Language/Bosnian/Grammar/Subject-Verb-Object

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Bosnian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Basic Bosnian Sentence Structure → Subject-Verb-Object

Learning the sentence structure is essential when studying any language. In Bosnian, the basic word order follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. This lesson will cover the rules of constructing simple sentences using this structure, including examples and exercises to practice what you have learned.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Gender & Comparatives and Superlatives.

Subject

The subject is the person, animal, or thing that performs the action in a sentence. In Bosnian, the subject usually comes first in the sentence.

Examples:

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
Ja	Yah	I
Ti	Tee	You (singular informal)
On	Own	He
Ona	Owna	She
Ono	Owno	It
Mi	Mee	We
Vi	Vee	You (plural or singular formal)
Oni	Ownee	They (all male or mixed gender group)
One	Ownay	They (all female group)

Note: In Bosnian, there are no capital letters for nouns or names like in English. However, you can capitalize them for emphasis or clarity.

Verb

The verb is the action or state of being that the subject performs in a sentence. In Bosnian, the verb usually comes second in the sentence.

Examples:

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
pijem	pee-yem	I am drinking
jedeš	yeh-desh	You (singular informal) are eating
govori	go-vo-ree	He is speaking
pišeš	pee-shehsh	You (singular informal) are writing
čitamo	chee-ta-mo	We are reading
kupujete	koo-poo-yeh-teh	You (plural or singular formal) are buying
rade	ra-deh	They are working

Note: In Bosnian, the verb changes depending on the tense, aspect, and mood. We will cover this topic more in-depth in a future lesson.

Object

The object is the person, animal, or thing that receives the action in a sentence. In Bosnian, the object usually comes last in the sentence.

Examples:

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
kafu	kah-foo	Coffee
knjigu	k-nyee-goo	Book
voće	vo-tcheh	Fruit
pismo	pee-smo	Letter
odjeću	od-ye-choo	Clothing
putovanje	poo-to-vah-nyeh	Travel
projekat	pro-yeh-kat	Project

Note: In Bosnian, the object can take different cases (nominative, accusative, dative, etc.) depending on its function in the sentence. We will cover this topic more in-depth in a future lesson.

Word order

Now that we know the basic elements of a sentence in Bosnian, let's see how they fit together using the SVO structure. Here are some examples:

Bosnian	English
Ja pijem kafu.	I am drinking coffee.
Ti jedeš voće.	You (singular informal) are eating fruit.
On govori engleski.	He is speaking English.
Ona piše pismo.	She is writing a letter.
Mi čitamo knjigu.	We are reading a book.
Vi kupujete odjeću.	You (plural or singular formal) are buying clothes.
Oni rade na projektu.	They are working on a project.

Note: Bosnian can have a flexible word order when using other sentence constructions, such as passive voice, conditional, or relative clauses. However, the SVO structure is the most common and straightforward one for beginners.

Negation

To form negative sentences in Bosnian, we use the particle "ne" before the verb. The word "ne" means "not" in English. Here are some examples:

Bosnian	English
Ne pijem kafu.	I am not drinking coffee.
Ti ne jedeš voće.	You (singular informal) are not eating fruit.
On ne govori engleski.	He is not speaking English.
Ona ne piše pismo.	She is not writing a letter.
Mi ne čitamo knjigu.	We are not reading a book.
Vi ne kupujete odjeću.	You (plural or singular formal) are not buying clothes.
Oni ne rade na projektu.	They are not working on a project.

Note: In Bosnian, the negative particle "ne" can contract with the verb in certain situations. We will cover this topic more in-depth in a future lesson.

Questions

To form questions in Bosnian, we usually invert the verb and the subject. We can also add question particles like "da li" or "zar". Here are some examples:

Bosnian	English
Piješ li kafu?	Are you (singular informal) drinking coffee?
Govoriš li engleski?	Are you (singular informal) speaking English?
Pišete li pismo?	Are you (plural or singular formal) writing a letter?
Čitate li knjigu?	Are you (plural or singular formal) reading a book?
Kupuješ li odjeću?	Are you (singular informal) buying clothes?
Radi li on na projektu?	Is he working on a project?
Kada putujete?	When are you (plural or singular formal) traveling?

Note: In Bosnian, we can also form questions using other sentence constructions like question words (kako, šta, gdje, ko, koliko, etc.) or intonation (rising tone at the end of a sentence). We will cover this topic more in-depth in a future lesson.

Exercises

1. Translate the following sentences into Bosnian using the SVO structure.

a) They are eating pizza. b) I am studying biology. c) He is watching TV. d) We are playing soccer. e) You (singular informal) are listening to music.

2. Form negative sentences using the phrases from Exercise 1.

3. Form questions using the phrases from Exercise 1.

4. Create your own sentences using the SVO structure and share them with your teacher or classmates.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned the basic sentence structure in Bosnian and how to use it to form simple sentences using the SVO order. Keep practicing and remember to pay attention to the placement of elements in a sentence. In the next lesson, we will cover questions and negations in more detail.

Table of Contents - Bosnian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Bosnian Alphabet

• Bosnian Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Special Characters and Sounds

  ---

Basic Bosnian Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Questions and Negations

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Gender and Plurals
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Bosnian Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Common Hobbies
• Sports and Fitness

  ---

Bosnian Literature and Cinema

• Famous Writers and Works
• Bosnian Cinema

Other Lessons

• Bosnian Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Nouns
• Questions and Negations
• Gender
• Past Tense
• Verbs and Conjugation
• Plurals
• Personal Pronouns
• Comparatives and Superlatives

Sources

• Bosnian Language - Structure, Writing & Alphabet - MustGo

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