Lenguia | A2 Serbian Grammar: 63 Topics & Examples

Almost every Serbian verb belongs to one of two aspects. An imperfective verb (nesvršeni vid) views an action as ongoing, repeated, or open-ended — it does not say whether it finished. A perfective verb (svršeni vid) views the action as a single, bounded whole, usually completed with a result. Where English has one verb, Serbian very often has two: pisati (to be writing) and napisati (to write something to the end). Aspect is not about time — both can refer to the past or the future. It is about how you see the action: as a process or as a finished package. Choosing the right aspect is one of the most important skills in Serbian, and you start by learning each verb together with its partner.

Key rule

Imperfective = the action as an ongoing or repeated process; perfective = the action as one completed, bounded whole. Learn each verb with its aspectual partner.

Examples

Sinoć sam čitao knjigu dva sata.
Sinoć sam pročitao knjigu dva sata.
A duration like 'for two hours' describes an ongoing process, so the imperfective čitao is correct; the perfective pročitao means finished it and clashes with 'for two hours'.
Konačno sam pročitao tu knjigu.
Konačno sam čitao tu knjigu.
'Finally' signals a completed result, so the perfective pročitao is needed; the imperfective only says I was reading.
Svako jutro pijem kafu.
Svako jutro popijem kafu.
A repeated habit uses the imperfective pijem; the perfective popijem would mean one single completed drinking.

Common mistakes

Using the perfective for an ongoing process
Juče sam celo veče napisao zadatak.
Juče sam celo veče pisao zadatak.
'All evening' is an unbounded duration, which requires the imperfective pisao; the perfective names only a completed result and cannot stretch over a duration.
Using the imperfective when a result is meant
Konačno sam rešavao zadatak.
Konačno sam rešio zadatak.
'Finally' signals that the task was completed, so the perfective rešio is needed; rešavao only describes the process of solving.

A2Aspect

Aspect Pairs (pisati/napisati, čitati/pročitati)

Vidski parovi

Most Serbian verbs come in pairs: one imperfective and one perfective that share the same basic meaning. You should memorise them together, the way you learn a noun with its gender. Common pairs include pisati / napisati (write), čitati / pročitati (read), piti / popiti (drink), jesti / pojesti (eat), kupovati / kupiti (buy), and raditi / uraditi (do). Usually the perfective adds a prefix (na-, po-, pro-, u-) to the imperfective. Sometimes the relationship is the other way around: the imperfective is the longer form (kupovati from kupiti). When you look a verb up in a dictionary, note both members. Knowing the pair lets you instantly choose 'process' or 'completed result' as you speak.

Key rule

Learn each verb as a pair (imperfective + perfective); the perfective most often adds a prefix, but some pairs differ by suffix instead.

Examples

Čitam knjigu, a sutra ću je pročitati.
Čitam knjigu, a sutra ću je čitati do kraja.
The natural perfective partner of čitati is pročitati for 'read to the end'; repeating the imperfective with 'to the end' is unidiomatic.
Volim da pijem kafu, ali sad ću je popiti.
Volim da pijem kafu, ali sad ću je piti odjednom.
'Drink it (now, completely)' is the perfective popiti; the imperfective piti only states the process.
Svaki dan kupujem hleb.
Svaki dan kupim hleb.
A daily habit takes the imperfective kupovati → kupujem; the perfective kupim is one single purchase.

Common mistakes

Repeating the imperfective instead of using the perfective partner
Čitao sam knjigu do kraja.
Pročitao sam knjigu do kraja.
'To the end' signals completion, which is the job of the perfective partner pročitao; the pair čitati/pročitati exists exactly for this.
Using the prefixed perfective for a habit
Svako jutro popijem mleko i odem.
Svako jutro pijem mleko i odem.
A repeated daily action takes the imperfective pijem; the perfective popijem describes one single completed drinking.

A2Aspect

Perfectivising by Prefix (pisati → napisati)

Prefiksacija — građenje svršenih

The most common way to make a perfective verb is to add a prefix to an imperfective one. The prefix turns 'process' into 'completed whole'. Frequent perfectivising prefixes are na- (napisati), po- (popiti, pojesti), pro- (pročitati), u- (uraditi), and za- (zapevati). For many everyday verbs there is one 'natural' prefix that adds little or no extra meaning and just makes the perfective: pisati → napisati, čitati → pročitati, piti → popiti. Be careful: other prefixes on the same verb usually add a new meaning (prepisati = copy, potpisati = sign), so they are not the plain aspect partner. Learn which single prefix gives the clean perfective for each verb.

Key rule

Add the conventional perfectivising prefix (na-, po-, pro-, u-, s-/z-, o-) to make the clean perfective; other prefixes on the same verb usually change the meaning.

Examples

Treba da napišem domaći.
Treba da pišem domaći do kraja.
The clean perfective of pisati is napisati for finishing the homework; the imperfective pišem only describes the activity.
Hoću da pročitam ovaj članak.
Hoću da pročitavam ovaj članak.
The perfective of čitati is pročitati; pročitavam is not the standard form here.
Skuvaću ručak za sat vremena.
Kuvaću ručak za sat vremena do kraja.
The natural perfective of kuvati is skuvati; the future of the imperfective only states the activity, not its completion.

Common mistakes

Choosing a meaning-changing prefix instead of the plain one
Moram da prepišem pismo prijatelju.
Moram da napišem pismo prijatelju.
prepisati means 'to copy out'; the clean perfective of pisati is napisati, formed with na-.
Using the wrong perfectivising prefix
Moram da popišem domaći.
Moram da napišem domaći.
Each verb has its conventional prefix; for pisati it is na-, not po- (popisati means 'list/inventory').

A2Aspect

Aspect in the Past (radio sam / uradio sam)

Vid u perfektu

When you talk about the past with the perfekat, you still have to choose an aspect. The imperfective past describes an action that was ongoing, repeated, or that forms the background of a scene: Radio sam ceo dan = I was working all day; Svako leto smo putovali = Every summer we used to travel. The perfective past describes a single, completed action with a result, usually one that moves a story forward: Uradio sam zadatak = I did/finished the task; Otputovali smo u Niš = We set off to Niš. Often both appear in the same story: the imperfective sets the scene and the perfective reports the events. Time words help: ceo dan, dugo, uvek go with imperfective; odjednom, konačno, brzo go with perfective.

Key rule

In the past, use the imperfective for ongoing/habitual/background action and the perfective for a single completed event; the perfekat form is the same, so aspect comes from the verb.

Examples

Radio sam ceo dan u bašti.
Uradio sam ceo dan u bašti.
'All day' is an extended process, so the imperfective radio is correct; the perfective uradio names only a completed result and clashes with the duration.
Konačno sam uradio sve zadatke.
Konačno sam radio sve zadatke.
'Finally' marks completion, so the perfective uradio is needed; radio only says I was working on them.
Svako leto smo putovali na more.
Svako leto smo otputovali na more.
A repeated yearly habit takes the imperfective putovali; the perfective otputovali means one single departure.

Common mistakes

Using the perfective with a duration phrase
Sinoć sam dva sata napisao izveštaj.
Sinoć sam dva sata pisao izveštaj.
'For two hours' describes a process, so the imperfective pisao is required; the perfective cannot stretch over the stated duration.
Using the imperfective for a single completed event
Juče sam kupovao nov telefon i platio ga.
Juče sam kupio nov telefon i platio ga.
One finished purchase is the perfective kupio; kupovao means was shopping for / buying repeatedly.

A2Aspect

Perfective Verbs Have No Present-Time Meaning

Svršeni glagoli i prezent

A perfective verb describes a completed whole, so its present-tense form cannot mean 'happening right now'. Napišem does NOT mean 'I am writing' — for that you need the imperfective pišem. So when does the perfective present appear? In two main places: after da (in subordinate clauses) and in clauses about the future, especially after kad, ako, čim, dok ne. Examples: Hoću da napišem pismo (I want to write the letter — and finish it), Kad napišem pismo, javiću ti se (When I write/have written the letter, I'll let you know). On its own, a perfective present sounds incomplete and learners must avoid using it for 'now'. For any 'right now' meaning, choose the imperfective present.

Key rule

A perfective present never means 'now'; it appears in da-clauses and future/temporal clauses (kad, ako, čim). For 'right now', use the imperfective present.

Examples

Sada pišem pismo.
Sada napišem pismo.
'Right now' needs the imperfective present pišem; the perfective napišem cannot describe an action in progress.
Hoću da napišem pismo.
Hoću da pišem pismo do kraja.
In a da-clause expressing a completed goal, the perfective napišem is correct; the imperfective plus 'to the end' is unidiomatic.
Kad pročitam knjigu, vratiću ti je.
Kad čitam knjigu, vratiću ti je.
After kad with future reference, the perfective pročitam ('once I finish reading') is required; čitam would mean 'while I read'.

Common mistakes

Using the perfective present for 'now'
Sada pojedem doručak.
Sada jedem doručak.
'Now' is an action in progress, which only the imperfective present (jedem) can express; the perfective pojedem describes a completed whole.
Standing a perfective present alone as a main clause
Napišem domaći večeras.
Napisaću domaći večeras.
A perfective present cannot be a main-clause statement about the future; use the future tense (napisaću) or embed it (treba da napišem).

A2Aspect

Aspect after Modals + da (moram da uradim)

Vid uz modalne glagole + da

After modal and similar verbs, Serbian uses da + present, and inside that da-clause you still choose an aspect. The choice depends on meaning. Use the perfective for one specific, completed task: Moram da napišem ovaj izveštaj danas (I must write/finish this report). Use the imperfective for something habitual, general, or ongoing: Moram da pišem svaki dan (I must write every day); Volim da čitam (I like to read in general). So moram da uradim = I must get this done (once), but moram da radim = I must work / keep working. The same applies after hoću da, želim da, mogu da, treba da. Ask yourself: one finished thing, or a general/repeated activity?

Key rule

After a modal + da, pick the perfective for one completed task and the imperfective for a habitual, general, or ongoing activity.

Examples

Moram da napišem ovaj izveštaj danas.
Moram da pišem ovaj izveštaj danas do kraja.
One specific report to be finished today is the perfective napišem; the imperfective plus 'to the end' is unidiomatic for a single task.
Moram da pišem svaki dan.
Moram da napišem svaki dan.
A repeated daily activity takes the imperfective pišem; the perfective napišem names one completed act and clashes with 'every day'.
Hoću da kupim taj telefon.
Hoću da kupujem taj telefon.
Wanting one specific purchase is the perfective kupim; kupujem suggests a repeated or general buying.

Common mistakes

Using the perfective for a habitual complement
Moram da popijem lek svaki dan.
Moram da pijem lek svaki dan.
'Every day' is a repeated routine, which takes the imperfective pijem; the perfective popijem names one single completed dose.
Using the imperfective for one specific completed task
Hoću da rešavam ovaj jedan zadatak sada.
Hoću da rešim ovaj jedan zadatak sada.
One specific task to be finished is the perfective rešim; rešavam describes the process of solving in general.

A2Aspect

Imperfective for Habit & Repetition (Svaki dan čitam)

Nesvršeni vid — navika

Use the imperfective for actions that are habitual, repeated, or general — things you do regularly or in general, not one single completed event. Typical signals are svaki dan, uvek, obično, često, ponekad, retko, svake nedelje, stalno: Svaki dan čitam novine; Uvek dolazim na vreme; Obično pijem kafu ujutru. This is true in the present (čitam), the past (čitao sam svaki dan), and the future (čitaću svaki dan). If you instead want to report one finished event, you switch to the perfective (Danas sam pročitao novine). So with any 'how often' or 'as a rule' meaning, reach for the imperfective.

Key rule

For habitual, repeated, or general actions — especially with svaki dan, uvek, obično, često — use the imperfective in any tense.

Examples

Svaki dan čitam novine.
Svaki dan pročitam novine.
A daily habit takes the imperfective čitam; the perfective pročitam forces a single-completed-event reading and clashes with 'every day'.
Uvek dolazim na vreme.
Uvek dođem na vreme.
'Always' marks a general rule, so the imperfective dolazim is the natural choice; dođem is a single perfective arrival.
Obično pijem kafu ujutru.
Obično popijem kafu ujutru i to je sve.
A customary morning habit uses the imperfective pijem; the perfective popijem zooms in on one finished drinking.

Common mistakes

Using the perfective with a frequency adverb
Svako veče pročitam knjigu.
Svako veče čitam knjigu.
'Every evening' marks a habit, which takes the imperfective čitam; the perfective pročitam forces a single-event reading that clashes with the routine.
Perfective for a general ability or trait
Ona progovori tri jezika.
Ona govori tri jezika.
A general ability/trait is imperfective govori; the perfective progovori means 'started to speak / uttered' once.

A2Aspect

Perfective for a Single Completed Event (Pojeo sam jabuku)

Svršeni vid — jednokratna radnja

Use the perfective when you report one single, completed action that reached its result. It answers 'what happened (once)?' and often comes with words like odjednom, konačno, brzo, najzad, već, upravo, juče, jutros: Pojeo sam jabuku (I ate the apple — all of it); Kupio sam kola (I bought a car); Otvorio je vrata (He opened the door); Konačno sam završio (I finally finished). Each names a finished whole, not a process. In a story, perfective verbs are the events that happen one after another and push the plot forward: Ustao sam, oprao se i izašao. If you instead want the process or a habit, switch to the imperfective.

