Stanodavac traži depozit.

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

So stanodavac can mean the landlord or a landlord, and depozit can mean a deposit or the deposit. Context tells you which one is meant.

That means this sentence could be understood as:

• The landlord is asking for a deposit
• A landlord asks for a deposit
• The landlord wants the deposit

In normal context, the intended meaning is usually clear.

Traži is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb tražiti.

It agrees with stanodavac, which is singular:

• ja tražim = I ask for / I am looking for
• ti tražiš = you ask for
• on/ona traži = he/she asks for

So Stanodavac traži depozit literally has the structure:

stanodavac = landlord
traži = asks for / seeks / wants
depozit = deposit

It can mean several related things, depending on context.

The verb tražiti commonly means:

• to look for
• to seek
• to ask for
• to demand/request

In a rental context, Stanodavac traži depozit most naturally means:

• The landlord asks for a deposit
• The landlord requires a deposit

So yes, the exact English translation depends on context, but in this sentence asks for / requires is the most natural choice.

Depozit is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of traži.

The landlord is asking for what?
→ depozit

That makes depozit the object of the verb.

Because depozit is a masculine inanimate noun, and in Serbian, masculine inanimate nouns often have the same form in:

• nominative singular
• accusative singular

So:

• depozit = nominative singular
• depozit = accusative singular

Even though the case changes grammatically, the form stays the same.

Because stanodavac is the subject of the sentence, and subjects normally appear in the nominative case.

So here:

• stanodavac = nominative singular subject
• traži = verb
• depozit = accusative singular object

This is a very standard Serbian sentence pattern.

Yes. Stanodavac is a masculine noun.

A specifically feminine form is stanodavka.

So:

• stanodavac = male landlord, or landlord in a general/default sense
• stanodavka = female landlord

In real usage, the masculine form is often used generically when the person’s gender is unknown or not important.

It can mean both.

Serbian does not separate simple present and present continuous the way English does. So traži can correspond to:

• asks
• is asking

Which English version sounds best depends on context.

So Stanodavac traži depozit may mean:

• The landlord asks for a deposit
  or
• The landlord is asking for a deposit

Both are possible.

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

The neutral, basic order here is:

Stanodavac traži depozit.

But you could also say:

Depozit traži stanodavac.
This puts more emphasis on depozit.

Traži depozit stanodavac.
This is possible, but less neutral and more context-dependent.

So the original sentence is the most natural, straightforward version for a learner.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• stanodavac → sta-no-da-vats
• traži → tra-zhi
• depozit → de-po-zit

A few important sound notes:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• c sounds like ts in cats
• j in Serbian is pronounced like English y in yes (not used in this sentence, but useful to know)

So traži has the zh sound, not a regular English z sound.

Depozit is a normal and understandable word, and this sentence is natural.

In housing/rental contexts, you may also hear kaucija, which often specifically means a security deposit.

So depending on context:

• Stanodavac traži depozit.
• Stanodavac traži kauciju.

Both can be used, though kaucija may sound more specifically tied to renting.

It is completely grammatical and complete on its own.

It is a short, natural Serbian sentence with:

• a subject: stanodavac
• a verb: traži
• an object: depozit

Of course, in real life you might often add more information, for example:

• Stanodavac traži depozit unapred. = The landlord asks for a deposit in advance.
• Stanodavac traži veliki depozit. = The landlord asks for a large deposit.

But the original sentence is already a full sentence.