Plata je dobra.

Because plata is a feminine singular noun, and the adjective has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

• dobar = masculine singular
• dobra = feminine singular
• dobro = neuter singular

So:

• dobar posao = a good job
• dobra plata = a good salary
• dobro vino = good wine

In Plata je dobra, both plata and dobra are feminine singular nominative.

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti = to be.

So:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

In this sentence:

• Plata = salary / pay
• je = is
• dobra = good

So structurally it is exactly like The salary is good.

In a normal present-tense statement like this, no: you normally keep je.

So the standard sentence is:

• Plata je dobra.

Leaving it out would usually sound incomplete or nonstandard in ordinary speech.

This is different from Russian, for example, where the present-tense to be is often omitted. In Serbian, the present forms of biti are normally used.

It most commonly means salary or pay in everyday usage.

A few helpful notes:

• plata often refers to the money someone receives for work, especially regular employment
• In many contexts, English salary is the best translation
• In casual translation, pay also works well

So Plata je dobra could be understood as:

• The salary is good
• The pay is good

depending on context.

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

That means plata can mean:

• a salary
• the salary
• salary

depending on context.

So Plata je dobra could mean:

• The salary is good
• Salary is good
• The pay is good

You understand which one is meant from the situation, not from an article.

The neutral, most natural order here is:

• Plata je dobra.

Serbian word order is more flexible than English, so other orders are possible for emphasis, such as:

• Dobra je plata. = The salary is good / The pay is good, with more focus on good
• Je dobra plata is generally not the normal neutral way to say it on its own

So yes, word order can change, but Plata je dobra is the basic version learners should use first.

It is in the nominative singular.

That is because plata is the subject of the sentence:

• Plata je dobra. = The salary is good.

The predicate adjective dobra also appears in the nominative singular feminine because it agrees with plata.

So this sentence is a good example of simple subject + to be + adjective structure.

A very common clue is the ending -a.

Many Serbian nouns ending in -a are feminine, including:

• plata = salary
• žena = woman
• škola = school

Because plata is feminine, adjectives describing it also take feminine forms:

• dobra plata
• visoka plata = high salary
• mala plata = small/low salary

This is a common pattern worth memorizing early.

You make it negative by changing je to nije:

• Plata nije dobra. = The salary is not good.

So:

• je = is
• nije = is not

This is one of the most useful basic patterns in Serbian.

A common way is:

• Da li je plata dobra? = Is the salary good?

Another very common spoken pattern is:

• Je l' plata dobra? = Is the salary good?

Notes:

• Da li... is very standard and clear
• Je l'... is common in everyday conversation

So if you want the safest learner version, use:

• Da li je plata dobra?

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

• PLAH-tah yeh DOH-brah

A few details:

• pl in plata is pronounced clearly, as in play without the y
• a is like the a in father
• je sounds roughly like yeh
• r in dobra is rolled or tapped, not the English r

So a more careful breakdown is:

• plata = PLAH-tah
• je = yeh
• dobra = DOH-brah

Yes. Since Serbian has no article, this sentence can refer to a salary that is already understood from context.

For example:

• talking about your new job: Plata je dobra.
• talking about her offer: Plata je dobra.

In English, you might translate it as:

• The salary is good
• Her salary is good
• The pay is good

depending on what has already been mentioned. The Serbian sentence itself stays simple.