Serbian belongs to a group of (highly) flective languages, and as such its verbs have conjugations. This means that you have to pay attention to the suffixes which are added to the stem of each verb. If you have a dictionary of Serbian, you will notice that infinitive endings are -iti, -ati, -eti, or simply -ti and sometimes -ći. In order to learn the conjugations, it is wise to know that the suffixes for each person singular or plural are added to the verb stem (base verb without infinitive endings). 

The conjugation system of Serbian verbs is rather complex. There are several classes of regular verbs distinguished according to certain features the verbs within a class share. (I copied this sentence from Wikipedia, so you can follow the link to see the conjugations of the verb 'RADITI' (to work) to get the idea how it looks like in different tenses.)

As you could see, it is not only the present tense, but we need also to learn how to use the verbs in different tenses. Therefore, I made a playlist which will in time grow and help you learning Serbian verb conjugations:



Let me jot down a few examples:

infinitive: živETI
verb stem: živ

I live = ja živim
you live = ti živiš
You live = Vi živite
He,she,it live = on, ona ono živi
We live = mi živimo
You live = vi živite
They live = oni, one, ona žive

The verbs belonging to the same group are as follows:
GOVORITI to talk, HVALITI to praise, UČITI to learn, MRZETI to hate, VOLETI to love, RADITI to work, ŽELETI to want, BROJATI to count, POSTOJATI to exist

The most useful website listing various forms and numerous verbs is LogosConjugator. I am sure it will help!





The pattern becomes visible through comparison. A Serbian verb reveals the speaker through its ending, so the pronoun can often step aside while the action remains clear.

Shape the trail inside verb conjugations in serbian

A Serbian verb reveals the speaker through its ending, so the pronoun can often step aside while the action remains clear. Listen for the contrast before naming the rule. Read the Serbian examples as complete thoughts, not as containers for isolated vocabulary. Notice which word changes the meaning most strongly, and allow the surrounding words to show its grammatical job.

Five memorable lines for verb conjugations in serbian

LatinicaĆirilicaEnglish
Svakog jutra otvaram prozor.Сваког јутра отварам прозор.I open the window every morning.
Ti pažljivo biraš zrele kruške.Ти пажљиво бираш зреле крушке.You carefully choose ripe pears.
Ona završava posao pre ručka.Она завршава посао пре ручка.She finishes work before lunch.
Mi čuvamo stare porodične fotografije.Ми чувамо старе породичне фотографије.We keep old family photographs.
Oni često putuju noćnim vozom.Они често путују ноћним возом.They often travel by night train.

A map from recognition to speech with verb conjugations in serbian

Move from Svakog jutra otvaram prozor. towards Oni često putuju noćnim vozom., but stop at the sentence that feels least comfortable. Act out the situation with an imaginary partner, and then use that thought as the beginning of a two-line exchange. Tomorrow, return through a different sentence so that the order of the table cannot do the remembering for you.

Five moves before the compass disappears from verb conjugations in serbian

  1. Translate into English: Svakog jutra otvaram prozor.
  2. Rebuild in Serbian from memory: “You carefully choose ripe pears.”
  3. Write the third sentence in Cyrillic without copying it.
  4. Change one detail in Mi čuvamo stare porodične fotografije. and keep the sentence grammatical.
  5. Create a new question connected with Oni često putuju noćnim vozom..

Check the mirror you have made through verb conjugations in serbian

  1. I open the window every morning.
  2. Ti pažljivo biraš zrele kruške. / Ти пажљиво бираш зреле крушке.
  3. Она завршава посао пре ручка.
  4. Answers vary; the changed word must still agree with the rest of the sentence.
  5. Answers vary; keep the question directly connected with the situation.