-nje and -ost: a noun from a verb, a noun from an adjective
Grown-up speech leans on nouns the language did not start with: they are made out of verbs and adjectives. Two suffixes do that work, and both behave without surprises. For example: “Ажурирање је стигло ноћас и променило подешавања” — The update arrived overnight and changed the settings. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Grown-up speech leans on nouns the language did not start with: they are made out of verbs and adjectives. Two suffixes do that work, and both behave without surprises.
From a verb comes -nje: ažurirati → ažuriranje (an update), ponašati se → ponašanje, saosećati → saosećanje. All of them are neuter and bend like polje.
From an adjective comes -ost: usamljen → usamljenost (loneliness), pouzdan → pouzdanost, moguć → mogućnost. All of them are feminine: bez mogućnosti, o usamljenosti.
Why that is worth knowing. Meeting an unfamiliar uverenje, you know straight away it is neuter. Meeting pouzdanost, you know it is feminine and gives pouzdanosti.
Table
| the source word | the noun | gender | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ažurirati | ažuriranje | neuter | update (the act) |
| podešavati | podešavanja | neuter, pl. | settings |
| saosećati | saosećanje | neuter | sympathy |
| ponašati se | ponašanje | neuter | behavior |
| obavestiti | obaveštenje | neuter | a notification |
| usamljen | usamljenost | feminine | loneliness |
| moguć | mogućnost | feminine | possibility |
| drzak | drskost | feminine | audacity |
By example
- Ажурирање је стигло ноћас и променило подешавањаAžuriranje je stiglo noćas i promenilo podešavanjaThe update arrived overnight and changed the settings
- Његово понашање је било велико разочарање за све насNjegovo ponašanje je bilo veliko razočaranje za sve nasHis behavior was a huge disappointment to all of us
- Усамљеност у новом граду прође за неколико месециUsamljenost u novom gradu prođe za nekoliko meseciThe loneliness of a new city wears off in a few months
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
-nje and -ost: how does it work in Serbian?
Grown-up speech leans on nouns the language did not start with: they are made out of verbs and adjectives. Two suffixes do that work, and both behave without surprises.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Ажурирање је стигло ноћас и променило подешавања” (Ažuriranje je stiglo noćas i promenilo podešavanja) — The update arrived overnight and changed the settings. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.