Listen for the contrast between “Ja sam nova učenica.” and “Ti si danas veoma raspoložen.”. Their forms become memorable when you connect them with a speaker, purpose and situation.

Glagol BITI - značenje (meaning)

Even if you are really familiar with the verb to be in Serbian, let's simply review what we know with tthese fun exercises:


Glagol BITI - vežbe (exercise)










Glagol BITI - igre (games)





Glagol BITI - additional exercises

  • BITI with Nominative, Singular and Plural of International words
  • TO BE with Nominative, Singular and Plural of Family words 
  • TO BE with Nominative, Singular and Plural of Occupations, International words

    • Biti Holds the First Serbian Sentences Together

    Focus on present-tense forms and clitics of the Serbian verb biti. Contrast “Ja sam nova učenica.” with “Ti si danas veoma raspoložen.”, identify the form carrying the main information, and say both sentences without translating word by word.

    Five Identities and Locations with Biti

    Rebuild “Mi smo spremni za početak.” from its English meaning, but adapt “Njihove knjige su na polici.” freely. The two results should sound connected to real communication, not to a grammar list.

    Sam, Si, Je, Smo, Ste, Su in Context

    Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
    Ja sam nova učenica.Ја сам нова ученица.I am a new student.
    Ti si danas veoma raspoložen.Ти си данас веома расположен.You are in a very good mood today.
    Naš pas je u dvorištu.Наш пас је у дворишту.Our dog is in the yard.
    Mi smo spremni za početak.Ми смо спремни за почетак.We are ready to begin.
    Njihove knjige su na polici.Њихове књиге су на полици.Their books are on the shelf.

    Turn “Naš pas je u dvorištu.” into a question, then answer it with information from your own life. Write the final exchange in both Serbian scripts.

    Complete the Sentence without Overusing Pronouns

    Work from English back into natural Serbian, leaving “Njihove knjige su na polici.” until last. Check endings, diacritics and Cyrillic letters before reading the answers aloud.

    1. I am a new student.
    2. You are in a very good mood today.
    3. Our dog is in the yard.
    4. We are ready to begin.
    5. Their books are on the shelf.

    Solutions prepared for Serbian 101 - Glagol BITI

    1. Ja sam nova učenica.
      Ја сам нова ученица.
    2. Ti si danas veoma raspoložen.
      Ти си данас веома расположен.
    3. Naš pas je u dvorištu.
      Наш пас је у дворишту.
    4. Mi smo spremni za početak.
      Ми смо спремни за почетак.
    5. Njihove knjige su na polici.
      Њихове књиге су на полици.