Vrata su napred.

to be

Breakdown of Vrata su napred.

• vrata: door
• napred: forward; ahead

Questions & Answers about Vrata su napred.

Why is it vrata su and not vrata je?

Because vrata is grammatically plural in Serbian, even when it refers to a single door in English.

So Serbian treats vrata as a plural noun, and the verb must agree with it:

• vrata su = literally doors are
• not vrata je

This is one of those nouns where Serbian grammar and English grammar do not match neatly.

Does vrata mean door or doors?

It can mean either, depending on context.

Very often, vrata is used where English would say door in the singular:

• Vrata su zatvorena. = The door is closed.

But grammatically, Serbian still treats it as plural. In some contexts it can also really mean doors or gates.

So the important point is:

• meaning may be singular in English
• grammar is plural in Serbian

What case is vrata here?

Here, vrata is in the nominative plural because it is the subject of the sentence.

In Vrata su napred, the structure is basically:

• vrata = the subject
• su = are