Key rule

Use the perfective for one single, completed action with a result — the events that move a story forward, often with odjednom, konačno, brzo, juče.

Examples

Pojeo sam celu jabuku.
Jeo sam celu jabuku za pet minuta.
Eating the whole apple up (a completed result) is the perfective pojeo; the imperfective jeo describes only the process and fits poorly with a finished 'whole apple'.
Juče sam kupio nov bicikl.
Juče sam kupovao nov bicikl.
One completed purchase yesterday is the perfective kupio; kupovao means was shopping for / buying repeatedly.
Otvorila je vrata i izašla.
Otvarala je vrata i izašla.
A single completed event in a sequence uses the perfective otvorila; otvarala means was repeatedly opening.

Common mistakes

Using the imperfective for one completed event
Juče sam kupovao stan.
Juče sam kupio stan.
One finished purchase is the perfective kupio; kupovao means was in the process of buying / buying repeatedly.
Imperfective where a result is reported
Tražio sam ključeve i evo ih.
Pronašao sam ključeve.
Reporting that you found them needs the perfective pronašao, which entails the result; tražio only describes searching.

A2Agreement

Adjective–Noun Agreement — Nominative

Slaganje prideva — nominativ

In Serbian an adjective must match the noun it describes in gender, number and case. In the nominative singular this means three different endings: masculine usually has no ending (dobar dečak), feminine ends in -a (dobra žena), and neuter ends in -o or -e (dobro dete). In the plural the adjective also changes: masculine -i (dobri ljudi), feminine -e (dobre žene), neuter -a (dobra deca). The adjective normally comes before the noun, just like in English. Because the noun's gender decides the ending, you must know whether a noun is masculine, feminine or neuter before you can choose the right adjective form.

Key rule

An attributive adjective agrees with its noun in gender, number and case; in the nominative singular use -∅ (masc), -a (fem), -o/-e (neut).

Examples

Ovo je nova knjiga.
Ovo je nov knjiga.
Knjiga is feminine, so the adjective needs the feminine ending -a: nova.
On je dobar čovek.
On je dobra čovek.
Čovek is masculine, so the adjective takes the zero ending: dobar, not dobra.
To je malo dete.
To je mali dete.
Dete is neuter, so the adjective ends in -o: malo.

Common mistakes

Masculine adjective form used with a feminine noun
Imam dobar sestru.
Imam dobru sestru.
Sestra is feminine; the adjective must also take feminine endings, here the accusative dobru.
Neuter noun given a masculine adjective
veliki selo
veliko selo
Selo is neuter, so the adjective ends in -o: veliko, not the masculine veliki.

A2Agreement

Definite vs Indefinite Adjective — Nominative

Pridevski vid — određeni i neodređeni

Since Serbian has no words for 'a' or 'the', masculine adjectives keep a small trace of that difference. The indefinite (short) form has no ending and means something new or general: dobar čovek = 'a good man'. The definite (long) form adds -i and means something already known or specific: dobri čovek = 'the good man'. This contrast is clearest in the masculine nominative singular. With feminine and neuter nouns the two forms usually look the same in the nominative, so you mostly notice the difference on masculine nouns. After a demonstrative or possessive (taj, ovaj, moj) you normally use the definite -i form, because the noun is already identified.

Key rule

In the masculine nominative singular, the short adjective (dobar) is indefinite ('a good…') and the -i form (dobri) is definite ('the good…') or follows a demonstrative/possessive.

Examples

To je nov auto.
To je novi auto.
Introducing the car as something new and unidentified calls for the indefinite short form nov.
Gde je novi auto?
Gde je nov auto?
Asking about a specific, already-known car calls for the definite form novi.
On je dobar čovek.
On je dobri čovek.
In the predicate ('he is a good man') Serbian uses the indefinite short form dobar.

Common mistakes

Definite -i form used in the predicate
Auto je novi.
Auto je nov.
A predicate adjective takes the short indefinite form; novi belongs to attributive, specific use.
Short form kept after a demonstrative
taj dobar film
taj dobri film
After taj/ovaj/onaj the noun is already identified, so the definite -i form is required.

A2Agreement

Adjective Agreement — Oblique Singular

Slaganje prideva — zavisni padeži jednine

When a noun is in a case other than the nominative, its adjective changes too. Adjectives use the long (pronominal) endings, the same ones found on words like taj or moj. For masculine and neuter the genitive is -og (dobrog brata, novog sela), the dative/locative is -om (dobrom čoveku), and the instrumental is -im (s dobrim čovekom). For feminine nouns the adjective follows the noun: genitive -e (dobre žene), dative/locative -oj (dobroj sestri), accusative -u (dobru sestru), instrumental -om (s dobrom sestrom). So whenever you put a noun into a case after a preposition or as an object, remember to move the adjective into the matching case as well.

Key rule

In oblique cases adjectives take long endings agreeing with the noun: masc/neut -og (G), -om (D/L), -im (I); fem -e (G), -oj (D/L), -u (A), -om (I).

Examples

Idem kod dobrog lekara.
Idem kod dobar lekara.
Kod takes the genitive; the masculine adjective must also be genitive: dobrog.
Dajem knjigu dobroj sestri.
Dajem knjigu dobra sestri.
The dative feminine adjective ends in -oj: dobroj, matching sestri.
Živim u velikom gradu.
Živim u veliki gradu.
U + locative needs the locative adjective velikom, not the nominative veliki.

Common mistakes

Nominative adjective kept after a preposition
u veliki grad (location)
u velikom gradu
For location u takes the locative; the adjective must match: velikom gradu.
Feminine dative adjective left in -a
Pišem dobra drugarici.
Pišem dobroj drugarici.
The dative feminine adjective ends in -oj: dobroj.

A2Cases

Full Singular Noun Declension

Promena imenica u jednini — svih sedam padeža

This brings together everything you have learned about the seven cases into one full picture for the singular. Each gender has its own set of endings. A masculine noun like grad goes: grad, grada, gradu, grad, grade, gradu, gradom. A feminine noun like žena goes: žena, žene, ženi, ženu, ženo, ženi, ženom. A neuter noun like selo goes: selo, sela, selu, selo, selo, selu, selom. Notice that the dative and locative are almost always identical, and that the accusative of an inanimate masculine noun looks like the nominative. Learning the whole pattern at once helps you see how the pieces fit and makes choosing the right ending faster.

Key rule

Learn each gender's full singular set N G D A V L I as one block; dative and locative are nearly always identical, and inanimate masculine accusative equals the nominative.

Examples

Grad je velik; iz grada; ka gradu; vidim grad; o gradu; gradom.
Grad je velik; iz grade; ka grada; vidim gradu; o grada; gradom.
The masculine paradigm is grada (G), gradu (D/L), grad (A inanimate); the wrong version scrambles those endings.
Žena radi; od žene; ženi; vidim ženu; ženo!; o ženi; sa ženom.
Žena radi; od ženi; žene; vidim žena; ženo!; o žene; sa žene.
Feminine -a stems give žene (G), ženi (D/L), ženu (A), ženom (I); the wrong forms muddle them.
Selo je lepo; iz sela; selu; vidim selo; o selu; selom.
Selo je lepo; iz selo; sela; vidim selu; o sela; selom.
Neuter selo has sela (G), selu (D/L), selo (A=N), selom (I).

Common mistakes

Dative and locative endings confused with the genitive
u grada
u gradu
Location uses the locative gradu; grada is the genitive.
Animate masculine accusative left as nominative
vidim brat
vidim brata
An animate masculine noun forms its accusative like the genitive: brata.

A2Agreement

Comparative Degree

Komparativ prideva

To say something is 'more X' you form the comparative. Most adjectives add -iji to the stem: nov → noviji, star → stariji, pametan → pametniji. Some shorter adjectives add just -ji, which often changes the last consonant: jak → jači, drag → draži, lak → lakši. The comparative is still an adjective, so it must agree with its noun (noviji auto, novija kuća, novije selo). To say 'than', use od + the genitive (Ana je starija od Marka) or nego + the same case (Ana je starija nego Marko). Both are correct; od + genitive is very common.

Key rule

Form the comparative with -iji for most adjectives (nov → noviji) or -ji with consonant change for some (jak → jači); it still agrees with its noun, and 'than' is od + genitive or nego.

Examples

Ovaj auto je noviji od tvog.
Ovaj auto je više nov od tvog.
Serbian forms the comparative with a suffix (noviji), not by adding a word for 'more'.
Ana je starija od Marka.
Ana je stariji od Marka.
The comparative agrees with Ana (feminine), so it ends in -a: starija.
Danas je hladnije nego juče.
Danas je hladno nego juče.
The comparison needs the comparative hladnije, not the plain hladno.

Common mistakes

Using a word for 'more' instead of the suffix
On je više visok od mene.
On je viši od mene.
Serbian builds the comparative with a suffix (viši); it does not add više before an adjective.
Comparative not agreeing in gender
Ona je stariji od brata.
Ona je starija od brata.
The comparative is still an adjective, so it must take the feminine -a: starija.

A2Agreement

Superlative Degree

Superlativ prideva

The superlative ('the most X') is wonderfully easy in Serbian: take the comparative and add naj- to the front, written as one word. So noviji → najnoviji, stariji → najstariji, lepši → najlepši, jači → najjači. Because it is built on the comparative, all the irregulars carry over too: bolji → najbolji, veći → najveći, manji → najmanji. The superlative is still an adjective and agrees with its noun in gender, number and case (najlepša pesma, najboljeg učenika). To say 'of all' or 'in', use od + genitive (najviši od svih) or u + locative (najbolji u razredu).

Key rule

Form the superlative by adding the prefix naj- to the comparative, written as one word (najlepši, najbolji); it agrees with its noun, and the group is od + genitive or u/na + locative.

Examples

Ovo je najlepša pesma.
Ovo je naj lepša pesma.
Naj- is written together with the adjective as a single word: najlepša.
On je najbolji učenik u razredu.
On je najdobar učenik u razredu.
The superlative is built on the irregular comparative bolji: najbolji, not najdobar.
Beograd je najveći grad u Srbiji.
Beograd je najvelik grad u Srbiji.
Velik is irregular (veći), so the superlative is najveći.

Common mistakes

naj- written separately
naj bolji
najbolji
The superlative prefix naj- is always written as one word with the adjective.
Superlative built on the positive instead of the comparative
najdobar
najbolji
The superlative is naj- + comparative, and dobar's comparative is the irregular bolji.

A2Agreement

Irregular Comparison

Nepravilno poređenje prideva

A handful of very common adjectives form their comparative from a different stem, just like English good–better. These must be learned by heart: dobar → bolji (good–better), loš → gori (bad–worse), velik → veći (big–bigger), mali → manji (small–smaller), dug → duži (long–longer). The superlatives follow automatically with naj-: najbolji, najgori, najveći, najmanji, najduži. Because these words are so frequent, learning them as a set pays off quickly. Like all comparatives, they still agree with their noun (bolja ideja, najveći grad) and take od + genitive or nego for 'than'.

Key rule

Memorise the suppletive comparatives dobar→bolji, loš→gori, velik→veći, mali→manji, dug→duži; their superlatives just add naj-, and they still agree like adjectives.

Examples

Ova ideja je bolja.
Ova ideja je dobrija.
Dobar has the irregular comparative bolji/bolja, never the regularised dobrija.
Vreme je danas gore nego juče.
Vreme je danas lošije nego juče.
Loš's standard comparative is gori/gore; lošije is a non-standard over-regularisation.
Beograd je veći od Niša.
Beograd je velikiji od Niša.
Velik has the irregular comparative veći, not velikiji.

Common mistakes

Over-regularising dobar
Ovo je dobrija opcija.
Ovo je bolja opcija.
Dobar is suppletive: its comparative is bolji/bolja, never dobrija.
Over-regularising velik
Beograd je velikiji od Niša.
Beograd je veći od Niša.
Velik's comparative is the irregular veći; velikiji does not exist.

A2Agreement

Predicate Adjective Agreement

Pridev u predikatu — slaganje

When an adjective comes after the verb biti ('to be') to describe the subject, it still agrees with that subject in gender and number. So you say On je umoran, Ona je umorna, Ono je umorno, Oni su umorni, One su umorne. This is the predicate position, as opposed to the attributive position before a noun. In the predicate, masculine adjectives use the short (indefinite) form: Auto je nov, not Auto je novi. The adjective also agrees with collective and plural subjects: Deca su srećna (neuter plural). Watch out for the verb too: with a feminine subject you need both the right verb ending in the past and the feminine adjective (Ona je bila umorna).

Key rule

A predicate adjective after biti agrees with the subject in gender and number, and the masculine uses the short form (On je umoran, Ona je umorna, Oni su umorni).

Examples

Ona je umorna.
Ona je umoran.
The predicate adjective agrees with the feminine subject: umorna.
Oni su gladni.
Oni su gladan.
A plural subject needs the plural adjective: gladni.
Auto je nov.
Auto je novi.
In the predicate the masculine adjective takes the short form: nov.

