Connect Serbian nouns with the accusative pronouns that replace them, and practise choosing between ga, je, ih and other object forms.

Pronouns in Serbian in Accusative

In one of the very first posts I created on this blog, there was a list of the keywords when talking about yourself . It was published back in 2008 and you can find it by clicking on this link.

Now, if we use these words in context, we can see how the personal pronouns referring to the same words can be often heard. Let's practice such sentences together!

Masc./Neuter  Sg Nouns in Accusative >>> Corresponding Pronouns (on / ono  >>> ga/njega)

  1. IME = first name.............................................Koje je vaše ime? Možete li da ga ponovite? 
  2. PREZIME = surname.....................................Koje je vaše prezime? Možete li da ga ponovite? 
  3. DEVOJAČKO PREZIME = maiden name....Koje je vaše devojačko prezimee? Možete li da _____ ponovite? 
  4. MESTO ROĐENJA = place of birth...............Gde ste rođeni? Ponovite Vaše mesto rođenja! Možete li da ____ napišete?
  5. DATUM ROĐENJA = date of birth...............Kad ste rođeni? Ponovite Vaše datum rođenja! Možete li da ____ napišete?
  6. PASOŠ = passport.........................................Da li je ovo Vaš pasoš? Dajte mi ___ molim Vas! 



Nouns which are Fem.  Sg in Accusative >>> Corresponding Pronouns (ona  >>> je / nju)
  1. LIČNA KARTA = identity card....................Imate li ličnu kartu? Dajte mi je, molim Vas!
  2. STALNA ADRESA = permanent address....Imate li stalnu adresu? Možete li da __ napišete? 
  3. MEJL ADRESA = e-mail address................Imate li mejl adresu? Možete li da mi __ pošaljete
  4. ZDRAVSTVENA KNJIŽICA = health insurrance...Imate li knjižicu Dajte mi ___, molim Vas!
Masc/Fem/Neut Pl. Nouns in Accusative >>> Corresponding Pronouns (oni/one/ona >>>ih/njih)

  1. PASOŠI...................Imate li pasošE? Molim vas dajte mi ih!
  2. LIČNE KARTE...... Pokažite mi lične karte. Dajte mi ____, molim vas!
  3. IMENA .................. Kako se zovete? Koja su vaša imena? Ajde, ponovite mi ___ polako, molim vas!
  4. MEJL ADRESE.... Hajde da razmenimo mejl adrese! Možete li da mi ___ pošaljete još jednom, molim vas!

Answering questions with a pronoun

The pronoun must match the noun’s grammatical gender and number, not its English translation. Masculine and neuter singular nouns are often replaced by ga, feminine singular nouns by je, and plural nouns of all genders by ih. When a person is the object, the same short forms apply. Place the unstressed pronoun early in the clause: Vidim ga, but Ja ga često vidim.

The most natural way to practise accusative pronouns is in question-and-answer pairs. Gde je telefon? — Vidim ga na stolu. The pronoun replaces a noun that was named a second earlier, so its gender is already fixed for you. Read each pair as a small dialogue rather than as two separate sentences.

Question-and-answer pairs, in both scripts

Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
Gde je telefon? Vidim ga na stolu.Где је телефон? Видим га на столу.Where is the phone? I see it on the table.
Gde je knjiga? Čitam je sada.Где је књига? Читам је сада.Where is the book? I am reading it now.
Gde su ključevi? Ne mogu da ih nađem.Где су кључеви? Не могу да их нађем.Where are the keys? I cannot find them.
Poznaješ li Marka? Da, poznajem ga.Познајеш ли Марка? Да, познајем га.Do you know Marko? Yes, I know him.
Zoveš li Anu? Zovem je večeras.Зовеш ли Ану? Зовем је вечерас.Are you calling Ana? I am calling her tonight.

Watch which pronoun goes with which noun: telefon → ga, knjiga → je, ključevi → ih. Gender and number decide it, and there is no way around knowing them. Reading the Cyrillic column makes these short pronouns visible, since they are easy to read past in a familiar alphabet.

Asking and answering

Pick ten objects around you, ask Gde je…? for each, and answer using a pronoun. Then do it in the plural. Ten quick rounds is more effective than one careful one, because the point is to make the gender decision fast rather than correct on reflection.

Question and answer exercise

Translate these questions and answers into Serbian in both alphabets, using the correct short pronoun in every answer.

  1. Where is the phone? I see it on the table.
  2. Where is the book? I am reading it now.
  3. Where are the keys? I cannot find them.
  4. Do you know Marko? Yes, I know him.
  5. Are you calling Ana? I am calling her tonight.

Answers

  1. Gde je telefon? Vidim ga na stolu.
    Где је телефон? Видим га на столу.
  2. Gde je knjiga? Čitam je sada.
    Где је књига? Читам је сада.
  3. Gde su ključevi? Ne mogu da ih nađem.
    Где су кључеви? Не могу да их нађем.
  4. Poznaješ li Marka? Da, poznajem ga.
    Познајеш ли Марка? Да, познајем га.
  5. Zoveš li Anu? Zovem je večeras.
    Зовеш ли Ану? Зовем је вечерас.