Ako, kad bi, da sam znao: three conditions, three different tenses
English covers the dream and the regret alike with "if". Serbian splits them between different links, and the choice is obligatory. For example: “Ако сутра буде лепо време, идемо на реку” — If the weather is nice tomorrow, we are going to the river. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English covers the dream and the regret alike with "if". Serbian splits them between different links, and the choice is obligatory.
A real condition: ako plus the present. Ako imaš vremena, dođi. Ako sutra bude lepo, idemo na reku. The present stands even when you mean the future.
A possible one: kad plus bih, with bih in the other half as well. Kad bih imao vremena, došao bih. This is the "if only" you may still dream about.
One that never happened: da plus a past tense, then bih. Da sam znao, ne bih došao. Hence the rule: ako is about what may still happen, da about what is already lost.
Table
| the type | the link and tense | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| real | ako + present | ako imaš vremena, dođi | if you have time, come |
| possible | kad + bih | kad bih imao, kupio bih | if I had one, I would buy it |
| unfulfilled | da + past | da sam znao, ne bih došao | had I known, I would not have come |
| a condition | pod uslovom da | pod uslovom da platiš | on condition that you pay |
| a concession | čak i ako | čak i ako pada kiša | even if it is raining |
| otherwise | u suprotnom | požuri, u suprotnom kasnimo | hurry, or we will be late |
| purpose | da bi | da bih stigao na voz | so as to catch the train |
| time | pre nego što | pre nego što kreneš | before you set off |
By example
- Ако сутра буде лепо време, идемо на рекуAko sutra bude lepo vreme, idemo na rekuIf the weather is nice tomorrow, we are going to the river
- Кад бих знао одговор, рекао бих ти одмахKad bih znao odgovor, rekao bih ti odmahIf I knew the answer, I would tell you right away
- Да смо кренули на време, не бисмо закаснилиDa smo krenuli na vreme, ne bismo zakasniliHad we left on time, we would not have been late
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
Ako, kad bi, da sam znao: how does it work in Serbian?
English covers the dream and the regret alike with "if". Serbian splits them between different links, and the choice is obligatory.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Ако сутра буде лепо време, идемо на реку” (Ako sutra bude lepo vreme, idemo na reku) — If the weather is nice tomorrow, we are going to the river. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.