Ta stvar je mala.

to be

Breakdown of Ta stvar je mala.

• mali: small
• taj: that
• stvar: thing

Questions & Answers about Ta stvar je mala.

Why is it ta stvar and not to stvar?

Because stvar is a feminine singular noun in Serbian.

The demonstrative taj / ta / to must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• taj = masculine
• ta = feminine
• to = neuter

Since stvar is feminine, you say ta stvar.

Examples:

• taj grad = that city
• ta knjiga = that book
• to dete = that child

How do I know that stvar is feminine?

In Serbian, every noun has grammatical gender. Stvar is feminine, even though it does not end in -a, which is what many feminine nouns do.

So this is something you simply need to learn with the noun:

• stvar = feminine

You can also see it from agreement:

• ta stvar
• mala stvar

Both ta and mala are feminine forms, matching stvar.

Why is mala used instead of mali or malo?

Because adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

Since stvar is: