LingoflyGive me that: short pronouns and the second-position rule
Serbian keeps a set of shrunken pronouns, and they do not choose their place. Their home is second in the sentence, right after the first stressed word. For example: “Позваћу (Pozvaću) те (te) вечерас” (Večeras) — I will call you tonight. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Serbian keeps a set of shrunken pronouns, and they do not choose their place. Their home is second in the sentence, right after the first stressed word.
The forms are few, so learn them by heart. Whom: me, te, ga, je, nas, vas, ih. To whom: mi, ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im. Vidim te, Daj mi to, Pozvaću ga.
When several of them meet, they line up in a strict order. First li, then the helper (sam, si, ću), then "to whom", then "whom", then se, and je last. Dao mi ga je — he gave it to me.
The full forms — mene, tebe, njega, njoj — are for stress and after prepositions. Mene pitaj, ne njega, Ovo je za tebe.
Table
| who | whom (full) | whom (short) | to whom (full) | to whom (short) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ja | mene | me | meni | mi |
| ti | tebe | te | tebi | ti |
| on, ono | njega | ga | njemu | mu |
| ona | nju | je | njoj | joj |
| mi | nas | nas | nama | nam |
| vi | vas | vas | vama | vam |
| oni | njih | ih | njima | im |
By example
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
Give me that: how does it work in Serbian?
Serbian keeps a set of shrunken pronouns, and they do not choose their place. Their home is second in the sentence, right after the first stressed word.
What does it look like in a Serbian example sentence?
“Позваћу (Pozvaću) те (te) вечерас” (Večeras) (Pozvaću te večeras) — I will call you tonight. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.