Common mistakes

Predicate adjective not agreeing in gender
Ona je gladan.
Ona je gladna.
The adjective agrees with the feminine subject: gladna.
Definite -i form used in the predicate
Problem je veliki.
Problem je velik.
A predicate masculine adjective takes the short indefinite form: velik.

A2Agreement

Possessive Adjectives -ov/-ev/-in

Prisvojni pridevi — bratov, sestrin

Besides putting a noun in the genitive, Serbian can turn a noun into a possessive adjective. From a masculine noun you add -ov (or -ev after a soft consonant): brat → bratov, otac → očev, muž → mužev. From a feminine noun you add -in: sestra → sestrin, majka → majčin, baka → bakin. These behave like adjectives and agree with the thing owned, not the owner: bratova knjiga (brother's book), sestrina kuća (sister's house), majčini saveti (mother's advice). They are used when the owner is one specific person, especially a name or family member, and are often more natural than the genitive: Markov auto sounds better than auto Marka.

Key rule

Form possessive adjectives with -ov/-ev (from masculine nouns) and -in (from feminine nouns); they agree with the thing possessed, not the owner (bratova knjiga, sestrin sin).

Examples

Ovo je bratova knjiga.
Ovo je bratov knjiga.
The possessive agrees with knjiga (fem): bratova, not the masculine bratov.
To je sestrin sin.
To je sestrina sin.
The possessive agrees with sin (masc): sestrin, not the feminine sestrina.
Markov auto je nov.
Marka auto je nov.
From the name Marko the natural possessive is the adjective Markov, not the bare genitive.

Common mistakes

Possessive agreeing with the owner instead of the thing
bratov knjiga
bratova knjiga
The possessive adjective agrees with the possessed noun (knjiga, fem): bratova.
Missing consonant change before -in
majkin savet
majčin savet
Before -in, k → č: majka → majčin.

A2Cases

Plural Nominative Formation (-i, -e, -a)

Nominativ množine

To make a Serbian noun plural in the nominative, each gender takes its own ending. Masculine nouns end in -i (grad → gradovi, student → studenti). Many short masculine nouns insert -ov- or -ev- before the -i (the so-called long plural): grad → gradovi, ključ → ključevi. Feminine nouns ending in -a take -e (žena → žene, knjiga → knjige). Neuter nouns ending in -o or -e take -a (selo → sela, more → mora). The nominative plural names the subject of the sentence and answers ko? (who?) or šta? (what?). It is the form you find listed when you look up a plural, so it is the natural place to start learning plural declension.

Key rule

Masculine plural ends in -i (often with the -ov-/-ev- infix), feminine in -e, neuter in -a.

Examples

Gradovi su veliki.
Gradi su veliki.
Short masculine 'grad' takes the long plural with -ov-: gradovi, not *gradi.
Studenti uče srpski.
Studentovi uče srpski.
Longer masculine 'student' skips the -ov- infix: studenti, not *studentovi.
Žene rade u bolnici.
Ženi rade u bolnici.
Feminine '-a' nouns take -e in the nominative plural: žene, not *ženi.

Common mistakes

Masculine plural without the required long-plural infix
Ovo su moji sini.
Ovo su moji sinovi.
Most short masculine nouns need the -ov-/-ev- infix in the plural: sin → sinovi.
Adding the -ov- infix to a long masculine noun
Profesorovi su strogi.
Profesori su strogi.
Longer masculine nouns do not take the infix: profesor → profesori.

A2Cases

Genitive Plural (-a, -i, -∅)

Genitiv množine

The genitive plural is one of the most useful Serbian forms because it appears after numbers from five up (pet gradova, deset žena), after quantity words (mnogo ljudi), and in many prepositional phrases (iz gradova). Masculine and neuter nouns usually take the long ending -a (grad → gradova, selo → sela... no, sela is nominative; genitive plural is sela too only by exception — most neuters take -a: more → mora). Feminine -a nouns and many neuters take -a as well (žena → žena, written the same as the singular but with a long vowel). Feminine i-stems take -i (stvar → stvari). A very common pattern is the fleeting -a- that breaks up a final consonant cluster: sestra → sestara, devojka → devojaka, pismo → pisama.

Key rule

After five and up, after quantity words, and after genitive prepositions, the plural noun goes in the genitive plural — usually -a (with a fleeting -a- in clusters) or -i for i-stems.

Examples

Imam pet gradova na spisku.
Imam pet gradovi na spisku.
After 'pet' (five) the noun must be genitive plural: gradova, not the nominative gradovi.
U sobi je deset žena.
U sobi je deset žene.
After 'deset' the genitive plural of žena is žena (long), not the accusative/nominative žene.
Mnogo ljudi čeka napolju.
Mnogo ljudi čekaju napolju.
'Ljudi' here is genitive plural after mnogo, and the verb stays singular (čeka).

Common mistakes

Using the nominative plural after a number five or higher
Ima šest gradovi.
Ima šest gradova.
Numbers from five up govern the genitive plural: šest gradova.
Forgetting the fleeting -a- in a consonant cluster
Imam pet sestra.
Imam pet sestara.
A fleeting -a- breaks the cluster: sestra → sestara in the genitive plural.

A2Cases

Plural D/L/I Syncretism (-ima / -ama)

Sinkretizam dativa, lokativa i instrumentala množine — -ima/-ama

Serbian plural declension has a big shortcut: in the plural, the dative, locative, and instrumental all share ONE ending. Masculine and neuter nouns use -ima (gradovima, selima), and feminine -a nouns use -ama (ženama, knjigama). So once you know this single form, you cover three cases at once. Compare: dajem prijateljima (dative, to my friends), govorim o gradovima (locative, about the cities), and putujem sa devojkama (instrumental, with the girls) — all three use the -ima/-ama plural. This is much simpler than the singular, where these three cases each have their own ending. The preposition still tells you which case is meant.

Key rule

In the plural the dative, locative, and instrumental are identical: -ima for masculine/neuter, -ama for feminine -a nouns.

Examples

Pišem pisma prijateljima.
Pišem pisma prijateljama.
Masculine 'prijatelj' takes -ima in the dative plural, not the feminine -ama.
Govorimo o velikim gradovima.
Govorimo o velikim gradovama.
Masculine locative plural is gradovima (-ima), not *gradovama.
Putujem sa devojkama.
Putujem sa devojkima.
Feminine '-a' noun 'devojka' takes -ama in the instrumental plural, not -ima.

Common mistakes

Using -ama for a masculine or neuter noun
Govorim o gradovama.
Govorim o gradovima.
Masculine and neuter nouns take -ima in D/L/I plural; -ama is for feminine -a nouns.
Using -ima for a feminine -a noun
Sa devojkima.
Sa devojkama.
Feminine '-a' nouns take -ama: devojka → devojkama.

A2Cases

Accusative Plural (= Nominative form, no animacy)

Akuzativ množine

Good news for the accusative plural: it is identical to the nominative plural for all three genders, and animacy does NOT matter in the plural. In the singular you had to choose between two accusative forms for masculine nouns depending on whether the noun was alive (vidim brata) or not (vidim sto). In the plural that distinction disappears: vidim braću, vidim ljude, vidim stolove — animate and inanimate look the same. So masculine direct objects end in the nominative-plural shape (gradove, prijatelje, with -e on the long plural), feminine in -e (žene → žene), neuter in -a (sela → sela). The accusative plural marks the direct object and follows accusative prepositions in the plural.

Key rule

In the plural the accusative equals the nominative shape (masc -e, fem -e, neut -a) and animacy is irrelevant.

Examples

Vidim gradove.
Vidim gradovi.
Masculine accusative plural is -e (gradove), not the nominative -i (gradovi).
Poznajem te studente.
Poznajem tih studenata.
Plural accusative does not use the genitive form; animate masculine is just studente.
Vidim žene na trgu.
Vidim žena na trgu.
Feminine accusative plural keeps the nominative shape žene, not the genitive plural žena.

Common mistakes

Using the nominative -i for a masculine accusative plural object
Vidim studenti.
Vidim studente.
The masculine accusative plural ends in -e: studente, not the nominative studenti.
Applying the singular animacy rule in the plural
Poznajem prijatelja... poznajem prijateljâ.
Poznajem prijatelje.
Animacy does not apply in the plural; animate masculine accusative is just -e (prijatelje).

A2Agreement

Adjective Agreement in the Plural (dobri ljudi)

Slaganje prideva u množini

When a noun is plural, its adjective must also be plural and agree in gender and case. In the nominative plural: masculine -i (dobri ljudi, novi gradovi), feminine -e (dobre žene, lepe knjige), neuter -a (dobra sela, mala deca). In the oblique plural the adjective copies the noun's case: genitive plural -ih (dobrih ljudi), and the syncretic dative/locative/instrumental plural -im(a) (dobrim ljudima, sa dobrim devojkama). Adjectives use the long (pronominal) endings in the plural, the same set the demonstratives and possessives use (ovi, moji). The accusative plural adjective matches the nominative-shape rule: masculine -e (dobre prijatelje), feminine -e, neuter -a.

Key rule

Plural adjectives use the long endings and agree in gender and case: nominative -i/-e/-a, genitive -ih, D/L/I -im(a), accusative -e/-e/-a.

Examples

Dobri ljudi pomažu drugima.
Dobar ljudi pomažu drugima.
The adjective must be plural: masculine nominative plural is dobri, not the singular dobar.
Kupila je lepe haljine.
Kupila je lepa haljine.
Feminine accusative plural adjective is lepe, agreeing with haljine.
Mala deca se igraju.
Mali deca se igraju.
'Deca' takes neuter-plural-style adjective agreement: mala deca, not masculine mali.

Common mistakes

Leaving the adjective singular before a plural noun
Veliki gradovi i lep parkovi.
Veliki gradovi i lepi parkovi.
Each plural noun needs a plural adjective: lepi parkovi, not the singular lep.
Using the masculine -i for a feminine plural
Dobri žene.
Dobre žene.
Feminine nominative plural adjective ends in -e: dobre žene.

A2Cases

Irregular & Short Plurals (ljudi, deca, braća)

Nepravilne množine — ljudi, deca, braća

A few very common Serbian nouns have irregular plurals you simply have to memorize. 'Čovek' (person/man) has the suppletive plural 'ljudi' (people) — there is no *čoveci. Some collective nouns look singular but mean a group: 'deca' (children) and 'braća' (brothers) take feminine-singular-style agreement (deca su... no — mala deca, but the verb is plural: deca se igraju; braća su došla). Many masculine nouns also have a short plural without the -ov-/-ev- infix: dan → dani, zub → zubi, gost → gosti, prst → prsti, sat → sati. Learning these as fixed forms saves you from building wrong regular plurals like *čoveci or *danovi.

Key rule

Memorize suppletive/collective/short plurals: čovek→ljudi, dete→deca, brat→braća, and short dan→dani, zub→zubi, gost→gosti.

Examples

Mnogo ljudi čeka na stanici.
Mnogo čoveka čeka na stanici.
The plural of čovek is the suppletive ljudi; *čoveci/čoveka-plural does not exist.
Deca se igraju u dvorištu.
Deci se igraju u dvorištu.
The nominative subject is deca (children); deci is the dative. Verb is plural with the collective.
Moja braća su sportisti.
Moji braća su sportisti.
'Braća' takes feminine-singular adjective form: moja braća, not the masculine moji.

Common mistakes

Building a regular plural from čovek
Mnogo čovekova.
Mnogo ljudi.
The plural of čovek is suppletive: ljudi (genitive ljudi); there is no *čoveci/čovekova.
Giving the collective deca masculine agreement
Mali deca trče.
Mala deca trče.
'Deca' takes feminine-singular-style adjective agreement: mala deca.

A2Cases

Neuter Plural with -et-/-en- Extension (ime → imena)

Množina srednjeg roda — proširenje -en-/-et-

A group of neuter nouns lengthens its stem in the plural by inserting -en- or -et-. The -en- type covers many abstract and body nouns: ime → imena (names), vreme → vremena (times), rame → ramena (shoulders), pleme → plemena (tribes). The -et- type covers young creatures: dete → ... here the regular collective is deca, but tele → telad and similar use -et-/-ad collectives. The key idea is that these neuters are NOT plural with a bare -a on the short stem; you must add the infix first: ime → imen- → imena, not *ime → *ima. The whole plural (genitive imena, dative imenima) is built on the extended stem. These are common everyday words, so the pattern is worth memorizing early.

Key rule

Neuter nouns like ime/vreme extend the stem with -en- before plural endings: ime → imena, vreme → vremena (never *ima/*vrema).

Examples

Deca imaju lepa imena.
Deca imaju lepa ima.
'Ime' extends with -en- in the plural: imena, not the bare *ima.
Bila su teška vremena.
Bila su teška vrema.
'Vreme' extends to vremena in the plural; *vrema is wrong.
Bole me ramena.
Bole me rame.
Plural of rame is ramena (-en- extension); rame is the singular.

Common mistakes

Pluralizing the short neuter stem without the extension
Imamo lepa ima.
Imamo lepa imena.
'Ime' must extend with -en- in the plural: imena, not *ima.
Missing the extension in the oblique plural
O starim vremima.
O starim vremenima.
The whole plural is built on the extended stem: vremenima.

