Language/Serbian/Grammar/Nouns

Serbian Grammar - Nouns

Hi Serbian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will cover the basics of Serbian nouns, one of the most important parts of speech in Serbian language. We will learn about masculine, feminine and neuter nouns, their declension, and how they are used in singular and plural forms.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Comaratives and Superlatives, Serbian language has 3 genders, Questions & Past Tense.

Nouns

Nouns are words that name people, animals, things or concepts. They are a central part of the sentence and Serbian language is no different in this regard. In Serbian, nouns have gender which can be masculine, feminine or neuter. It is important to know the gender of the noun because it affects the way the words around that noun are declined. For example, if you know that the word "sunce" (sun) is a neuter noun, you can say "Ovo je vrelo sunce." (This is a hot sun.)

Gender

Nouns in Serbian language can be divided into three genders:

• Masculine (muški rod)
• Feminine (ženski rod)
• Neuter (srednji rod)

The gender is usually determined by the last letter or syllable in the word, but there are many exceptions. For example, words ending in "-a" are usually feminine, but not always. The best way to determine the gender of a noun is by memorizing it together with the noun itself, as you learn new vocabulary.

Number

Serbian nouns can appear in two numbers, singular and plural. The singular form refers to one person, animal, thing or concept, while the plural form refers to more than one. To form the plural, the endings of the noun change depending on the gender of the noun.

Here are the basic rules:

• For masculine nouns, the ending "-i" is added to the singular form to form the plural (e.g. otac - očevi)
• For feminine nouns ending in "-a", the endings "-e" or "-i" is added (e.g. leđa - leđa, zgrada - zgrade)
• For other feminine nouns, the ending "-i" is added (e.g. majka - majke)
• For neuter nouns, the ending "-a" is added to the singular form to form the plural (e.g. jaje - jaja)

Sometimes, the plural form does not follow these rules and simply has a completely different form from the singular. It is best to memorize these nouns together with their plural forms.

Cases

Serbian nouns also change according to their grammatical cases. There are seven cases in Serbian language:

• Nominative (imenovalište)
• Genitive (rod)
• Dative (dativ)
• Accusative (akuzativ)
• Vocative (zovni)
• Instrumental (instrumental)
• Locative (lokativ)

Each case has its own set of endings for each gender of the noun, which can be quite complex. We will cover the basic examples for each case below.

Here is a table showing the masculine, feminine and neuter forms of the noun "čovek" (man) in each case:

Serbian	Nominative	Genitive	Dative	Accusative	Vocative	Instrumental	Locative
Masculine	čovek	čoveka	čoveku	čoveka	čoveče	čovekom	čoveku
Feminine	žena	žene	ženi	ženu	ženo	ženom	ženi
Neuter	dete	deteta	detetu	dete	dete	detetom	detetu

As you can see, the endings change depending on the gender and the case of the noun.

Usage in sentences

Nouns in Serbian language usually come at the beginning of the sentence, followed by other parts of speech, such as adjectives, verbs, and pronouns. For example:

• Muškarac nosi crnu jaknu. (The man is wearing a black jacket.)
• Računar je star. (The computer is old.)
• Kutija je velika i crvena. (The box is big and red.)

Sometimes, the noun is preceded by an article, which is usually the word "the" in English. In Serbian, the articles change genders and cases depending on the gender of the noun. Here is a table showing the articles for each gender:

Gender	Nominative	Genitive	Dative	Accusative	Vocative	Instrumental	Locative
Masculine	taj	tog	tom	tog	-	tim	tom
Feminine	ta	te	toj	tu	-	tom	toj
Neuter	to	tog	tom	to	-	tim	tom

Here are some examples of how articles are used in sentences:

• Taj čovek je visok. (This man is tall.)
• Ta žena nosi crnu haljinu. (This woman is wearing a black dress.)
• To dete je slatko. (This child is cute.)

When you want to say "a" or "an" in Serbian, you can use the word "jedan" (for masculine nouns) or "jedna" (for feminine nouns) before the noun. For example:

• Kupila sam jednu jabuku. (I bought an apple.)
• Tražim jednog konja. (I am looking for a horse.)

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue between two friends:

• Person 1: Kupio sam novi auto. (I bought a new car.)
• Person 2: Koji auto? (Which car?)
• Person 1: Crveni Golf. (A red Golf.)
• Person 2: Koliko si ga platio? (How much did you pay for it?)
• Person 1: Platio sam ga 15.000 evra. (I paid 15,000 euros for it.)

Cultural Insight

Serbian language has a rich and complex history, and its grammar reflects that. One interesting fact about Serbian nouns is that they have "genders" even for inanimate objects or abstract concepts. For example, "sunce" (sun) is a neuter noun, while "mesec" (moon) is a masculine noun. Some linguists believe that this reflects the influence of the Slavic pagan religion, which assigned gender and mythical attributes to natural phenomena.

Practice with Polyglot Club

To improve your Serbian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Serbian/Grammar - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

Other Lessons

• Be Polite
• Questions
• Conditional Tense
• Comaratives and Superlatives
• Conditional Mood
• Definite Articles in Serbian
• Past Tense
• Gender
• How to Use Have
• Plurals