Questions & Answers about Ovo staro mesto još postoji.
Why do ovo and staro both end in -o?
Because they agree with mesto, which is neuter singular nominative.
- ovo = this for a neuter noun
- staro = old in the neuter singular form
- mesto = a neuter noun
In Serbian, demonstratives and adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case.
So:
- masculine: ovaj stari grad
- feminine: ova stara kuća
- neuter: ovo staro mesto
What case is mesto here?
It is in the nominative singular.
That is because mesto is the subject of the sentence: it is the thing that still exists.
So the basic structure is:
- Ovo staro mesto = the subject
- još postoji = the predicate / verb phrase
What exactly does mesto mean here?
Mesto usually means place, spot, or location.
Depending on context, it can sometimes also refer to a town or settlement, but the most basic meaning is place.
So this sentence could be understood as:
- This old place still exists.
If the intended meaning were specifically town/city, Serbian often uses grad instead.
What does još mean in this sentence?
Here još means still.
So:
- još postoji = still exists
Be careful, because još can also mean more / additional in other contexts.
For example:
- Još kafe? = More coffee?
- Još postoji. = It still exists.
The meaning depends on context.
What form is postoji?
Postoji is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb postojati, which means to exist.
So:
- ja postojim = I exist
- ti postojiš = you exist
- on/ona/ono postoji = he/she/it exists
Since mesto is singular, the verb is singular too:
- mesto postoji = the place exists
Why doesn’t Serbian use a word for the here?
Because Serbian has no articles like English the or a/an.
Instead, Serbian uses context, word order, and words like ovaj / ta / onaj when needed.
So English might say:
- This old place still exists
- The old place still exists
But Serbian can express definiteness without an article:
- Ovo staro mesto još postoji.
Here ovo already makes it specific: this old place.
Is the word order fixed, or can it change?
Serbian word order is fairly flexible, but this version is the most neutral and natural:
- Ovo staro mesto još postoji.
You may see other orders for emphasis, but they can sound marked.
For example:
- Još postoji ovo staro mesto.
This can sound like emphasizing the fact that it still exists.
The standard learner-friendly order is:
- subject + još + verb
So this sentence is a good neutral model.
Could I leave out još and say Ovo staro mesto postoji?
Yes. That would be grammatically correct.
But the meaning changes slightly:
- Ovo staro mesto postoji. = This old place exists.
- Ovo staro mesto još postoji. = This old place still exists.
With još, the sentence suggests that its continued existence may be surprising, noteworthy, or contrasted with the past.
How do I know ovo means this and not that?
Because Serbian has a system of demonstratives, and ovo is the neuter form meaning this.
Very roughly:
- ovaj / ova / ovo = this
- taj / ta / to = that
- onaj / ona / ono = that over there / that one yonder
Since mesto is neuter, the correct form is:
- ovo mesto = this place
Not:
- ovaj mesto
- ova mesto
Those would be wrong.
How is još pronounced?
Još is pronounced approximately like yosh.
A few helpful pronunciation points from the whole sentence:
- j = English y
- š = English sh
- c = ts
- č = ch
- ć = a softer ch
- ž = the sound in measure
So:
- ovo ≈ OH-voh
- staro ≈ STAR-oh
- mesto ≈ MES-toh
- još ≈ yosh
- postoji ≈ po-STOH-yee
Why is it ovo staro mesto, not staro ovo mesto?
Because the normal order is:
- demonstrative + adjective + noun
So:
- ovo staro mesto = this old place
This is the most natural order in ordinary Serbian.
You can think of it as similar to English:
- this old place
not usually
- old this place
Can postojati be used for things like places, buildings, and ideas?
Yes. Postojati is a general verb meaning to exist.
It can be used for:
- physical things: Zgrada još postoji. = The building still exists.
- places: To mesto još postoji. = That place still exists.
- abstract things: Nada još postoji. = Hope still exists.
So in your sentence, using postoji with mesto is completely natural.
Could this sentence also mean This old spot is still there?
Yes, in many contexts that would be a very natural English translation.
Because mesto is broad, English may translate it in different ways depending on context:
- place
- spot
- location
- sometimes even site
And još postoji can be rendered as:
- still exists
- is still there
So the exact English wording may change, even though the Serbian sentence stays the same.
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