A2Cases

Plural Declension — Full Overview

Promena imenica u množini — pregled

This tag pulls together the whole plural paradigm. For each gender, the seven cases in the plural are: masculine grad → gradovi (N), gradova (G), gradovima (D), gradove (A), gradovi (V), gradovima (L), gradovima (I); feminine žena → žene, žena, ženama, žene, žene, ženama, ženama; neuter selo → sela, sela, selima, sela, sela, selima, selima. Two big simplifications make the plural easier than the singular: (1) the dative, locative, and instrumental are ALWAYS identical (-ima/-ama), and (2) the accusative equals the nominative shape and ignores animacy. So in the plural you really only have three distinct endings to manage: N/V, G, A, plus one shared D/L/I form. The vocative plural equals the nominative.

Key rule

In the plural only four shapes matter per noun: N(=V=A-base), G, and the single D/L/I form (-ima/-ama); A=N (no animacy) and D=L=I.

Examples

Gradovi su veliki, a u gradovima živi mnogo ljudi.
Gradovi su veliki, a u gradovi živi mnogo ljudi.
Nominative subject gradovi, but the locative after 'u' is gradovima (-ima).
Vidim žene i pišem ženama.
Vidim žene i pišem ženama... pišem žene.
Accusative object žene (=nominative shape), dative recipient ženama; the two are distinct.
Ima pet gradova i deset sela.
Ima pet gradovi i deset sela.
After numbers five and up the genitive plural is required: gradova, not the nominative gradovi.

Common mistakes

Using the nominative where the locative/instrumental is needed
Živim u gradovi.
Živim u gradovima.
After 'u' (location) the locative plural is gradovima (-ima), not the nominative gradovi.
Confusing the accusative and the dative plural
Vidim ženama na ulici.
Vidim žene na ulici.
The accusative plural object is žene (=nominative); ženama is dative/locative/instrumental.

A2Numbers dates time

Large Cardinal Numbers (hundreds, thousands, millions)

Veliki glavni brojevi

Once you can count to a hundred, you build bigger numbers in Serbian by stacking the hundreds, thousands and millions. The hundreds are 'sto' (100), 'dvesta' (200), 'trista' (300), then 'četiristo, petsto' and so on. A thousand is 'hiljada' (use 'hiljadu' in counting: 'hiljadu', 'dve hiljade', 'pet hiljada'), and a million is 'milion'. Big numbers are read left to right, biggest part first, and you simply place the smaller numbers after the bigger ones: 'hiljadu devetsto devedeset' is 1990. The word for 'thousand' in standard Serbian is 'hiljada', not the Croatian 'tisuća'.

Key rule

Build big numbers biggest-part-first by juxtaposing the parts; 'thousand' is 'hiljada' (counting 'hiljadu / dve hiljade / pet hiljada'), 'million' is 'milion'.

Examples

U sali je bilo dvesta ljudi.
U sali je bilo dvasto ljudi.
200 is the fixed form 'dvesta', not 'dvasto'.
Knjiga košta hiljadu dinara.
Knjiga košta tisuću dinara.
Standard Serbian uses 'hiljada/hiljadu'; 'tisuća' is the Croatian variant.
Grad ima trista hiljada stanovnika.
Grad ima trista hiljadu stanovnika.
After a numeral above four ('trista'), 'hiljada' takes the genitive plural 'hiljada', not 'hiljadu'.

Common mistakes

Using the Croatian word for 'thousand'
Imam tisuću dinara.
Imam hiljadu dinara.
Standard Serbian is 'hiljada/hiljadu'; 'tisuća' belongs to the western variant.
Wrong fixed form for 200/300
Tu živi dvasto porodica.
Tu živi dvesta porodica.
The hundreds 200 and 300 are the set forms 'dvesta' and 'trista'.

A2Numbers dates time

The Counted Form after 2, 3, 4 (the paucal)

Brojevni oblik uz 2, 3, 4

After the numbers 'dva' (2), 'tri' (3) and 'četiri' (4), Serbian nouns do NOT use the ordinary plural. They take a special 'counted form'. For masculine and neuter nouns this form ends in '-a' and looks like the genitive singular: 'dva grada', 'tri sela'. For feminine '-a' nouns it looks like the nominative plural: 'dve žene', 'tri knjige'. Notice that 'two' has a gender: 'dva' with masculine and neuter, but 'dve' with feminine. Any adjective in the phrase also takes this counted form: 'dva velika grada', 'tri lepe devojke'. This pattern is the leftover of an old dual number.

Key rule

After 2/3/4 use the counted form: masculine/neuter '-a' (like genitive singular), feminine like nominative plural; 'two' is 'dva' (m/n) vs 'dve' (f).

Examples

Imam dva brata.
Imam dva braća.
After 'dva' the masculine noun takes the counted form 'brata', not the collective plural 'braća'.
Na stolu su tri knjige.
Na stolu su tri knjiga.
Feminine '-a' nouns take the nominative-plural-like form 'knjige' after 2/3/4.
Kupila sam dve haljine.
Kupila sam dva haljine.
With a feminine noun 'two' is 'dve', not 'dva'.

Common mistakes

Using the ordinary plural after 2/3/4
Imam tri sinovi.
Imam tri sina.
Masculine nouns after 2/3/4 take the counted form '-a' ('sina'), not the nominative plural.
Wrong gender of 'two'
Vidim dva devojke.
Vidim dve devojke.
'Two' is 'dve' before a feminine noun.

A2Numbers dates time

Genitive Plural after 5 and above

Genitiv množine uz 5 i više

From the number five upward, Serbian nouns go into the genitive plural: 'pet knjiga', 'deset ljudi', 'sto godina'. This is different from 2, 3, 4, which use the counted form. The genitive plural endings are typically '-a' for masculine and neuter ('pet gradova', 'pet sela') and a bare stem or '-i' for feminine and some others ('pet žena', 'pet noći'). Adjectives in the phrase also go into the genitive plural ('pet velikih gradova'). The verb is usually neuter singular: 'Pet ljudi je došlo'. Compound numbers follow their LAST digit: 25 takes the genitive plural ('dvadeset pet knjiga'), but 22 takes the counted form ('dvadeset dve knjige').

Key rule

From five upward (and 0, 'koliko', and 11–14) the counted noun and its adjectives go into the genitive plural; compounds follow their last digit.

Examples

U sobi je pet ljudi.
U sobi je pet ljude.
After 5+ 'čovek/ljudi' is genitive plural 'ljudi', not the accusative 'ljude'.
Imam deset knjiga.
Imam deset knjige.
After 'deset' the feminine noun is genitive plural 'knjiga', not the 2–4 form 'knjige'.
Prošlo je sto godina.
Prošle su sto godine.
After 'sto' the noun is genitive plural 'godina' and the verb is neuter singular 'prošlo je'.

Common mistakes

Using the 2–4 counted form after 5+
Imam pet knjige.
Imam pet knjiga.
From five upward the noun is genitive plural ('knjiga'), not the counted form.
Wrong verb agreement with a 5+ subject
Pet đaka su došli.
Pet đaka je došlo.
A quantified 5+ subject normally takes a neuter-singular verb: 'je došlo'.

A2Numbers dates time

Declension of jedan / dva / tri / četiri

Promena brojeva jedan, dva, tri, četiri

The lowest numbers change their form. 'Jedan' (one) behaves like an adjective and fully agrees in gender, number and case: 'jedan grad', 'jedna žena', 'jedno dete', 'jednog brata', 's jednim prijateljem'. 'Dva' has gender ('dva' for masculine/neuter, 'dve' for feminine) but in modern Serbian usually stays unchanged in everyday sentences. 'Tri' and 'četiri' are normally invariable. There are old case forms ('dvema, trima, četirma') that you mostly meet in formal or written language; in speech the numbers usually just stay the same and the preposition + counted form carry the meaning. Knowing 'jedan' fully and recognizing the rest is enough at this level.

Key rule

'Jedan' fully agrees like an adjective; 'dva' is gendered ('dva' m/n vs 'dve' f) but otherwise 'dva/tri/četiri' are normally treated as indeclinable in everyday Serbian.

Examples

Vidim jednu devojku.
Vidim jedan devojku.
'Jedan' agrees in gender and case: feminine accusative is 'jednu'.
To je kuća jednog prijatelja.
To je kuća jedan prijatelja.
After 'kuća' the possessor is genitive, so 'jedan' becomes 'jednog'.
Putujem s jednim drugom.
Putujem s jedan drugom.
The instrumental of 'jedan' is 'jednim'.

Common mistakes

Not declining 'jedan'
Dajem knjigu jedan studentu.
Dajem knjigu jednom studentu.
'Jedan' agrees in case; the dative masculine is 'jednom'.
Wrong gender of 'one'
Imam jedan sestru.
Imam jednu sestru.
'Jedan' must match the feminine noun: accusative 'jednu'.

A2Numbers dates time

Ordinal Numbers (prvi, drugi, treći)

Redni brojevi

Ordinal numbers say the position in a sequence: 'prvi' (first), 'drugi' (second), 'treći' (third), 'četvrti' (fourth), 'peti' (fifth), and so on. They behave exactly like adjectives, agreeing in gender, number and case with their noun: 'prvi sprat', 'prva strana', 'prvo mesto', 'na prvom spratu'. In writing, an ordinal is marked with a dot after the figure: '1.' = 'prvi', '21.' = 'dvadeset prvi'. In a compound ordinal only the LAST word is ordinal: 'dvadeset prvi' (21st), 'sto pedeseti' (150th). The first few are irregular and worth memorizing: prvi, drugi, treći, četvrti.

Key rule

Ordinals decline like adjectives and agree with their noun; in compounds only the last word is ordinal, and in figures they take a dot ('1.' = prvi).

Examples

Stanujem na trećem spratu.
Stanujem na treći spratu.
The ordinal agrees in case: locative is 'trećem'.
Ona je osvojila prvo mesto.
Ona je osvojila prvi mesto.
'Mesto' is neuter, so the ordinal is 'prvo'.
Ovo je moja druga knjiga ove godine.
Ovo je moja drugi knjiga ove godine.
'Knjiga' is feminine, so the ordinal is 'druga'.

Common mistakes

Using a cardinal instead of an ordinal
Živim na tri spratu.
Živim na trećem spratu.
Floors are ordinals ('treći') and decline; 'tri' is a cardinal.
Ordinal not agreeing in gender
Ovo je prvi soba.
Ovo je prva soba.
'Soba' is feminine, so the ordinal is 'prva'.

A2Numbers dates time

Dates — Full Format (treći mart; 3. marta)

Datumi — pun oblik

A Serbian date is an ordinal number plus the month. To state today's date you use the nominative: 'Danas je treći mart' (Today is the third of March). To say WHEN something happens (on a date), you put both the ordinal and the month into the genitive: 'Rođen sam petog maja' (I was born on the fifth of May). In figures the day takes a dot: '3. marta'. The months are 'januar, februar, mart, april, maj, jun, jul, avgust, septembar, oktobar, novembar, decembar' and are written with a small letter. Years are read with the last part as an ordinal: 'dve hiljade dvadeset četvrte godine'.

Key rule

A date is ordinal + month; nominative to state it ('treći mart'), genitive on both parts to say when ('trećeg marta'); months are lower-case ('jun, jul, avgust').

Examples

Danas je prvi januar.
Danas je prvi Januar.
Month names are written with a small initial letter.
Rođen sam petnaestog jula.
Rođen sam petnaesti jul.
To say WHEN, both day and month go genitive: 'petnaestog jula'.
Praznik je dvadeset osmog avgusta.
Praznik je dvadeset osmi avgust.
Time-when requires the genitive: 'dvadeset osmog avgusta'.

Common mistakes

Capitalizing the month
Rođen sam u Maju.
Rođen sam u maju.
Months are common nouns and are written lower-case.
Nominative instead of genitive for 'on a date'
Stigli su drugi april.
Stigli su drugog aprila.
Time-when requires the genitive on day and month: 'drugog aprila'.

A2Numbers dates time

Telling Time — Advanced (pola, i petnaest, do)

Koliko je sati — proširenje

Beyond full hours, Serbian builds clock times in three ways. For minutes PAST the hour you say the hour + 'i' + minutes: 'tri i petnaest' (3:15), 'pet i deset' (5:10). For minutes TO the next hour you use 'do': 'petnaest do tri' (2:45, fifteen to three), 'deset do pet' (4:50). For the half hour you say 'pola' + the NEXT hour: 'pola tri' means 2:30 (half toward three), 'pola pet' is 4:30. Useful words: 'podne' (noon), 'ponoć' (midnight), 'i po' (and a half). To ask the time: 'Koliko je sati?'; to ask when: 'U koliko sati?' with the answer 'u tri', 'u pola pet'.

Key rule

Past = hour + 'i' + minutes; to = minutes + 'do' + next hour; half = 'pola' + the NEXT hour ('pola tri' = 2:30); ask 'Koliko je sati?' / 'U koliko sati?'.

