Serbian can rearrange yesterday’s details, but the small auxiliary still knows exactly where it belongs.

If you liked the video and the follow-up exercises I recently published, it's time for you to do revise it and practice pronunciation:





Where sam, si and je go in the sentence

The past tense combines the present forms of biti with an active participle. The participle agrees in gender and number—bio, bila, bilo, bili, bile or bila—so the subject must be clear even when Serbian word order changes. In this particular lesson, use that principle to interpret the examples connected with Word Order with Past Tense of To Be.

The auxiliary never starts the sentence

Begin Word Order with Past Tense of To Be 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.

Rearrange your own past-tense sentences

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 Word Order with Past Tense of To Be.

Word order examples in both alphabets

Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
Juče smo bili u pozorištu.Јуче смо били у позоришту.Yesterday we were at the theatre.
On je bio veoma ljubazan.Он је био веома љубазан.He was very kind.
Bili su umorni posle puta.Били су уморни после пута.They were tired after the journey.
One su bile na koncertu.Оне су биле на концерту.They were at the concert.
Jutro je bilo hladno.Јутро је било хладно.The morning was cold.

Keep Serbian sounds stable while the alphabet changes. Read the Latin form accurately, including all kvačice, and reproduce the same rhythm from the Cyrillic line. Apply that script strategy to the vocabulary in Word Order with Past Tense of To Be.

Check your Serbian: Word Order with Past Tense of To Be

Work from meaning to form. Produce the Serbian answer in Latin script, transliterate it into Cyrillic, and only then check the supplied solution. Keep every answer connected with Word Order with Past Tense of To Be.

  1. Ana was very tired.
  2. The child was at school.
  3. We were in town yesterday.
  4. They were at the concert.
  5. The morning was cold.

Answers for the word order exercise

  1. Ana je bila veoma umorna.
    Ана је била веома уморна.
  2. Dete je bilo u školi.
    Дете је било у школи.
  3. Mi smo juče bili u gradu.
    Ми смо јуче били у граду.
  4. One su bile na koncertu.
    Оне су биле на концерту.
  5. Jutro je bilo hladno.
    Јутро је било хладно.