Absence, quantity and origin may seem unrelated until the Serbian genitive quietly connects them.
While in the previous simple Serbian cartoons we ppractised the prepositions followed by the Genitive:- Rim, London, Pariz >>> iz RimA, iz LondonA, od ParizA - Sg. Masc.
- Srbija, Engleska >>> iz SrbijE, iz EngleskE - Sg. Fem.
This and These in Serbian
- for "she" (like in "this girl" - devojčica) >>> Ova devojčica
- for "he" (like in "this boy" - dečko) >>>Ovaj dečko
- for "it" (like in "this sun" - sunce) >>> Ovo sunce
- for they Masc. Pl or Masc. and Fem. Pl. together (like in "these people" - ljudi) >>>Ovi ljudi
- for "they" Fem. Pl.(like in "these women" - žene) >>> Ove žene
- for "they" Neut. Pl. (like in "these kids" - deca) >>> Ova deca
Serbian Genitive Task
I'm going to write the translations of these captions. Your task is to match them with colours :)
Boje (colours) su: narandžasta (1), crvena (2), tamno plava (3), ljubičasta (4), tamno ljubičasta (5), zelena (6)
- a) My village is more beautiful than Paris (the preposition "than" in comparison always requires the Genitive case)
- b) This one with an umbrella is from London for sure (the preposition "from" requires the Genitive)
- c) If they are from Rome, we are from Paris!
- d) If this sun sees me, it must think I am from Paris!
- e) This little one (=a girl) is surely from Serbia!
- f) These postcards from Italy are funnier than the ones from France!
The genitive of quantity and absence
The genitive appears after many prepositions, in possession and after expressions of quantity. Instead of memorising one ending in isolation, group examples by gender and number and ask what relationship the form is expressing. In this particular lesson, use that principle to interpret the examples connected with Serbian Genitive - Part 3.
nema, mnogo, malo — all take the genitive
Begin Serbian Genitive - Part 3 by looking for a pattern rather than translating every word. Mark the element that changes, say the complete Serbian phrase aloud, and only then compare it with English. That order keeps the lesson focused on Serbian structure.
Say what you have plenty of and what you lack
Select the sentence closest to your life and make it true for you. Add a reason or time expression, ask another person a related question, and answer it without reading. For this post, keep your final version connected with the situation in Serbian Genitive - Part 3.
Genitive sentences in both alphabets
| Latin script | Cyrillic script | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ispred škole čeka autobus. | Испред школе чека аутобус. | A bus is waiting in front of the school. |
| Posle časa idem kući. | После часа идем кући. | After class I am going home. |
| Tokom leta učimo napolju. | Током лета учимо напољу. | During the summer we study outside. |
| Ima mnogo zanimljivih primera. | Има много занимљивих примера. | There are many interesting examples. |
| Vraćam se sa časa srpskog. | Враћам се са часа српског. | I am returning from Serbian class. |
Alternate scripts from row to row instead of treating Cyrillic as an optional extra. The aim is one Serbian sentence, one pronunciation and two equally readable written forms. Apply that script strategy to the vocabulary in Serbian Genitive - Part 3.
Check your Serbian: Serbian Genitive - Part 3
Reconstruct these examples from the English prompts. Mark any corrected ending or letter when you compare your Latin and Cyrillic answers with the key. Keep every answer connected with Serbian Genitive - Part 3.
- A bus is waiting in front of the school.
- After class I am going home.
- During the summer we study outside.
- There are many interesting examples.
- I am returning from Serbian class.
Answers for genitive part three
- Ispred škole čeka autobus.
Испред школе чека аутобус. - Posle časa idem kući.
После часа идем кући. - Tokom leta učimo napolju.
Током лета учимо напољу. - Ima mnogo zanimljivih primera.
Има много занимљивих примера. - Vraćam se sa časa srpskog.
Враћам се са часа српског.