Piknik je u parku.

to be

Breakdown of Piknik je u parku.

• u: in
• park: park
• piknik: the picnic

Questions & Answers about Piknik je u parku.

What does each word mean grammatically in Piknik je u parku?

• Piknik = picnic. It is a noun.
• je = is. It is the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be).
• u = in / at, depending on context.
• parku = park in the locative singular case, used after u when talking about location.

So grammatically, the sentence is literally Picnic is in park, which English expresses as The picnic is in the park.

Why is it u parku and not u park?

Because after u meaning in/at a location, Serbian normally uses the locative case.

The dictionary form is park, but in the locative singular it becomes parku:

• park = park
• u parku = in the park

So u park would be incorrect for location.

What case is parku, and how do I recognize it?

Parku is in the locative singular.

For many masculine nouns, the locative singular often ends in -u:

• grad → u gradu = in the city