Nedostaješ mi: why the one who misses is not the one missing
Serbian tells about feelings from the other side. English makes the feeler the subject: I miss you. Serbian usually makes the cause of the feeling the subject and puts the person beside it in a short word. For example: “Недостајеш ми откад си се одселила” — I have missed you since you moved out. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Serbian tells about feelings from the other side. English makes the feeler the subject: I miss you. Serbian usually makes the cause of the feeling the subject and puts the person beside it in a short word.
The model is Nedostaješ mi, word for word "you are missing to me". The subject is you, the one who is missed, and the verb agrees with you. So "you miss me" comes out as Nedostajem ti.
Built the same way: Sviđa mi se — I like it, Prija mi — it feels good. Or Dosadilo mi je — I am fed up, Žao mi je — I am sorry. The person stands in mi, ti, mu, joj.
Another gang puts the person in me instead. Sramota me je — I am ashamed, Strah me je — I am scared, Boli me — it hurts.
Table
| the phrase | the person's case | the subject | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| nedostaješ mi | to-case | you | I miss you |
| sviđa mi se | to-case | it | I like it |
| dosadilo mi je | to-case | it | I am fed up |
| žao mi ga je | to-case + whom-case | no person | I feel sorry for him |
| sramota me je | whom-case | no person | I am ashamed |
| strah me je | whom-case | no person | I am scared |
| mrzi me | whom-case | no person | I cannot be bothered |
| ponosim se | the person is the subject | I | I am proud |
By example
- Недостајеш ми откад си се одселилаNedostaješ mi otkad si se odselilaI have missed you since you moved out
- Срамота ме је што сам заборавио да се јавимSramota me je što sam zaboravio da se javimI am ashamed I forgot to get in touch
- Свиђа ми се како се понаша према дециSviđa mi se kako se ponaša prema deciI like the way he behaves with children
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
Nedostaješ mi: how does it work in Serbian?
Serbian tells about feelings from the other side. English makes the feeler the subject: I miss you. Serbian usually makes the cause of the feeling the subject and puts the person beside it in a short word.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Недостајеш ми откад си се одселила” (Nedostaješ mi otkad si se odselila) — I have missed you since you moved out. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.