Examples

Sada je tri i petnaest.
Sada je tri petnaest.
Minutes past the hour need the linking 'i': 'tri i petnaest'.
Voz polazi u pola pet.
Voz polazi u pola četiri.
'Pola pet' is 4:30 (half toward five); 'pola četiri' would be 3:30.
Imam sastanak u petnaest do tri.
Imam sastanak u tri do petnaest.
The pattern is minutes + 'do' + the next hour: 'petnaest do tri' (2:45).

Common mistakes

Misreading 'pola' as the current hour
Sastanak je u pola tri. (meaning 3:30)
Sastanak je u pola četiri. (za 3:30)
'Pola' names the hour you are heading toward, so 3:30 is 'pola četiri', and 'pola tri' is 2:30.
Omitting 'i' before the minutes
Sada je pet deset.
Sada je pet i deset.
Minutes past the hour are joined with 'i': 'pet i deset'.

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A2Prepositions

Two-Case u / na — Motion (Accusative) vs Location (Locative)

Dvopadežni predlozi u, na

The prepositions u (in/into) and na (on/onto) are special because they take two different cases depending on meaning. When there is movement toward a goal, you answer the question 'where to?' (kuda?/gde?) and use the accusative: Idem u grad (I am going into town), Stavljam knjigu na sto (I put the book on the table). When there is no movement and you describe a static location, you answer 'where?' (gde?) and use the locative: Živim u gradu (I live in the town), Knjiga je na stolu (The book is on the table). The same preposition, the same noun, but the case ending changes. Verbs of motion (ići, putovati, staviti) push the accusative; verbs of position (biti, živeti, raditi) push the locative.

Key rule

u/na + accusative for motion toward (kuda?), u/na + locative for static location (gde?); the noun ending changes, not the preposition.

Examples

Idem u grad.
Idem u gradu.
Motion toward a goal needs the accusative (grad), not the locative (gradu).
Živim u gradu.
Živim u grad.
Static location with živeti needs the locative (gradu), not the accusative.
Stavljam knjigu na sto.
Stavljam knjigu na stolu.
Placing something is motion; na takes the accusative (sto) here.

Common mistakes

Locative used for motion toward
Idem u školi.
Idem u školu.
ići expresses motion; the destination must be in the accusative (školu).
Accusative used for static location
Ona je na posao.
Ona je na poslu.
biti marks a static state; na takes the locative (poslu) here.

A2Prepositions

o / po — Locative (about / around) vs Accusative (po = to fetch)

Predlozi o i po

The preposition o means 'about' and always takes the locative: Govorimo o filmu (We talk about the film), Pišem o tebi (I am writing about you). Note that 'to think about someone' in the everyday sense uses a different preposition, misliti na + accusative (Mislim na tebe), not o. The preposition po is trickier because it takes two cases. With the locative, po means 'around/over/along a surface' or 'by/according to': Šetamo po gradu (We stroll around town), Po kiši (in the rain), Po mom mišljenju (in my opinion). With the accusative, po means 'to go and fetch / to get': Idem po hleb (I go to get bread), Došli su po dete (They came for the child). So 'around the place' is locative, but 'to fetch something' is accusative. The verb tells you which: motion to fetch triggers the accusative.

Key rule

o + locative = 'about'; po + locative = 'around/over/according to'; po + accusative = 'to go and fetch'.

Examples

Govorimo o filmu.
Govorimo o film.
o always takes the locative; the topic is o filmu, never the accusative.
Mislim na tebe.
Mislim na tebi.
'To think about someone' is misliti na + accusative: na tebe, not the locative na tebi.
Šetamo po gradu.
Šetamo po grad.
'Around town' is a surface/area sense, so po takes the locative (gradu).

Common mistakes

Accusative after o
Pričamo o posao.
Pričamo o poslu.
o always governs the locative; the topic is o poslu.
Locative for the fetch sense of po
Idem po mleku.
Idem po mleko.
Going to get something uses po + accusative (mleko), not the locative.

A2Prepositions

Instrumental Prepositions (s/sa, pred, za, nad, pod, među)

Predlozi uz instrumental

A group of prepositions of position and relation takes the instrumental case. They describe where something is relative to something else: pred kućom (in front of the house), iza is genitive but za in its static sense means 'behind' za kućom (behind the house), nad stolom (above the table), pod krevetom (under the bed), među nama (among us), and s/sa for company (sa sestrom, with my sister). These are static relations — no movement toward. The instrumental endings are -om for masculine and feminine, -em after soft consonants: stolom, kućom, nožem. Remember sa appears before words starting with s, z, š, ž (sa Zoranom), otherwise s is fine. With these prepositions the noun never goes into the accusative, even if the sentence feels like 'to behind' — Serbian keeps the static instrumental.

Key rule

pred, za (behind), nad, pod, među and s/sa (company) take the instrumental for static position; use sa before s/z/š/ž.

Examples

Auto je pred kućom.
Auto je pred kuću.
Static position in front of something takes the instrumental (kućom), not the accusative.
Mačka spava pod stolom.
Mačka spava pod sto.
'Under the table' as a resting position is instrumental: pod stolom.
Idem u bioskop sa sestrom.
Idem u bioskop sa sestru.
Company takes the instrumental (sestrom); the accusative sestru is wrong.

Common mistakes

Accusative after a static instrumental preposition
Pas je pred vrata.
Pas je pred vratima.
Static position uses the instrumental (vratima); the accusative marks motion only.
Accusative for company after sa
Idem sa mamu.
Idem sa mamom.
Accompaniment takes the instrumental: sa mamom, not the accusative mamu.

A2Prepositions

Genitive Prepositions Extended (kod, pored, ispred, iza, ispod, iznad, zbog, bez)

Predlozi uz genitiv — proširenje

A large set of prepositions takes the genitive. Many describe spatial relations: pored (next to), ispred (in front of), iza (behind), ispod (below/under), iznad (above), oko (around), blizu (near). Others express cause or absence: zbog (because of), bez (without). After all of them the noun goes into the genitive: pored kuće (next to the house), iza zgrade (behind the building), zbog kiše (because of the rain), bez novca (without money). Notice that several of these spatial words overlap in meaning with instrumental prepositions — ispred kuće (genitive) and pred kućom (instrumental) both mean 'in front of the house', but the compound ispod/iznad/ispred forms always take the genitive. The genitive endings are -a (masculine/neuter) and -e (feminine).

Key rule

pored, ispred, iza, ispod, iznad, oko, blizu, zbog, bez and similar prepositions all take the genitive (-a / -e).

Examples

Sedim pored prozora.
Sedim pored prozor.
pored takes the genitive; prozor → prozora.
Auto je iza zgrade.
Auto je iza zgradu.
iza governs the genitive (zgrade), not the accusative.
Lopta je ispod stola.
Lopta je ispod stolu.
ispod takes the genitive: sto → stola, not the dative/locative stolu.

Common mistakes

Accusative after a genitive preposition
Stojim ispred zgradu.
Stojim ispred zgrade.
ispred governs the genitive: zgrada → zgrade.
Nominative kept after zbog
Kasnim zbog gužva.
Kasnim zbog gužve.
zbog takes the genitive: gužva → gužve.

A2Prepositions

Dative Prepositions (prema, ka, nasuprot)

Predlozi uz dativ — prema, ka

A small group of prepositions takes the dative case. The most common are prema and ka, both meaning 'towards / in the direction of': Idem prema centru (I am going towards the center), Brod plovi ka obali (The ship sails towards the shore). prema also means 'according to / toward (an attitude)': prema zakonu (according to the law), ljubazan prema gostima (kind towards the guests). nasuprot means 'opposite / facing': Sedi nasuprot meni (He sits opposite me). The dative singular endings are -u (masculine/neuter: centru, moru) and -i (feminine: obali, kući). In Serbian, ka is preferred over the shorter k; you will mostly hear and write ka moru, ka gradu. These prepositions never take the accusative, even though they express direction.

Key rule

prema, ka (preferred over k) and nasuprot all take the dative; they express direction 'towards' and 'opposite', not the accusative.

Examples

Idemo prema centru.
Idemo prema centar.
prema takes the dative: centar → centru.
Brod plovi ka obali.
Brod plovi ka obalu.
ka governs the dative; obala → obali, not the accusative obalu.
Banka je nasuprot pošti.
Banka je nasuprot poštu.
nasuprot (opposite) takes the dative: pošta → pošti.

Common mistakes

Accusative after prema/ka for direction
Trčim prema izlaz.
Trčim prema izlazu.
prema expresses direction with the dative, not the accusative: izlaz → izlazu.
Using k where ka is natural
Idem k moru.
Idem ka moru.
Serbian prefers ka over the bare k: ka moru.

A2Prepositions

za — Accusative (purpose / for) vs Genitive (during)

Predlog za — akuzativ i genitiv

The preposition za usually means 'for' and takes the accusative: Ovo je za tebe (This is for you), za doručak (for breakfast), za sat vremena (in an hour / within an hour). This covers purpose, beneficiary, and a short time-until-something. But za also has a fixed expression za vreme (+ genitive) meaning 'during': za vreme rata (during the war), za vreme časa (during the lesson). So the everyday 'for' uses the accusative, while 'during' (always in the phrase za vreme) is followed by the genitive of the noun. There is also the static positional za + instrumental ('behind', za kućom) covered separately. Most of the time at A2 you will use za + accusative for 'for'.

Key rule

za + accusative = 'for / purpose / within (a time)'; the fixed za vreme + genitive = 'during'.

Examples

Ovo je za tebe.
Ovo je za tebi.
Beneficiary 'for' takes za + accusative: tebe, not the dative tebi.
Kupila sam poklon za mamu.
Kupila sam poklon za mami.
'For mom' is za + accusative: mama → mamu.
Vraćam se za sat vremena.
Vraćam se za sata vremena.
'In/within an hour' is za + accusative: sat, not the genitive sata.

Common mistakes

Dative after za for a beneficiary
Ovo je za tebi.
Ovo je za tebe.
za 'for' takes the accusative: tebe, not the dative tebi.
Forgetting the word vreme in 'during'
Za rata smo bili u selu.
Za vreme rata smo bili u selu.
'During' is the fixed phrase za vreme + genitive; za alone does not mean 'during'.

A2Prepositions

Motion Prepositions Paired (iz↔u, sa↔na, od↔kod)

Predlozi kretanja — parovi

Serbian motion prepositions come in matched 'from ↔ to' pairs, and the rule is symmetrical: if you went INTO a place with u, you come OUT of it with iz; if you put something ONTO a surface with na, you take it OFF with sa; if you go TO a person's place with kod, you come BACK FROM there with od. So: u školu → iz škole, na sto → sa stola, kod lekara → od lekara. The 'to' side often uses the accusative (u školu) or genitive (kod lekara), but every 'from' side (iz, sa, od) takes the genitive: iz škole, sa stola, od lekara. Matching the right source to the right goal is the key skill: don't mix iz with na or sa with u.

Key rule

Match the source to the goal: u↔iz, na↔sa, kod↔od; all 'from' prepositions (iz, sa, od) take the genitive.

Examples

Dolazim iz škole.
Dolazim sa škole.
School is an enclosed place entered with u, so you leave with iz, not sa.
Uzimam knjigu sa stola.
Uzimam knjigu iz stola.
A table is a surface (na sto), so you take from it with sa, not iz.
Vraćam se od lekara.
Vraćam se iz lekara.
With a person you use kod/od; 'from the doctor' is od lekara, not iz.

Common mistakes

Using sa for an enclosed space
Dolazim sa grada.
Dolazim iz grada.
A city is entered with u, so the source is iz: iz grada.
Using iz for a surface
Skidam čašu iz police.
Skidam čašu sa police.
A shelf is a surface (na polici), so the source is sa: sa police.

A2Clitics

Accusative Clitics (me, te, ga, je, nas, vas, ih)

Enklitike u akuzativu

When a personal pronoun is the direct object of a verb, Serbian usually uses a short, unstressed form called an enclitic (naslonjenica). These are me (me), te (you), ga (him/it), je or ju (her), nas (us), vas (you all), and ih (them). They cannot stand on their own or carry stress, so they lean on the word in front of them and sit in the second position of the clause: Vidim ga (I see him), Poznajem je (I know her). When you want to stress the object or contrast it, you switch to the long stressed forms njega, nju, nas, vas instead: Vidim NJEGA, ne nju.

Key rule

Use the short accusative clitics me, te, ga, je/ju, nas, vas, ih in second position for an unstressed direct object; switch to the stressed full forms mene, tebe, njega, nju for emphasis or after a preposition.

Examples

Vidim ga svaki dan.
Vidim njega svaki dan.
For a neutral, unstressed object use the clitic ga; the full form njega would wrongly add emphasis here.
Poznajem je odavno.
Poznajem nju odavno.
The unstressed feminine object is the clitic je; nju is the stressed form used only for contrast.
Ana nas zove.
Ana zove nas.
The clitic nas must sit in second position, right after the first stressed word Ana, not be left dangling at the end.

Common mistakes

Using the stressed form where the clitic is needed
Vidim njega.
Vidim ga.
For a neutral, unemphasised object Serbian prefers the clitic ga; njega is reserved for stress or contrast.
Placing the accusative clitic at the end of the clause
Ana zove nas.
Ana nas zove.
Object clitics obey the second-position rule and must follow the first stressed unit, not trail at the end.

