds like sh in shoe
• j in Serbian sounds like English y in yes
• vowels are usually clear and short: u, e, a are pronounced distinctly

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

SHTA koo-POO-yeh-teh?

It is present tense.

From the verb kupovati = to buy (imperfective), the present-tense form kupujete means:

• you are buying
• you buy

In a question like this, English often uses What are you buying?, but depending on context it could also be understood as What do you buy?

Serbian often uses an imperfective verb when asking about an action in progress or in a general sense.

• kupovati = imperfective, ongoing/repeated process of buying
• kupiti = perfective, completing the purchase

So Šta kupujete? is the natural choice for What are you buying?

A perfective present form like Šta kupite? would not normally be used this way.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English.

The normal neutral order is:

• Šta kupujete?

But for emphasis, other orders may appear, such as:

• Kupujete šta? — possible, but marked and much less neutral

For a basic learner, it is best to use Šta kupujete? as the standard form.

The dictionary form is kupovati = to buy.

Here is the relationship:

• kupovati = infinitive
• kupujem = I buy / am buying
• kupuješ = you buy / are buying (informal singular)
• kupuje = he/she/it buys
• kupujemo = we buy
• kupujete = you buy (plural or formal singular)
• kupuju = they buy

So kupujete is one present-tense form of kupovati.

You would say:

Šta kupuješ?

The difference is:

• kupuješ = informal singular you
• kupujete = plural you or formal singular you

So if you are talking to one friend, child, sibling, or someone you address with ti, use Šta kupuješ?