Questions & Answers about Na spisku su riba i piletina.
Why is the verb su and not je, even though riba and piletina look singular?
Because the subject is actually riba i piletina = fish and chicken, which is a coordinated subject made of two nouns.
Even though each noun is singular on its own, together they form a plural idea, so Serbian uses the plural form of to be:
- je = is
- su = are
So:
- Riba je na spisku. = Fish is on the list.
- Piletina je na spisku. = Chicken is on the list.
- Riba i piletina su na spisku. = Fish and chicken are on the list.
Why is su placed after Na spisku instead of after riba i piletina?
This is because su is a clitic in Serbian. Clitics usually go in the second position of the sentence or clause.
So in:
- Na spisku su riba i piletina.
the first unit is Na spisku, and su comes right after it.
A very common alternative is:
- Riba i piletina su na spisku.
This is also correct. Here the first unit is Riba i piletina, so su comes after that.
So both word orders are natural, but they put the focus in slightly different places:
- → emphasizes