A2Clitics

Clitic Order: Dative before Accusative (Dao mi ga je)

Red enklitika — dativ pre akuzativa

When a verb has both an indirect object (to whom) and a direct object (what), and both are short pronouns, Serbian puts them together in a fixed order: the dative clitic comes first, then the accusative clitic. So 'he gave it to me' is Dao mi ga je — mi (to me) before ga (it), with the auxiliary je at the end. The order is always dative + accusative, never the other way around. This little cluster sits in the second position of the clause, like all clitics: Kupiću ti ih (I'll buy them for you), Daj mi ga (give it to me).

Key rule

Inside the clitic cluster the dative pronoun always comes before the accusative pronoun: Dao mi ga je, Kupiću ti ih — never the reverse.

Examples

Dao mi ga je.
Dao ga mi je.
The dative clitic mi must precede the accusative clitic ga; the reverse order is ungrammatical.
Kupiću ti ih sutra.
Kupiću ih ti sutra.
Dative ti comes before accusative ih in the cluster.
Daj mi ga, molim te.
Daj ga mi, molim te.
Even in the imperative the order is dative mi before accusative ga.

Common mistakes

Putting the accusative clitic before the dative
Dao ga mi je.
Dao mi ga je.
The fixed cluster order is dative before accusative, so mi must come before ga.
Reversing the order in the imperative
Daj ga mi.
Daj mi ga.
The dative-before-accusative rule holds in the imperative too, even without an auxiliary.

A2Clitics

Clitics in Second Position — Introduction

Enklitike na drugom mestu — uvod

Serbian unstressed words — the auxiliary (sam, si, je, ću…), the reflexive se, and object pronouns (me, ga, mu, joj…) — are clitics. They cannot stand alone or carry stress, so they lean on the word in front of them and almost always sit in the SECOND position of the clause, right after the first stressed unit. That first unit can be a single word (Ana mu je rekla) or a fronted phrase. If the clause begins with a time word or object, the clitic still comes right after it: Juče sam ga video. A clitic can never open a sentence — you cannot start with sam or ga.

Key rule

Clitics (sam, je, se, me, ga, mu…) cannot start a clause; they attach right after the first stressed word or fronted phrase — the second position.

Examples

Ja sam student.
Sam student.
The clitic sam cannot open the clause; a stressed word (Ja) must come first.
Juče sam ga video.
Sam ga juče video.
When the time word juče is fronted, the clitic cluster follows it in second position.
Ana mu je rekla istinu.
Ana je mu rekla istinu.
Inside the cluster the dative mu comes before the auxiliary je, and the whole cluster sits after Ana.

Common mistakes

Starting a clause with a clitic
Sam umoran.
Ja sam umoran. / Umoran sam.
Clitics cannot open a clause; a stressed word must precede them.
Putting the clitic too far from the first unit
Ana danas mu je rekla.
Ana mu je danas rekla.
The clitic cluster goes in second position, right after the first stressed word Ana, not after several words.

A2Clitics

The Clitic je — Position & je-Drop with se

Enklitika je — mesto i izostavljanje

The third-person auxiliary je (he/she/it is, or the past auxiliary in the perfekat) behaves differently from the other auxiliary clitics. While sam, si, smo, ste, su sit at the front of the clitic cluster, je goes to the very END of the cluster: Dao mu je (he gave him), On joj ga je dao. There is one important exception: when je meets the reflexive se in the perfekat, the je simply DROPS. So 'he laughed' is nasmejao se, not nasmejao se je. The je also disappears with the feminine object that becomes ju in front of it: video ju je.

Key rule

The clitic je goes last in the cluster (dao mu ga je); but when je would follow the reflexive se, it drops entirely — nasmejao se, not *nasmejao se je.

Examples

Dao mu ga je.
Je dao mu ga.
The auxiliary je goes to the END of the clitic cluster, not the front.
Ana se vratila kasno.
Ana se vratila je kasno.
In the perfekat of a reflexive verb the je drops after se; *vratila se je is wrong.
On se nasmejao.
On se nasmejao je.
Se + je → je drops; the perfekat is simply nasmejao se.

Common mistakes

Keeping je after se in the reflexive perfekat
Nasmejao se je.
Nasmejao se.
When je would follow se, it is dropped entirely.
Putting je at the front of the cluster
Je dao mu ga.
Dao mu ga je.
Unlike sam/si/smo, the clitic je goes to the very end of the cluster.

A2Pronouns

Reflexive se / sebe / sebi — Use

Povratna zamenica — se, sebe, sebi

Serbian has one reflexive pronoun for all persons and genders, referring back to the subject. It has a short clitic form se and stressed full forms sebe (accusative/genitive) and sebi (dative/locative). Use the clitic se with reflexive verbs and as the unstressed object: Perem se (I wash myself), Zovem se Ana (my name is Ana). Use the stressed sebe / sebi when the reflexive is emphasised, stands after a preposition, or is a stressed object: Mislim na sebe (I think about myself), Kupio je sebi poklon (he bought himself a gift). The same forms work for I, you, he, she, we, they.

Key rule

Use the clitic se for unstressed reflexive objects and reflexive verbs; use the stressed sebe (acc./gen.), sebi (dat./loc.), sobom (instr.) after prepositions, for emphasis, or as a stressed object — for all persons alike.

Examples

Perem se svako jutro.
Perem sebe svako jutro.
A neutral reflexive object with a reflexive verb takes the clitic se, not the stressed sebe.
Mislim na sebe.
Mislim na se.
After a preposition only the stressed form sebe is allowed, never the clitic se.
Kupio je sebi nov telefon.
Kupio je se nov telefon.
A stressed dative 'for himself' uses sebi; the clitic se cannot express this.

Common mistakes

Using the clitic se after a preposition
Mislim na se.
Mislim na sebe.
After a preposition only the stressed form (sebe/sebi/sobom) may appear.
Using a personal pronoun instead of the reflexive for the subject
On priča o njemu.
On priča o sebi.
When the speaker means the subject talks about his OWN self, Serbian uses the reflexive sebi; njemu would refer to a different man.

A2Pronouns

The Relative/Interrogative koji — Introduction

Zamenica koji — uvod

Koji (koji / koja / koje) means 'which' in questions and 'who/which/that' as a relative pronoun linking two clauses. It agrees in GENDER and NUMBER with the noun it refers to, but its CASE comes from its role inside its own clause. As a question word: Koji film gledaš? (which film?), Koja knjiga? (which book?). As a relative: čovek koji radi (the man who works), knjiga koju čitam (the book that I'm reading) — here koju is feminine accusative because it is the object of čitam. A relative koji clause is set off by a comma when it adds extra information.

Key rule

Koji agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to, but takes its case from its role inside its own clause: čovek koji radi (subject), knjiga koju čitam (object).

Examples

Koji film gledaš večeras?
Koja film gledaš večeras?
Film is masculine, so the interrogative is koji, not koja.
Ovo je knjiga koju čitam.
Ovo je knjiga koji čitam.
Koji refers to the feminine knjiga and is the object of čitam, so it is the feminine accusative koju.
Čovek koji ovde radi je moj otac.
Čovek koju ovde radi je moj otac.
Koji is the subject of radi, so it stays masculine nominative koji.

Common mistakes

Wrong gender agreement of koji
Koja film gledaš?
Koji film gledaš?
Koji must agree in gender with the noun; film is masculine, so koji.
Using the nominative koji for an object relative
Knjiga koji čitam.
Knjiga koju čitam.
As the object of čitam, the relative takes the feminine accusative koju.

A2Pronouns

Declension of ovaj / taj / onaj

Promena pokaznih zamenica

The demonstratives ovaj (this), taj (that, near you) and onaj (that yonder) do not stay in their dictionary form — they change for gender, number and case, just like adjectives, agreeing with their noun. The masculine pattern is ovaj → ovog (gen./acc. animate) → ovom (dat./loc.) → ovim (instr.); the feminine is ova → ove → ovoj → ovu → ovom; the neuter ovo → ovog → ovom. The same endings apply to taj (tog, tom, tim) and onaj (onog, onom, onim). So 'I see this man' is Vidim ovog čoveka, and 'in this house' is u ovoj kući.

Key rule

Ovaj, taj and onaj decline like adjectives (ovog, ovom, ovim; ove, ovoj, ovu) and agree with the noun in gender, number and case — including masculine accusative animacy (ovog čoveka vs ovaj sto).

Examples

Vidim ovog čoveka.
Vidim ovaj čoveka.
Čovek is masculine animate, so the accusative demonstrative is ovog (= genitive), not the nominative ovaj.
Živim u ovoj kući.
Živim u ova kuća.
After u (location) the feminine demonstrative and noun go into the locative: ovoj kući.
Daj mi tu knjigu.
Daj mi ta knjigu.
Knjiga is feminine and the object, so the accusative is tu, not the nominative ta.

Common mistakes

Leaving the demonstrative in the nominative as the object
Vidim ovaj čoveka.
Vidim ovog čoveka.
A masculine animate accusative takes ovog (= genitive); the nominative ovaj is wrong here.
Not declining the demonstrative after a preposition
Živim u ova kuća.
Živim u ovoj kući.
The preposition u (place) governs the locative, so demonstrative and noun become ovoj kući.

A2Pronouns

Declension of Possessives (moj, naš, njegov)

Promena prisvojnih zamenica

The possessive pronouns moj (my), tvoj (your), naš (our), vaš (your), njegov (his), njen (her) and njihov (their) agree with the thing possessed — not with the owner. They change for gender, number and case like adjectives: moj brat, moja sestra, moje dete; in the genitive mog brata, in the dative mom bratu. The forms njegov, njen and njihov tell you the owner's gender by their stem, but they still decline according to the possessed noun: njegova knjiga, njegovu knjigu, u njegovoj kući. So you choose the stem by the owner and the ending by the possessed thing.

Key rule

Possessive pronouns agree with the POSSESSED noun in gender, number and case (mog brata, mojoj sestri, njegovu kuću); njegov/njen/njihov additionally fix the owner's gender in their stem.

Examples

Vidim mog brata.
Vidim moj brata.
Brat is masculine animate accusative, so the possessive is mog (= genitive), not the nominative moj.
Dajem knjigu mojoj sestri.
Dajem knjigu moja sestri.
Sestra is in the dative, so the possessive must agree: mojoj sestri.
Živim u njegovoj kući.
Živim u njegova kuća.
After u (place) the feminine locative is njegovoj kući; the stem njegov shows a male owner, the ending agrees with kuća.

Common mistakes

Leaving the possessive in the nominative as an object
Vidim moj brata.
Vidim mog brata.
Masculine animate accusative takes mog (= genitive); moj is the nominative form.
Not declining the possessive after a preposition
Živim u njegova kuća.
Živim u njegovoj kući.
The locative after u requires njegovoj kući; the ending agrees with the feminine noun.

A2Clitics

Clitic Cluster in Second Position

Skup enklitika na drugom mestu

Serbian has little unstressed words called clitics: the auxiliary (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su; ću, ćeš…), the short object pronouns (me, te, ga, je, nam, ga, joj, mu) and the reflexive se. They cannot start a sentence and they cannot stand alone. Instead, the WHOLE group jumps into the second slot, right after the first stressed word or phrase. When several clitics meet, they line up in a fixed order: auxiliary first, then the dative pronoun, then the accusative/genitive pronoun, then se, and je always comes last. So you say Dao mi ga je ("He gave it to me"), never *Mi ga je dao on the very front. Get the first word right and the cluster falls into place behind it.

Key rule

Clitics form one block in second position; inside it the order is AUX → dative → accusative/genitive → se → je, with je last and je dropping after se.

Examples

Dao mi ga je juče.
Mi ga je dao juče.
The cluster cannot open the clause; a stressed word (here the verb Dao) must come first.
Juče sam ti ga vratio.
Juče ti ga sam vratio.
The auxiliary sam comes first in the cluster, before the dative ti and the accusative ga.
Ona mi je dala knjigu.
Ona je mi dala knjigu.
The dative clitic mi precedes the auxiliary je is wrong order; AUX comes first, so mi je.

Common mistakes

Putting the clitic cluster in first position
Mu je rekla istinu.
Rekla mu je istinu.
Clitics cannot begin a clause; a stressed word must occupy the first slot and the cluster follows it.
Wrong order: accusative before dative
Dao ga mi je.
Dao mi ga je.
Inside the cluster the dative clitic always precedes the accusative one: mi ga, not ga mi.

A2Syntax

Negative Concord with ni-words

Negacija — ni-reči i slaganje

In Serbian, negative words like niko (nobody), ništa (nothing), nikad (never), nigde (nowhere) and nijedan (not a single one) MUST go together with ne on the verb. This is the opposite of English, where "nobody knows" already has one negative and adding another sounds wrong. In Serbian, Niko ne zna is the only correct way — both the ni-word and the ne are required. You can even stack several ni-words in one sentence and the verb still keeps ne: Niko nikad ništa ne kaže. This is called negative concord, and it is grammatically obligatory, not a mistake. Leaving out ne (*Niko zna) is what is wrong.

Key rule

Every ni-word (niko, ništa, nikad, nigde, nijedan…) requires ne on the verb; stack as many ni-words as needed but never drop the ne.

