In the previous lesson – Introduction to Serbian cases (open this page in the next tab) we considered each case in the Serbian language, and in this lesson, we will apply the cases with Serbian pronouns.
The table below shows all declension by cases of all Serbian personal pronouns.
Nom. | Ja | Ti | On, Ono | Ona |
Gen. | Mene | Tebe | Njega | Nje |
Dat. | Meni, mi | Tebi, ti | Njemu, mu | Njoj/Joj |
Acc. | Mene, me | Tebe, te | Njega, ga | Nju, je |
Inst. | Mnom | Tobom | Njim | Njom |
Loc. | Meni | Tebi | Njemu | Njoj |
Voc. | – | Ti | – | – |
Nom. | Mi | Vi | Oni, One, Ona |
Gen. | Nas | Vas | Njih, ih |
Dat. | Nama, nam | Vama, vam | Njima, im |
Acc. | Nas | Vas | Njih, ih |
Inst. | Nama | Vama | Njima, im |
Loc. | Nama | Vama | Njima, im |
Voc. | – | Vi | – |
Now, look with attention to the dative and accusative cases of each pronoun. They have long and short versions, and we need to know when and which of them we have to use. Here is the explanation: we use the long version only to emphasize the pronoun. When you don’t need to emphasize it, use a short version. Also, you definitely noticed that the pronouns Oni, One have a short form in each case – the same
Examples
Dao sam joj knjigu – I gave the book to her. Joj – dative case, because this is the indirect object of “dati – to give”.
Šta misliš o njima? – What do you think about them? Njima – locative case, because it is used with the preposition “O – about”.
Ja radim sa njim – I work with him. Njim – instrumental case, because it is used with the preposition “SA – with”.
Kada odlaziš od nas? – When do you leave us? Nas – genitive case, because it is used with the preposition „Od – from“.
Dao sam nu sto dinara – I have him 100 dinars. Mu – dative case, the indirect object of “dati – to give”.
Čuješ me dobro? – Do you hear me well? Me – accusative, direct object of čuti – to hear.
Volim te – I love you. Te – accusative, direct object of “voleti – to love”
Ovo je automobil mojeg otca – This is the car of my father. Mojeg – genitive, because it describes possession.
Da li si joj pomogao? – Did you help her? Joj – dative case, indirect object of “pomoći – to help”.
Ništa mi ne treba od tebe – I don’t need anything from you. Tebe – genitive, after the preposition “OD – from”.
Zašto ne veruješ njima? – Why you don’t believe them? Njima – dative case, indirect object of “Verovati – to believe”
Šta ti znaš o njima? – What do you know about them? Njima – locative case, after the preposition “O – about”.
Vocabulary
odlaziti – to leave čuti – to hear pomagati(imp.) /pomoći(perf.) – to help automobil – car otac – father verovati(imp.) /poverovati(perf.) – to believe davati(imp.) /dati(perf.) – to give |
Exercises
Decline pronouns in appropriate cases
- Da li _________ vidiš među tim ljudima? (ON – he) – Can you see him among these people?
- Ćete raditi sa __________? (MI – we) – Will you work with us?
- Šta vi ________ ponudite? (JA – I) – What do you offer me?
- Molim vas, recite _____ o ________ (JA – I, ONA – she) – Please, tell me about her
- Ulaz je pred _________(TI – you) – The entrance is in front of you
- Moj prijatelj je _____ rekao o svojih putovanjah (JA – I) – My friend told me about his travels
- Ovde nema ništa za ________ (VI – you) – There is not anything for you
- Oni su pomogli _________ (MI – we) – They helped us
- Šta se moze da daje ____________ umesto novca? (ONI – they) – What one can give them instead of money?
- Ponosni smo na __________ (ON – he) – We are proud of him
- Gde si _______ pronašla (ON – he) – Where have you found him?
- Zašto ne poštuješ ______________ (ONI – they) – Why don’t you respect them?
- Ja stojim desno od ________________ (ONA – she) – I stand right from her
- Šta ćeš pokloniti _________________ na njen rođendan? (ONA – she) – What will you present her for her birthday?
- Naša učiteljica u školi naučila je ____________ govoriti na Ruskom jeziku (MI – we) – Our school teacher has taught us to speak the Russian language
- Koliko sati još moram da ___ čekam? (TI – you) – How many hours do I have to wait for you yet?
Answers
1: ga; 2: nama; 3: mi; 4: mi, njoj; 5: tobom; 6: mi; 7: vas; 8: nama; 9: njima; 10: njega; 11: ga; 12: njih; 13: njoj; 14: joj; 15: nas; 16: te