Almost no to-form: hoću da idem
English says "I want to go". Serbian says da plus an ordinary verb in the matching person: hoću da idem, word for word "I want that I go". For example: “Хоћу да једем” — I want to eat. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English says "I want to go". Serbian says da plus an ordinary verb in the matching person: hoću da idem, word for word "I want that I go".
The to-form exists — ići, jesti — but you will hardly ever hear it. In speech it marks a book or a foreigner.
Every word like "can" or "must" works the same way: moram da radim, možeš li da ponoviš? Learn the one pattern and you own them all.
By example
- Хоћу да једемHoću da jedemI want to eat
- Морам да радимMoram da radimI need to work
- Можеш ли да поновиш?Možeš li da ponoviš?Can you repeat that?
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
Why hoću da idem and not hoću ići?
English says "I want to go". Serbian says da plus an ordinary verb in the matching person: hoću da idem, word for word "I want that I go".
Does Serbian have an infinitive?
The to-form exists — ići, jesti — but you will hardly ever hear it. In speech it marks a book or a foreigner.
How to say I want to go in Serbian?
Every word like "can" or "must" works the same way: moram da radim, možeš li da ponoviš? Learn the one pattern and you own them all.
Why Serbian puts da after mogu and moram?
Every word like "can" or "must" works the same way: moram da radim, možeš li da ponoviš? Learn the one pattern and you own them all.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Хоћу да једем” (Hoću da jedem) — I want to eat. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.