Examples

Niko ne zna odgovor.
Niko zna odgovor.
The ni-word niko obligatorily needs ne on the verb; a positive verb is ungrammatical.
Ništa ne razumem.
Ništa razumem.
ništa requires the verb to carry ne; the two negatives reinforce, not cancel.
Nikad nigde ne idemo.
Nikad nigde idemo.
Multiple ni-words still need a single ne on the verb.

Common mistakes

Dropping ne under English influence
Niko dolazi.
Niko ne dolazi.
Serbian requires negative concord: a ni-word always co-occurs with ne on the verb.
Using a positive auxiliary with nijedan
Nijedan problem je rešen.
Nijedan problem nije rešen.
nijedan needs the negated copula/auxiliary nije, never positive je.

A2Connectors

kad (when) & ako (if) Clauses

Veznici kad i ako

Two very common subordinators let you talk about time and conditions. Kad means "when" and introduces a time clause: Kad dođem, javiću se ("When I arrive, I'll call"). Ako means "if" and introduces a real condition: Ako pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće ("If it rains, I stay home"). When the kad- or ako-clause comes first, you put a comma after it; when it comes second, usually no comma. For the future, Serbian keeps both the subordinate and the main verb in a tense that points forward — often a perfective present in the kad/ako clause (Kad stigneš…) and a future or present in the main clause. Don't confuse kad (time) with ako (condition): they answer different questions.

Key rule

Use kad(a) for "when" (time) and ako for "if" (real condition); comma after a fronted subordinate clause, and use the perfective present in the kad/ako clause for a single future event.

Examples

Kad dođem kući, odmah ću te zvati.
Ako dođem kući, odmah ću te zvati.
A planned arrival is a time event (kad), not an open condition (ako would imply uncertainty about arriving).
Ako pada kiša, ostajemo kod kuće.
Kad pada kiša, ostajemo kod kuće danas.
Here the rain is an uncertain condition for today's plan, so ako, not the temporal kad.
Kad učim, uvek slušam muziku.
Kad budem učio, uvek slušam muziku.
Habitual "whenever I study" uses the imperfective present učim, not a future form.

Common mistakes

Using ako for a sure time event
Ako dođem kući, jedem.
Kad dođem kući, jedem.
Coming home is treated as a time point (kad), not an uncertain condition (ako).
Using futur in the kad/ako clause
Ako ćeš doći, javi mi.
Ako dođeš, javi mi.
The conditional/temporal clause uses the (perfective) present, not the futur.

A2Connectors

da-Clauses: Purpose & Complement

Da-rečenice — namera i dopuna

The little word da does a lot of work in Serbian. As a COMPLEMENT it means "that" and reports what someone thinks, says or knows: Mislim da je dobro ("I think that it's good"), Znam da dolaziš ("I know you're coming"). As a PURPOSE marker it means "(in order) to" and follows a da + present: Učim da položim ispit ("I study in order to pass the exam"). After verbs of wanting, needing and modals, da + present is the normal Serbian complement instead of an infinitive: hoću da idem, moram da radim, počinjem da učim. Notice that da is followed by a finite verb in the present, never by an English-style "to + infinitive". The same da covers both "that" and "to".

Key rule

da + finite present serves as both "that" (complement) and "to/in order to" (purpose), and is the default after want/need/modal/phase verbs — never da + infinitive.

Examples

Mislim da je sve u redu.
Mislim da biti sve u redu.
After complement da the verb is the finite present je, not an infinitive.
Hoću da idem na more.
Hoću ići na more.
Serbian default after hteti is da + present (da idem); the bare infinitive is the secondary written variant.
Učim da položim ispit.
Učim za položiti ispit.
Purpose "in order to" is da + present (da položim), not za + infinitive.

Common mistakes

Using an infinitive after da
Hoću da raditi.
Hoću da radim.
The verb after da is finite and agrees with the subject (radim), never the infinitive.
Defaulting to the bare infinitive after a modal
Moram ići sada.
Moram da idem sada.
Standard Serbian default after morati is da + present (da idem), not the infinitive.

A2Connectors

Cause Connectors: jer, zato što, pošto

Uzročni veznici — jer, zato što

To say "because", Serbian mainly uses jer and zato što. Jer always comes in the SECOND clause and gives the reason: Ostajem kod kuće jer pada kiša ("I'm staying home because it's raining"). Zato što means the same and can also stand after the main clause: Ne dolazim zato što sam bolestan. There is a related word pošto, meaning "since/because", which is comfortable at the START of the sentence: Pošto pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće. Don't begin a sentence with jer — it needs something before it. The word zato by itself means "that's why" (a result), so keep zato (result) and zato što (cause) apart. A comma usually comes before jer and zato što.

Key rule

Use jer or zato što (after the main clause) and pošto/budući da (fronted) for "because"; keep zato ("therefore", result) separate, and put a comma before jer/zato što.

Examples

Ostajem kod kuće jer pada kiša.
Jer pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće.
jer cannot open a sentence; for a fronted reason use pošto or zato što.
Pošto pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće.
Jer pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće.
When the reason comes first, use pošto (or budući da), not jer.
Ne dolazim zato što sam bolestan.
Ne dolazim zato sam bolestan.
Cause is zato što; bare zato means "therefore" (result), which is wrong here.

Common mistakes

Starting a sentence with jer
Jer pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće.
Pošto pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće.
jer must follow the main clause; a fronted reason takes pošto or budući da.
Confusing zato (result) with zato što (cause)
Ne dolazim zato sam bolestan.
Ne dolazim zato što sam bolestan.
Cause is zato što; bare zato means "therefore" and introduces a result.

A2Connectors

Concessive iako / mada (although)

Dopusni veznik iako, mada

To say "although" or "even though", Serbian uses iako and its synonym mada. They introduce something that you might expect to stop the main action, but it doesn't: Iako pada kiša, izlazim ("Although it's raining, I'm going out"). The iako-clause can come first or second; when it comes first, put a comma after it. Mada means the same and is a touch more colloquial: Mada je umoran, radi. Don't add ali ("but") in the main clause — Serbian uses just one concessive marker, unlike English, which sometimes pairs "although" with "yet/still". The verb after iako/mada is finite and agrees with its subject.

Key rule

Use iako or mada for "although"; the clause may come first (comma after) or second, and you must NOT add ali in the main clause.

Examples

Iako pada kiša, izlazim.
Iako pada kiša, ali izlazim.
Serbian uses one concessive marker; adding ali in the main clause is redundant and wrong.
Izlazim iako pada kiša.
Izlazim ako pada kiša.
ako ("if") is a condition; the intended "although" is iako — one letter changes the meaning.
Mada je umoran, nastavlja da radi.
Mada je umoran, ipak ali radi.
One concessive marker suffices; do not stack ali after mada.

Common mistakes

Adding ali in the main clause after iako
Iako pada kiša, ali izlazim.
Iako pada kiša, izlazim.
Serbian uses a single concessive marker; the English "although … but" pairing is wrong here.
Confusing iako (although) with ako (if)
Ako pada kiša, izlazim svejedno.
Iako pada kiša, izlazim svejedno.
Concession is iako; ako means the condition "if".

A2Connectors

Temporal dok (while / until)

Vremenski veznik dok

The connector dok handles two related time meanings. It means "while" for two things happening at the same time: Dok jedem, gledam TV ("While I eat, I watch TV") — here both verbs are imperfective. It also means "until", and in that meaning Serbian inserts ne before the verb, even though nothing negative is meant: Čekaj dok ne dođem ("Wait until I come"). This dok ne is not a real negation — it is just how Serbian expresses "until". When dok means "while", use imperfective verbs (ongoing actions); when it means "until (a point is reached)", use a perfective verb with ne. A comma comes before dok when the dok-clause follows, and after it when it comes first.

Key rule

dok = "while" with imperfective verbs (simultaneous actions); dok ne = "until" with a perfective verb, where ne is required but does NOT mean "not".

Examples

Dok jedem, gledam televiziju.
Dok pojedem, gledam televiziju.
"While" needs the imperfective jedem for an ongoing action; perfective pojedem marks a completed event.
Čekaj dok ne dođem.
Čekaj dok dođem.
"Until" requires dok NE + perfective; omitting ne is ungrammatical in this meaning.
Ostani ovde dok ne završimo.
Ostani ovde dok ne završavamo.
The endpoint "until we finish" takes the perfective završimo, not the imperfective završavamo.

Common mistakes

Omitting ne in the "until" meaning
Čekaj dok dođem.
Čekaj dok ne dođem.
Serbian marks "until" with dok ne; the ne is obligatory and does not mean "not".
Adding ne in the "while" meaning
Dok ne jedem, gledam TV.
Dok jedem, gledam TV.
Simultaneous "while" takes no ne; ne would force the unintended "until/while not" reading.

A2Verb tenses

Perfekat — Formation (auxiliary clitic + l-participle)

Perfekat — građenje

The perfekat is the everyday past tense in Serbian — what you use for almost any completed action. It is made of two parts: the short present-tense clitic of the verb 'biti' (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su) plus the past participle of the main verb, called the radni glagolski pridev. To build that participle you drop the infinitive ending -ti and add -o for a masculine subject, -la for feminine, -lo for neuter, and -li / -le / -la in the plural. So 'raditi' gives 'radio sam' (a man) or 'radila sam' (a woman). The auxiliary almost always comes before the participle, and it must sit in second position in the clause.

Key rule

Perfekat = present clitic of 'biti' (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su) + the l-participle (drop -ti, add -o / -la / -lo / -li / -le / -la), with the participle agreeing in gender and number.

Examples

Ja sam radio ceo dan.
Ja radio ceo dan.
The perfekat needs the auxiliary 'sam'; the bare participle is not a finite verb in a main clause.
Ana je čitala knjigu.
Ana je čitao knjigu.
Ana is feminine, so the participle is 'čitala', not the masculine 'čitao'.
Mi smo gledali film.
Mi gledali smo film.
The clitic 'smo' must stand in second position, not after the participle at the start.

Common mistakes

Omitting the auxiliary 'biti'
Ja kupio auto.
Ja sam kupio auto.
The perfekat is built from the auxiliary plus the participle; without 'sam' there is no finite verb.
Wrong gender on the participle
Marija je radio.
Marija je radila.
The l-participle agrees with the subject's gender; a feminine subject needs -la.

A2Verb tenses

Perfekat — Participle Agreement (radio / radila / radili)

Perfekat — slaganje radnog prideva

In the perfekat the participle (radni glagolski pridev) always agrees with the subject in gender and number, while the auxiliary shows the person. A man says 'radio sam', a woman says 'radila sam', and for a mixed or all-male group you say 'radili smo'. The endings are -o for masculine singular, -la for feminine singular, -lo for neuter singular, and -li / -le / -la in the plural. With a polite 'Vi' to one person you still use the plural participle: 'Vi ste radili'. Watch the ekavian jat verbs: their masculine form is -eo and feminine -ela (video / videla, voleo / volela), never a flat -e.

Key rule

The l-participle agrees with the subject's gender and number (-o / -la / -lo / -li / -le / -la); jat verbs show -eo (m) and -ela (f); polite 'Vi' takes the plural participle.

Examples

On je radio u banci.
On je radila u banci.
A masculine subject takes the participle 'radio', not the feminine 'radila'.
Ona je radila u banci.
Ona je radio u banci.
A feminine subject takes 'radila', not the masculine 'radio'.
Oni su došli na vreme.
Oni su došla na vreme.
Masculine plural takes -li ('došli'); 'došla' is the neuter form.

Common mistakes

Masculine participle with a feminine subject
Majka je kuvao ručak.
Majka je kuvala ručak.
'Majka' is feminine, so the participle must be 'kuvala'.
Neuter plural -la used for masculine -li
Dečaci su trčala.
Dečaci su trčali.
Masculine plural ('dečaci') takes -li, not the neuter -la.

A2Verb tenses

Perfekat — Negation (nisam radio)

Perfekat — odrični oblik

To put the perfekat into the negative, you negate the auxiliary 'biti', not the participle. The negative forms are written as one word: nisam, nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu. So 'I worked' (radio sam) becomes 'I did not work' (nisam radio). Unlike the positive auxiliary, the negative form is stressed and does not have to sit in second position — it can even open the sentence: 'Nisam radio danas.' Never split it into *ne sam, and never put 'ne' in front of the participle. The participle keeps its normal gender and number agreement (nisam radio / nisam radila).

Key rule

Negate the perfekat on the auxiliary, written as one word (nisam, nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu) + the agreeing participle; never *ne sam and never 'ne' before the participle.

Examples

Nisam radio juče.
Ne sam radio juče.
The negative auxiliary is one word 'nisam'; *ne sam is never written separately.
Ona nije došla.
Ona ne je došla.
The negative of 'je' is 'nije', written as one word.
Nismo gledali taj film.
Ne smo gledali taj film.
'Nismo' is the single negative form of 'smo'.

Common mistakes

Splitting the negative auxiliary
Ja ne sam radila.
Ja nisam radila.
The negative auxiliary is one fused word 'nisam', never 'ne sam'.
Putting 'ne' before the participle
On je ne došao.
On nije došao.
In the perfekat the negation lives on the auxiliary, giving 'nije', not 'ne' + participle.

