Language/Serbian/Grammar/Adjectives

Serbian Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Serbian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Serbian grammar. Adjectives are a very important part of the language because they describe the nouns and provide more information about them. To improve your understanding of adjectives in Serbian, we will be exploring different types of adjectives, their declension, and some interesting cultural facts about adjectives in the Serbian language. Let's get started!

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Comaratives and Superlatives, Serbian language has 3 genders, Pronouns: Personal Pronouns & Verbs: Participles.

What are Adjectives?

In grammar, adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. In Serbian, adjectives can come before or after the noun, depending on their type and use. They are a crucial part of the language as they provide additional information about the noun and can even change the meaning of the sentence.

In Serbian grammar, adjectives change form based on the gender, number, and case of the noun they are describing or modifying. Therefore, it is important to understand the rules of declension before using adjectives in context.

Types of Adjectives in Serbian

1. Quality Adjectives - Quality adjectives are the most common type of adjectives in Serbian. They describe the quality or characteristic of a noun, such as color, size, shape, or personality. In Serbian, quality adjectives come after the noun, except when used with the copula verb "to be." Here are a few examples:

Quality Adjectives

Serbian	Pronunciation	English Translation
зелен	'zɛlɛn	green
велики	'vɛliki	big
јак	jak	strong
убав	'ubav	beautiful

2. Possessive Adjectives - Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership or possession. In Serbian, they come before the noun and must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they are describing. Here are a few examples:

Possessive Adjectives

Serbian	Pronunciation	English Translation
мој	moy	my (masculine singular)
наш	nash	our (masculine singular)
њихов	ɲihow	their (masculine singular)

3. Demonstrative Adjectives - Demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate or point out a specific noun. In Serbian, they can come before or after the noun and must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun. Here are a few examples:

Demonstrative Adjectives

Serbian	Pronunciation	English Translation
овај	'ovaj	this (masculine singular)
онај	'onaj	that (masculine singular)
овде	'ovdɛ	here
онде	'ondɛ	there

Adjective Declension in Serbian

Adjectives in Serbian must agree with nouns in gender, number, and case. There are three genders in Serbian: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The four noun cases in Serbian are nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative.

To correctly declense adjectives, you need to identify the gender, number, and case of the noun. Here is an example of how to correctly declense the adjective "мирисан" (smelly):

Declension of "mirosan" (smelly)

	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Neuter Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	Neuter Plural
Nominative	мирисан	мирисна	мирисно	мирисни	мирисне	мирисна
Genitive	мирисног	мирисне	мирисног	мирисних	мирисних	мирисних
Dative	мирисном	мирисној	мирисном	мириснима	мириснима	мириснима
Accusative	мирисан	мирисну	мирисно	мирисне	мирисна	мирисна

Cultural Facts About Adjectives in Serbian

- Serbian is one of the few Slavic languages that have different forms of adjectives for personal and impersonal nouns. This means that adjectives describing a person need to agree with the gender and number of the person being described. For example, the adjective "lep" (beautiful) would be "lep" for a masculine noun, "lepa" for a feminine noun, and "lepo" for a neuter noun.

- Serbian adjectives can be used to express affection or irony. For example, the adjective "мала" (little) can be used to show affection towards someone, even if they are not physically small. Similarly, the adjective "класичан" (classical) can be used ironically to describe something that is not actually classical.

Dialogue

Person 1: Овај је куче мирисно. ('ovaj je kuche mirosno) (This dog is smelly.) Person 2: Да, већ су га и окупали, али још увек је мирисан. (da, već su ga i okupali, ali još uvek je mirisan) (Yes, they already bathed him but he is still smelly.)

Person 1: Има ли та блуза велику величину? (ima li ta bluza veliku velichinu?) (Is that blouse big size?) Person 2: Да, велика је. (da, velika je) (Yes, it's big.)

Conclusion

Adjectives are an essential part of Serbian grammar that are used to describe or modify nouns, and they can change form based on gender, number, and case. In this lesson, we explored the different types of adjectives in Serbian, including quality, possessive, and demonstrative, and learned about the rules of declension. We also looked at some interesting cultural facts about adjectives in Serbian, like how they can be used to express affection or irony. To practice your Serbian adjectives, make sure to check out the Polyglot Club and find native speakers to chat with! 😊

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Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Nouns, Plural, Plurals & How to Use Have.

Other Lessons

• Imperative Tense
• Nouns
• Pronouns
• Possessive Case in Serbian
• Plurals
• Present Tense
• Past Participle in Serbian
• Gender
• Indefinite Articles in Serbian
• Be Polite

Sources

• Serbian/Grammar - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
• Useful Serbian Adjectives - 1# List You Need To Know - Ling App