Mačka mjauče tiho.

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

So mačka can mean:

• the cat
• a cat

Which one is meant depends on context. In a simple standalone sentence like Mačka mjauče tiho, English will often translate it as The cat is meowing quietly or A cat is meowing quietly, depending on the situation.

Mačka is the nominative singular form, which is the form normally used for the subject of the sentence.

In this sentence, the cat is the one doing the action, so the subject is in the nominative:

• mačka = the cat / a cat

You would use mačku in some other roles, for example as a direct object:

• Vidim mačku. = I see the cat.

So here:

• Mačka = subject
• therefore nominative is correct

Mjauče is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb mjaukati or mijaukati/mjaučati depending on dictionary and regional preference. In everyday use, it means meows or is meowing.

Because the subject is singular:

• mačka = one cat

the verb is also singular:

• mjauče = it meows / is meowing

Serbian verbs change according to person and number, so the ending helps show who is doing the action.

It can mean both.

The Serbian present tense often covers:

• a general/habitual meaning: The cat meows quietly
• an action happening now: The cat is meowing quietly

Context tells you which meaning is intended. Serbian does not always separate these two as clearly as English does.

Because tiho here is an adverb, not an adjective.

It describes how the cat meows:

• mjauče tiho = meows quietly

Compare:

• tiha mačka = a quiet cat
  Here tiha is an adjective describing the noun mačka.

• Mačka mjauče tiho. = The cat meows quietly.
  Here tiho is an adverb describing the verb mjauče.

A useful pattern is:

• adjective: tih / tiha / tiho
• adverb: tiho

A simple English-friendly guide:

• mačka ≈ MACH-ka
• mjauče ≈ MYAU-che
• tiho ≈ TEE-ho

A few key sounds:

• č sounds like ch in church
• h is pronounced, unlike in many English words; it is a clear h or slightly throatier sound
• mjau is like the sound of a cat: meow, but with a y glide: myau

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• MACH-ka MYAU-che TEE-ho

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order because endings help show grammatical roles.

The neutral, straightforward order here is:

• Mačka mjauče tiho.

But other orders are possible, for example:

• Tiho mjauče mačka.
• Mjauče mačka tiho.

These alternatives may sound more marked, poetic, or focused on a particular word. For learners, the safest default is the basic order:

• subject + verb + adverb

So Mačka mjauče tiho is the best version to learn first.

Usually, no.

Serbian often omits subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the structure clear. In this sentence, naming the subject as mačka is enough:

• Mačka mjauče tiho.

You would normally add ona only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Ona mjauče tiho, a pas glasno laje.
  = She/it meows quietly, and the dog barks loudly.

So in ordinary sentences, Serbian uses pronouns less often than English does.

Not necessarily.

Mačka is a grammatically feminine noun, which is why it has feminine forms in related words when needed. But grammatical gender and real-life sex are not always the same thing.

In everyday Serbian, mačka is often used for cat in general. If you specifically want to say tomcat / male cat, you can use:

• mačak = male cat / tomcat

So in this sentence, mačka is grammatically feminine, but depending on context it may simply mean cat.

Yes. Serbian uses both Latin and Cyrillic scripts.

The Cyrillic version is:

• Мачка мјауче тихо.

Both scripts are standard in Serbian, and the pronunciation and meaning are the same.