A2Verb tenses

Perfekat — Clitic & Word Order (Juče sam radio)

Perfekat — red reči i enklitike

The auxiliary of the perfekat (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su) is an unstressed clitic, so it must stand in second position — right after the first stressed word or phrase of the clause. If the subject pronoun is there, the order is 'Ja sam radio'; if an adverb opens the sentence, it is 'Juče sam radio'; if the participle leads, it is 'Radio sam juče'. You cannot start a clause with the bare clitic, and you cannot push it to the end. When object clitics join in, they line up before 'je': aux + dative + accusative + se + je. One special rule: the third-person 'je' disappears next to reflexive 'se', so you say 'nasmejao se', not 'nasmejao se je'.

Key rule

The perfekat auxiliary is a second-position clitic; the cluster order is aux → dat → acc → se → je, with 'je' dropping next to reflexive 'se' (nasmejao se, not *nasmejao se je).

Examples

Juče sam radio do kasno.
Juče radio sam do kasno.
The clitic 'sam' goes in second position, right after 'juče'.
Radio sam ceo dan.
Sam radio ceo dan.
A clause cannot start with the bare clitic; here the participle takes first position.
Knjigu sam pročitao.
Knjigu pročitao sam.
After the fronted object, the clitic must come in second position.

Common mistakes

Clitic placed after the participle
Juče radio sam.
Juče sam radio.
The clitic must occupy second position, right after the first stressed word.
Clause beginning with the bare clitic
Sam video film.
Video sam film.
A clitic cannot stand first; the participle (or another word) takes first position.

A2Verb tenses

Futur I — Fused Spelling (radiću, pevaćeš)

Futur I — sažeti oblik (radiću)

The future tense (futur I) is built from the verb plus the short forms of 'hteti': ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će. When these little words come AFTER the verb, Serbian writes them as one word and drops the infinitive's final -i: raditi → radiću, radićeš, radiće, radićemo, radićete, radiće. So 'pevati' gives 'pevaću', and 'učiti' gives 'učiću'. This fused spelling is the standard written Serbian form (do not separate it the way Croatian writes 'radit ću'). The fusion only happens with verbs whose infinitive ends in -ti; verbs in -ći keep the words apart (doći ću). The participle/gender does not matter here — futur I does not agree in gender.

Key rule

When ću/ćeš/će… follow a -ti infinitive, write one fused word and drop the final -i: raditi → radiću, pevati → pevaću, učiti → učiću (Serbian standard, not the separated 'radit ću').

Examples

Radiću sutra ceo dan.
Radit ću sutra ceo dan.
Standard Serbian fuses the form into 'radiću'; the separated 'radit ću' is not Serbian.
Pevaćeš na koncertu.
Pevati ćeš na koncertu.
The infinitive's -ti drops and 'ćeš' fuses: 'pevaćeš', not 'pevati ćeš'.
Učiću za ispit.
Učiti ću za ispit.
From 'učiti' the fused future is 'učiću'; do not keep the full infinitive.

Common mistakes

Separated Croatian-style spelling
Radit ću sutra.
Radiću sutra.
Standard Serbian fuses the auxiliary onto the verb: 'radiću', written as one word.
Keeping the full infinitive before the clitic
Pevati ću na sceni.
Pevaću na sceni.
The infinitive's -ti drops and the auxiliary fuses: 'pevaću'.

A2Verb tenses

Futur I — Separate (ja ću da radim / ja ću raditi)

Futur I — rastavljeni oblik

When the subject or the auxiliary comes first in the clause, the future is NOT fused. Instead you keep the auxiliary separate and follow it either with 'da' + present (the most common spoken Serbian option) or with the infinitive: 'Ja ću da radim' or 'Ja ću raditi'. Both mean 'I will work'. You never combine the two patterns — *ja ću radiću is wrong, because the fused form is only for when the auxiliary follows the verb. The 'da + present' version is very natural in everyday Serbian, so 'Sutra ću da učim' is the form you will hear most. Remember: subject first → keep ću separate.

Key rule

Subject/auxiliary first → keep the auxiliary separate: 'ja ću da radim' (preferred, spoken) or 'ja ću raditi'; never the fused *ja ću radiću.

Examples

Ja ću da radim sutra.
Ja ću radiću sutra.
With the subject fronted, the auxiliary stays separate; the fused 'radiću' cannot follow 'ću'.
Ja ću raditi sutra.
Ja radit ću sutra.
The infinitive variant keeps 'ću' separate after the subject; the Croatian 'radit ću' is not Serbian.
On će da dođe kasnije.
On će dođe kasnije.
After the separate auxiliary you need 'da' + present ('da dođe'), not a bare present.

Common mistakes

Fusing when the subject is fronted
Ja ću radiću.
Ja ću da radim.
Fusion only happens when the auxiliary follows the verb; after a fronted subject keep it separate.
Omitting 'da' before the present
On će dođe.
On će da dođe.
The separate auxiliary needs 'da' + present (or the infinitive), not a bare present form.

A2Verb tenses

Futur I — Verbs in -ći (doći ću, reći ću)

Futur I — glagoli na -ći

Verbs whose infinitive ends in -ći behave differently from -ti verbs in the future. They do NOT fuse with the auxiliary, even when the auxiliary follows. So you write 'doći ću', 'reći ćeš', 'poći će' as two separate words — never *doćiću or *rećićeš. The reason is that -ći is not a simple -ti ending that can drop an -i; the whole -ći stays. Common -ći verbs include doći (to come), otići (to leave), reći (to say), poći (to set off), naći (to find), and stići (to arrive). With these, the rule is simple: keep the auxiliary as a separate word right after the infinitive.

Key rule

Verbs in -ći never fuse in futur I — keep the auxiliary separate after the full infinitive: doći ću, reći ćeš, naći ćemo (never *doćiću).

Examples

Doći ću sutra ujutru.
Doćiću sutra ujutru.
The -ći infinitive does not fuse; write 'doći ću' as two words.
Reći ćeš mu istinu.
Rećićeš mu istinu.
'Reći' keeps its full form; the auxiliary stays separate.
Naći ćemo rešenje.
Naćićemo rešenje.
'Naći' + 'ćemo' stay apart: 'naći ćemo'.

Common mistakes

Fusing a -ći verb
Doćiću sutra.
Doći ću sutra.
Only -ti infinitives fuse; -ći verbs keep the auxiliary separate.
Dropping a letter to force a fusion
Rećću ti.
Reći ću ti.
You cannot clip '-ći' to fuse; write the full infinitive plus the separate auxiliary.

A2Verb tenses

Imperative — Formation (Radi! Pišite! Dođi!)

Imperativ — građenje

The imperative gives commands, requests, and instructions. It has three forms: 'you' singular (radi!), 'you' plural / polite (radite!), and 'let's' (radimo!). You build it from the present-tense stem: for most verbs add -i / -ite / -imo (radi, radite, radimo), and for verbs whose stem ends in a vowel add -j / -jte / -jmo (pij, pijte; čuj, čujte). Some common verbs are irregular: 'doći' → dođi, dođite; 'reći' → reci, recite; 'biti' → budi, budite. To make a negative command, put 'ne' before the imperative (Ne idi!) or use 'nemoj' / 'nemojte' + da + present (Nemoj da ideš!). Use 'radite' politely with one person you address as 'Vi'.

Key rule

Build the imperative from the present stem: -i/-ite/-imo (radi, radite, radimo) or -j/-jte/-jmo after a vowel (pij, pijte); negate with 'ne' + imperative or 'nemoj(te)' + da + present.

Examples

Radi domaći zadatak!
Radiš domaći zadatak!
The 2sg imperative is 'radi', not the present 'radiš'.
Pišite čitko, molim vas.
Pišete čitko, molim vas.
The 2pl imperative is 'pišite'; 'pišete' is the present indicative.
Dođi ovamo!
Dolazi ovamo odmah dođeš!
The irregular imperative of 'doći' is 'dođi'.

Common mistakes

Using the present instead of the imperative
Radiš zadatak!
Radi zadatak!
The 2sg imperative is 'radi'; 'radiš' is the indicative present.
Adding -i to a vowel-final stem
Piji čaj!
Pij čaj!
Vowel-final present stems take -j, giving 'pij', not 'piji'.

A2Verb tenses

Futur I — Plans & Predictions (Sutra ću putovati)

Futur I — planovi i predviđanja

Once you can build the future, you use it to talk about plans, promises, intentions, and predictions. 'Doći ću sutra' is a plan; 'Javiću ti se' is a promise; 'Biće lepo vreme' is a prediction. For the verb 'biti' the future is 'biću, bićeš, biće…' and it is very common in forecasts and statements about the future ('Biće hladno', 'Sve će biti u redu'). Serbian also lets you use the present tense for a scheduled future when the time is clear ('Sutra putujem'), but the futur I is the all-purpose way to express what will happen. With time words like 'sutra', 'sledeće nedelje', 'uskoro', the future fits naturally.

Key rule

Use futur I for plans, intentions, promises, and predictions ('Doći ću sutra', 'Biće lepo vreme'); the future of 'biti' is biću/bićeš/biće, and the present-for-future stays only for clearly scheduled events.

Examples

Sutra ću da putujem na more.
Sutra sam putovao na more.
A plan for tomorrow needs the future, not the past.
Biće lepo vreme za vikend.
Je lepo vreme za vikend.
A prediction about the weekend uses the future 'biće'.
Javiću ti se večeras.
Javim ti se večeras.
A promise is naturally in the future 'javiću'; the bare present is weaker here.

Common mistakes

Past tense for a future plan
Sutra sam putovao.
Sutra ću da putujem.
Plans pointing to the future need the futur I, not the perfekat.
Present 'je' instead of future of 'biti'
Sutra je lepo vreme.
Sutra će biti lepo vreme.
A weather prediction uses the future 'će biti'.

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A2 Serbian Grammar — 63 Topics & Common Mistakes

Aspect — The Core Concept (Perfective vs Imperfective)

Aspect Pairs (pisati/napisati, čitati/pročitati)

Perfectivising by Prefix (pisati → napisati)

Aspect in the Past (radio sam / uradio sam)

Perfective Verbs Have No Present-Time Meaning

Aspect after Modals + da (moram da uradim)

Imperfective for Habit & Repetition (Svaki dan čitam)

Perfective for a Single Completed Event (Pojeo sam jabuku)

Adjective–Noun Agreement — Nominative

Definite vs Indefinite Adjective — Nominative

Adjective Agreement — Oblique Singular

Full Singular Noun Declension

Comparative Degree

Superlative Degree

Irregular Comparison

Predicate Adjective Agreement

Possessive Adjectives -ov/-ev/-in

Plural Nominative Formation (-i, -e, -a)

Genitive Plural (-a, -i, -∅)

Plural D/L/I Syncretism (-ima / -ama)

Accusative Plural (= Nominative form, no animacy)

Adjective Agreement in the Plural (dobri ljudi)

Irregular & Short Plurals (ljudi, deca, braća)

Neuter Plural with -et-/-en- Extension (ime → imena)

Plural Declension — Full Overview

Large Cardinal Numbers (hundreds, thousands, millions)

The Counted Form after 2, 3, 4 (the paucal)

Genitive Plural after 5 and above

Declension of jedan / dva / tri / četiri

Ordinal Numbers (prvi, drugi, treći)

Dates — Full Format (treći mart; 3. marta)

Telling Time — Advanced (pola, i petnaest, do)

Two-Case u / na — Motion (Accusative) vs Location (Locative)

o / po — Locative (about / around) vs Accusative (po = to fetch)

Instrumental Prepositions (s/sa, pred, za, nad, pod, među)

Genitive Prepositions Extended (kod, pored, ispred, iza, ispod, iznad, zbog, bez)

Dative Prepositions (prema, ka, nasuprot)

za — Accusative (purpose / for) vs Genitive (during)

Motion Prepositions Paired (iz↔u, sa↔na, od↔kod)

Accusative Clitics (me, te, ga, je, nas, vas, ih)

Clitic Order: Dative before Accusative (Dao mi ga je)

Clitics in Second Position — Introduction

The Clitic je — Position & je-Drop with se

Reflexive se / sebe / sebi — Use

The Relative/Interrogative koji — Introduction

Declension of ovaj / taj / onaj

Declension of Possessives (moj, naš, njegov)

Clitic Cluster in Second Position

Negative Concord with ni-words

kad (when) & ako (if) Clauses

da-Clauses: Purpose & Complement

Cause Connectors: jer, zato što, pošto

Concessive iako / mada (although)

Temporal dok (while / until)

Perfekat — Formation (auxiliary clitic + l-participle)

Perfekat — Participle Agreement (radio / radila / radili)

Perfekat — Negation (nisam radio)

Perfekat — Clitic & Word Order (Juče sam radio)

Futur I — Fused Spelling (radiću, pevaćeš)

Futur I — Separate (ja ću da radim / ja ću raditi)

Futur I — Verbs in -ći (doći ću, reći ću)

Imperative — Formation (Radi! Pišite! Dođi!)

Futur I — Plans & Predictions (Sutra ću putovati)