Serbian conjunctions and complex sentences

In this lesson, we will learn Serbian conjunctions — the small words that connect words and sentences, like “and, but, or, because, although”. With them, you will be able to build long, natural sentences instead of short simple ones.

Basic conjunctions

I – and

Kupio sam hleb i mleko – I bought bread and milk

A – and/while (contrast between two things)

Ja radim, a on se odmara – I am working, and (while) he is resting

Ali – but

Želim da dođem, ali ne mogu – I want to come, but I can’t

Ili – or

Čaj ili kafa? – Tea or coffee?

Pa – so, and then

Završili smo posao, pa smo otišli kući – We finished the work, so we went home

Ni … ni – neither … nor

Ne volim ni čaj ni kafu – I like neither tea nor coffee

Ne samo … nego i – not only … but also

Ona govori ne samo srpski nego i ruski – She speaks not only Serbian but also Russian

DA – the most important Serbian conjunction

You already know DA from the construction with modal verbs (želim da radim – I want to work). DA also means “that” and connects two sentences:

Znam da si u pravu – I know that you are right

Mislim da će padati kiša – I think that it will rain

Rekao mi je da dolazi sutra – He told me that he is coming tomorrow

Conjunctions of cause and purpose

Jer / zato što – because

Ostajem kod kuće jer sam bolestan – I am staying at home because I am sick

Učim srpski zato što volim Srbiju – I am learning Serbian because I love Serbia

Zato – that’s why, therefore

Bio sam umoran, zato sam otišao ranije – I was tired, that’s why I left earlier

Da bi – in order to

Učim svaki dan da bih brzo napredovao – I study every day in order to progress quickly (notice: da bih for JA, da bi for TI/ON/ONA, da bismo for MI, da biste for VI)

Conjunctions of time and condition

Kada (kad) – when

Kada dođeš, pozovi me – When you arrive, call me

Dok – while / until

Dok ti kuvaš, ja ću postaviti sto – While you cook, I will set the table

Čekaj ovde dok se ne vratim – Wait here until I come back (notice the NE with “until”)

Čim – as soon as

Čim završim, javiću ti – As soon as I finish, I will let you know

Ako – if

Ako imaš vremena, dođi kod nas – If you have time, come to our place

Pre nego što – before

Operi ruke pre nego što jedeš – Wash your hands before you eat

Pošto – after / since

Pošto smo večerali, gledali smo film – After we had dinner, we watched a film

Conjunctions of contrast

Iako / mada – although

Iako je padala kiša, išli smo u šetnju – Although it was raining, we went for a walk

Kao što – as, like

Sve je bilo kao što sam očekivao – Everything was as I expected

Relative pronouns KOJI, KOJA, KOJE – who/which/that

To connect a description to a noun, use KOJI. It behaves like an adjective and agrees with the noun in gender and number, while its case depends on its role in the second part of the sentence:

Čovek koji stoji tamo je moj komšija – The man who is standing there is my neighbor

Knjiga koju čitam je zanimljiva – The book that I am reading is interesting (koju – accusative, feminine)

Grad u kojem živim je mali – The city in which I live is small

Examples

Znam da učiš srpski i mislim da odlično napreduješ – I know that you are learning Serbian, and I think that you are progressing excellently

Hteo sam da kupim karte, ali blagajna je bila zatvorena – I wanted to buy tickets, but the ticket office was closed

Ako budeš imao pitanja, piši mi – If you have questions, write to me

Ne znam ni gde je on ni šta radi – I know neither where he is nor what he is doing

Čim naučiš ovih dvadeset pet lekcija, moći ćeš da pričaš o svemu – As soon as you learn these twenty-five lessons, you will be able to talk about everything

Uzmi kišobran zato što pada kiša – Take an umbrella because it is raining

Devojka koja sedi pored prozora je moja sestra – The girl who is sitting by the window is my sister

Vocabulary

odmarati se – to rest

bolestan – sick

umoran – tired

napredovati – to progress

kuvati – to cook

postaviti sto – to set the table

javiti – to let know

 oprati – to wash

večerati – to have dinner

šetnja – a walk

očekivati – to expect

komšija – neighbor

blagajna – ticket office

kišobran – umbrella

Exercises

Use the appropriate conjunction (i, a, ali, ili, da, jer, ako, kada, dok, čim, iako, koji/koja/koje)

  1. Volim kafu, ______________ ne volim čaj – I like coffee, but I don’t like tea
  2. Mislim ______________ je ovo dobra ideja – I think that this is a good idea
  3. Ne idem na posao ______________ sam bolestan – I am not going to work because I am sick
  4. ______________ bude sunčano, ići ćemo na plažu – If it is sunny, we will go to the beach (sunčano – sunny, plaža – beach)
  5. ______________ sam došao kući, počela je kiša – When I came home, the rain started
  6. Hoćeš sok ______________ vodu? – Do you want juice or water?
  7. ______________ je bio umoran, završio je posao – Although he was tired, he finished the work
  8. Žena ______________ radi u banci je moja tetka – The woman who works in the bank is my aunt (tetka – aunt)
  9. Ja ću kuvati, ______________ ti postavi sto – I will cook, and you set the table
  10. ______________ stigneš, javi mi – As soon as you arrive, let me know (stići – to arrive)

Answers

1: ali; 2: da; 3: jer/zato što; 4: ako; 5: kada; 6: ili; 7: iako; 8: koja; 9: a; 10: čim