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 |
| Loc. | Nama | Vama | Njima |
| Voc. | – | Vi | – |
Now, look carefully at 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 have probably noticed that the pronouns Oni, One, Ona share the same forms in every case.
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 mu sto dinara – I gave 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 oca – 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 don’t you 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?
- Da li ćete raditi sa __________? (MI – we) – Will you work with us?
- Šta ___ vi nudite? (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 pričao o svojim putovanjima (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 može dati ____________ umesto novca? (ONI – they) – What can one give them instead of money?
- Ponosni smo na __________ (ON – he) – We are proud of him
- Gde si _______ pronašla? (ON – he) – Where did you find him?
- Zašto ne poštuješ ______________ (ONI – they) – Why don’t you respect them?
- Ja stojim desno od ________________ (ONA – she) – I stand to the right of her
- Šta ćeš pokloniti _________________ za njen rođendan? (ONA – she) – What will you give her for her birthday?
- Naša učiteljica u školi ___ je naučila da govorimo ruski (MI – we) – Our school teacher taught us to speak Russian
- Koliko sati još moram da ___ čekam? (TI – you) – How many more hours do I have to wait for you?
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: nje; 14: joj; 15: nas; 16: te