Počeo je da radi: phase verbs, after which no to-form survives
This unit is all about the beginning, the continuation and the end of an action, and here comes an unpleasant discovery: the beloved English construction "started to work" sounds bookish and rare in Serbian. Living Serbian says počeo je da radi. For example: “Почели смо да радимо у седам и завршили посао у пет” — We started working at seven and finished the job at five. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on…
How it works
This unit is all about the beginning, the continuation and the end of an action, and here comes an unpleasant discovery: the beloved English construction "started to work" sounds bookish and rare in Serbian. Living Serbian says počeo je da radi.
The rule is one: after a phase verb comes da plus the present. Počeo sam da radim, nastavio je da priča, prestali smo da čekamo, krenuo je da piše. The to-form (počeo sam raditi) is grammatical, found in Croatia and on paper — in Belgrade it sounds like a translation.
The person in the clause matches the main verb. Počeo sam da radim — not "da radi". This is the main difference from the English to-form, which has no person at all, and the top source of first-year slips.
Which verbs behave so. Početi, započeti, nastaviti, prestati, krenuti, stići, uspeti, umeti, znati, moći, hteti, morati, smeti, trebati, voleti, planirati, zaboraviti. The list is long — easier to remember the reverse: the to-form almost never shows up in Serbian speech.
Where Serbian wants not da but a direct object. Prekinuti, obustaviti, završiti take a noun: prekinuo je razgovor — he cut the conversation short, obustavili su radove — they halted the works, završili smo posao — we finished the job. Saying "obustavio je da radi" is impossible.
And two verbs with the of-form. Latiti se and pridržavati se demand it: latio se posla — he set to work, pridržavaj se pravila — stick to the rules. English "set to / stick to" carries no case warning; the of-form has to be learned anew.
Table
| the verb | what follows it | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| početi | da + present | počeo je da radi | he started working |
| nastaviti | da + present | nastavio je da priča | he kept talking |
| prestati | da + present | prestao je da puši | he quit smoking |
| uspeti | da + present | uspeo je da završi | he managed to finish |
| umeti | da + present | ne ume da objasni | he cannot explain |
| prekinuti | the object form | prekinuo je razgovor | he cut the talk short |
| obustaviti | the object form | obustavili su radove | they halted the works |
| latiti se | the of-form | latio se posla | he set to work |
By example
- Почели смо да радимо у седам и завршили посао у петPočeli smo da radimo u sedam i završili posao u petWe started working at seven and finished the job at five
- Престао је да пуши, али је наставио да пије кафуPrestao je da puši, ali je nastavio da pije kafuHe quit smoking but kept drinking coffee
- Латио се посла и није дигао руке до крајаLatio se posla i nije digao ruke do krajaHe set to work and did not throw up his hands till the end
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
Počeo je da radi: how does it work in Serbian?
This unit is all about the beginning, the continuation and the end of an action, and here comes an unpleasant discovery: the beloved English construction "started to work" sounds bookish and rare in Serbian. Living Serbian says počeo je da radi.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Почели смо да радимо у седам и завршили посао у пет” (Počeli smo da radimo u sedam i završili posao u pet) — We started working at seven and finished the job at five. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.