Here comes a series of videos and exercises dedicated to comparison in Serbian:

Comparatives in Serbian 

Let's start with comparatives in Serbian. Watch the video and then try to play the games yourself:


Playing Games with Comparatives in Serbian


Stižu i linkovi za ostale vežbe:

1. Learn
2. Flashcards
3. Micromatch
4. Gravity 


Building the comparative, and the six that refuse

Most Serbian comparatives take -iji: zanimljiv → zanimljiviji, hladan → hladniji, pametan → pametniji. A smaller group takes -ji and softens the last consonant: jak → jači, drag → draži, tih → tiši. Learn the first pattern as the default and treat the second as a list.

Then there are the ones you simply have to know, and they are the ones you need most: dobar → bolji, loš → gori, velik → veći, mali → manji, dug → duži. For the comparison itself use od with the genitive — stariji od mene — or nego with the same case as the first part: stariji nego ja.

Comparing with od and nego

LatinicaЋирилицаEnglish
Ovaj zadatak je lakši od prethodnog.Овај задатак је лакши од претходног.This task is easier than the previous one.
Moja sestra je mlađa od mene tri godine.Моја сестра је млађа од мене три године.My sister is three years younger than me.
Danas je hladnije nego juče.Данас је хладније него јуче.Today is colder than yesterday.
Ova pesma je poznatija nego što sam mislio.Ова песма је познатија него што сам мислио.This song is more famous than I thought.
Kratak odgovor je bolji od dugog objašnjenja.Кратак одговор је бољи од дугог објашњења.A short answer is better than a long explanation.

Compare two things you know

Pick two real things — two cities you have lived in, two seasons, two of your own habits — and make three comparisons about each pair, using od at least once and nego at least once. Comparison is one of those structures that stays abstract until you attach it to a genuine preference.

Comparative practice

Translate each comparison and note whether you used od or nego. Write both Serbian versions.

  1. This book is more interesting than that one.
  2. He is stronger than his brother.
  3. The weather is better today.
  4. My flat is smaller than yours.
  5. The road is longer than I expected.
Answers for the comparatives
EnglishLatinicaЋирилица
This book is more interesting than that one.Ova knjiga je zanimljivija od one.Ова књига је занимљивија од оне.
He is stronger than his brother.On je jači od svog brata.Он је јачи од свог брата.
The weather is better today.Vreme je danas bolje.Време је данас боље.
My flat is smaller than yours.Moj stan je manji od tvog.Мој стан је мањи од твог.
The road is longer than I expected.Put je duži nego što sam očekivao.Пут је дужи него што сам очекивао.