Mašina za pranje veša ne greje vodu.

Literally, it means machine for washing laundry.

Yes, this is a normal and clear Serbian expression. You may also hear:

• veš-mašina
• mašina za veš

But mašina za pranje veša is perfectly natural and a bit more explicit.

Za means for, and here it shows purpose:

• mašina = machine
• za pranje = for washing

The word pranje is a verbal noun, made from the verb prati = to wash.

So the structure is basically:

• mašina za pranje... = a machine for washing...

After za in this kind of meaning, Serbian uses the accusative.

So pranje here is accusative singular. But because pranje is a neuter noun, its nominative and accusative forms are the same:

• nominative: pranje
• accusative: pranje

So the form does not change.

Because veša is in the genitive.

In the phrase pranje veša, the noun after the verbal noun pranje is commonly put in the genitive, giving the sense washing of laundry.

So:

• veš = laundry
• veša = of laundry

This is very common in Serbian with verbal nouns:

• pranje sudova = washing of dishes
• čišćenje stana = cleaning of the apartment
• otvaranje vrata = opening of the door

Because voda is the direct object of the verb greje, so it must be in the accusative.

• nominative: voda = water
• accusative: vodu

This is a very common pattern for feminine nouns ending in -a:

• knjiga → knjigu
• soba → sobu
• voda → vodu

Greje is 3rd person singular present tense of grejati = to heat / to warm.

Why 3rd person singular? Because the subject is mašina, which is singular:

• mašina ... greje = the machine ... heats

So the sentence means that the washing machine does not heat the water.

In Serbian, ne is usually written separately from the verb:

• ne radi = does not work
• ne greje = does not heat
• ne zna = does not know

That is the normal rule.

A few very common verbs have special fused negative forms, such as:

• nemam
• nisam
• neću

But with greje, you write ne greje.

Because greje is imperfective, and that is the natural choice when talking about:

• a general fact
• how a machine normally functions
• an ongoing problem

So ne greje vodu means something like:

• it doesn’t heat the water
• it isn’t heating the water
• it fails to heat the water

A perfective verb like zagrejati would focus more on completing the action of heating, not the general functioning of the machine.

The given word order is the most neutral:

• Mašina za pranje veša ne greje vodu.

Serbian word order is fairly flexible because cases show grammatical roles. You can move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Vodu ne greje mašina za pranje veša.
• Mašina ne greje vodu.

But the neutral, everyday order is the one you were given.

One important point: ne normally stays directly before the verb.

Because Serbian has no articles like a or the.

So mašina can mean:

• a machine
• the machine

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would usually translate it as The washing machine doesn’t heat the water, because the context probably refers to a specific machine.

Veš usually means laundry or washed/unwashed clothes as a household category.

So pranje veša is not literally about washing one single garment. It means doing the laundry or washing clothes/laundry.

That is why mašina za pranje veša is a natural phrase for washing machine.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• mašina → ma-SHEE-na
• pranje → PRA-nye
• veša → VE-sha
• greje → GRE-ye
• vodu → VO-doo

Useful sound notes:

• š sounds like sh
• j sounds like English y
• nj sounds like the ny in canyon or like Spanish ñ

So the whole sentence is roughly:

ma-SHEE-na za PRA-nye VE-sha ne GRE-ye VO-doo