Kafić je blizu parka.

A natural approximation is:

• kafić ≈ kah-feech
• je ≈ yeh
• blizu ≈ blee-zoo
• parka ≈ par-kah

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• j in Serbian is like English y in yes
• ć is a soft sound, roughly like a softer ch
• Stress is not usually marked in normal writing, so learners usually just pick it up through listening

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like: kah-FEECH yeh BLEE-zoo PAR-kah.

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be).

So here it means is:

• Kafić je blizu parka. = The café is near the park.

In Serbian, forms of to be are used much like in English in simple statements.

Because blizu normally requires the genitive case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• park = park

But after blizu (near), it changes to the genitive:

• park → parka

So:

• blizu parka = near the park

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

Yes, in standard Serbian, blizu is followed by the genitive.

Examples:

• blizu kuće = near the house
• blizu škole = near the school
• blizu grada = near the city
• blizu parka = near the park

So if you learn blizu, it is a good idea to learn it together with the rule: blizu + genitive.

It is often described as an adverb, but in sentences like this it behaves very much like a word that takes a complement in the genitive:

• blizu parka

For a beginner, the most useful thing is not the label, but the pattern:

• X je blizu + genitive

So you can safely build sentences like:

• Banka je blizu škole.
• Hotel je blizu centra.

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

So:

• kafić can mean a café or the café
• park can mean a park or the park

The exact meaning depends on context.

That means Kafić je blizu parka could be understood as:

• The café is near the park
• A café is near the park

In many learning materials, the most natural English translation is The café is near the park.

Kafić usually means a café, coffee bar, or a small casual place to have drinks, often coffee.

It comes from kafa (coffee) plus the diminutive ending -ić, so historically it has the sense of a small coffee place.

In real life, a kafić in Serbia can sometimes feel closer to:

• a café
• a coffee bar
• a casual bar

depending on the place.

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

The neutral, straightforward version is:

• Kafić je blizu parka.

But other orders are possible, especially for emphasis:

• Blizu parka je kafić. = Near the park, there is a café / The café is near the park.
• Je kafić blizu parka? = Is the café near the park?

Even though word order can change, the original sentence is the most basic and learner-friendly version.

In standard Serbian, for a normal full sentence like this, you should keep je:

• Kafić je blizu parka.

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

Serbian sometimes omits forms of to be in certain styles or special contexts, but not in a basic sentence like this one.

Yes, kafić is a masculine noun.

Its basic form is already the nominative singular, which is the form used for the subject of the sentence:

• kafić = café
• Kafić je... = The café is...

So in this sentence:

• kafić is the subject
• je is the verb
• blizu parka tells you where it is

Not exactly.

• blizu parka = near the park
• kod parka = by the park / at the park / near the park

Sometimes they can be similar in meaning, but blizu focuses more directly on closeness.

So if you want the clearest translation of near the park, blizu parka is the best match.

A very common way is just with intonation:

• Kafić je blizu parka? = Is the café near the park?

You can also change the word order:

• Je li kafić blizu parka?
• Da li je kafić blizu parka?

All of these are understandable. For beginners, Da li je... is often the easiest pattern to learn.