Seven cases — and English prepositions do their job
English lost its endings and handed the work to prepositions: of, to, with, in. Serbian keeps the work inside the word itself. For example: “Живим у Београду” — I live in Belgrade. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English lost its endings and handed the work to prepositions: of, to, with, in. Serbian keeps the work inside the word itself.
There are seven shapes. Six of them do what those prepositions do. The seventh is the calling shape, used when you speak to someone: Ana → Ano!, drug → druže!
The minimum for now comes after u (in), when you answer "where". Masculine words take -u, feminine ones -i: u Beogradu, u kući.
By example
- Живим у БеоградуŽivim u BeograduI live in Belgrade
- Идем у продавницуIdem u prodavnicuI am going to the shop
- Хвала, друже!Hvala, druže!Thanks, friend!
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Seven cases — and English prepositions do their job: how does it work in Serbian?
English lost its endings and handed the work to prepositions: of, to, with, in. Serbian keeps the work inside the word itself.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Живим у Београду” (Živim u Beogradu) — I live in Belgrade. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.