За is the ordinary Serbian word for for, and it takes the accusative in almost every sense English covers: purpose (за посао), destination (воз за Ниш), recipient (поклон за сестру), price (за сто динара), and duration or deadline (за два дана).
It also takes the instrumental, and then it means something quite different: pursuit and longing. Ићи за неким is to go after someone; чезнути за домом is to long for home. Same preposition, different case, different meaning — the pattern established in Lesson 6.
Two other words compete for the English for: ради + genitive expresses purpose in a formal register ("for the sake of"), and због + genitive expresses cause ("because of"), which English also renders with for. And the plain dative covers the beneficiary without any preposition at all: купио сам му књигу ("I bought him a book").
Key Takeaways
- за + accusative: purpose, recipient, destination, price, deadline - за + instrumental: pursuit, longing — чезнути за, ићи за - ради + genitive = for the sake of (formal); због + genitive = because of - The beneficiary is often just a dative: донео сам ти воде - Duration takes the bare accusative: чекао сам два сата - за + accusative of time = within, by: за два дана (in two days' time) - Хвала на + locative, not за: хвала на помоћи
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14.1a Ово this је is поклон present за for тебе you-ACC 14.1b Ovo (O-vo) this je (yeh) is poklon (POK-lon) present za (zah) for tebe (TE-be) you-ACC
14.2a Купио bought-MASC сам I-am хлеб bread за for ручак lunch-ACC 14.2b Kupio (KOO-pee-o) bought-MASC sam (sahm) I-am hleb (hleb) bread za (zah) for ručak (ROO-chak) lunch-ACC
14.3a Радим I-work за for једну one-ACC малу small-ACC фирму firm-ACC 14.3b Radim (RA-deem) I-work za (zah) for jednu (YED-noo) one-ACC malu (MA-loo) small-ACC firmu (FEER-moo) firm-ACC
14.4a Продао sold-MASC сам I-am ауто car за for три three хиљаде thousand-GEN евра euros-GEN 14.4b Prodao (PRO-dao) sold-MASC sam (sahm) I-am auto (OW-to) car za (zah) for tri (tree) three hiljade (HEE-lya-de) thousand-GEN evra (EV-ra) euros-GEN
14.5a Вратићу I-will-return се REFL за in два two дана days-GEN 14.5b Vratiću (VRA-tee-choo) I-will-return se (seh) REFL za (zah) in dva (dvah) two dana (DA-na) days-GEN
14.6a Чекао waited-MASC сам I-am два two сата hours-GEN 14.6b Čekao (CHE-kao) waited-MASC sam (sahm) I-am dva (dvah) two sata (SA-ta) hours-GEN
14.7a Ово this није is-not за for децу children-ACC 14.7b Ovo (O-vo) this nije (NEE-yeh) is-not za (zah) for decu (DE-tsoo) children-ACC
14.8a Чезне he-longs за for домом home-INST 14.8b Čezne (CHEZ-ne) he-longs za (zah) for domom (DO-mom) home-INST
14.9a Пас dog трчи runs за after мачком cat-INST 14.9b Pas (pahs) dog trči (TR-chee) runs za (zah) after mačkom (MACH-kom) cat-INST
14.10a Донео brought-MASC сам I-am ти to-you воде water-GEN 14.10b Doneo (DO-ne-o) brought-MASC sam (sahm) I-am ti (tee) to-you vode (VO-de) water-GEN
14.11a Учим I-study ради for-sake-of себе self-GEN а and не not ради for-sake-of оцене grade-GEN 14.11b Učim (OO-cheem) I-study radi (RA-dee) for-sake-of sebe (SE-be) self-GEN a (ah) and ne (neh) not radi (RA-dee) for-sake-of ocene (O-tse-ne) grade-GEN
14.12a Због because-of тебе you-GEN смо we-are закаснили were-late-PL 14.12b Zbog (zbog) because-of tebe (TE-be) you-GEN smo (smo) we-are zakasnili (za-KAS-nee-lee) were-late-PL
14.13a Хвала thanks на for помоћи help-LOC 14.13b Hvala (HVA-la) thanks na (nah) for pomoći (PO-mo-chee) help-LOC
14.14a Спремам I-prepare се REFL за for испит exam-ACC већ already недељу week-ACC дана days-GEN 14.14b Spremam (SPRE-mam) I-prepare se (seh) REFL za (zah) for ispit (EES-peet) exam-ACC već (vech) already nedelju (NE-de-lyoo) week-ACC dana (DA-na) days-GEN
14.15a Свака every мука hardship за for времена time-GEN а but срамота shame завијека forever 14.15b Svaka (SVA-ka) every muka (MOO-ka) hardship za (zah) for vremena (VRE-me-na) time-GEN a (ah) but sramota (sra-MO-ta) shame zavijeka (za-VEE-ye-ka) forever
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14.1 Ово је поклон за тебе. "This is a present for you."
14.2 Купио сам хлеб за ручак. "I bought bread for lunch."
14.3 Радим за једну малу фирму. "I work for a small company."
14.4 Продао сам ауто за три хиљаде евра. "I sold the car for three thousand euros."
14.5 Вратићу се за два дана. "I'll be back in two days."
14.6 Чекао сам два сата. "I waited for two hours."
14.7 Ово није за децу. "This isn't for children."
14.8 Чезне за домом. "He longs for home."
14.9 Пас трчи за мачком. "The dog is running after the cat."
14.10 Донео сам ти воде. "I've brought you some water."
14.11 Учим ради себе, а не ради оцене. "I study for my own sake, not for the grade."
14.12 Због тебе смо закаснили. "Because of you we were late."
14.13 Хвала на помоћи. "Thank you for your help."
14.14 Спремам се за испит већ недељу дана. "I've been preparing for the exam for a week now."
14.15 Свака мука за времена, а срамота завијека. "Every hardship lasts a while, but shame lasts forever."
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14.1 Ово је поклон за тебе.
14.2 Купио сам хлеб за ручак.
14.3 Радим за једну малу фирму.
14.4 Продао сам ауто за три хиљаде евра.
14.5 Вратићу се за два дана.
14.6 Чекао сам два сата.
14.7 Ово није за децу.
14.8 Чезне за домом.
14.9 Пас трчи за мачком.
14.10 Донео сам ти воде.
14.11 Учим ради себе, а не ради оцене.
14.12 Због тебе смо закаснили.
14.13 Хвала на помоћи.
14.14 Спремам се за испит већ недељу дана.
14.15 Свака мука за времена, а срамота завијека.
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These are the rules for за and its rivals.
1. за + accusative. The default. It covers:
purpose — за посао, за путовање recipient — поклон за сестру, писмо за тебе destination — воз за Ниш, карта за Београд (Lesson 6) price — за сто динара deadline — за два дана (within two days, by two days from now) suitability — ово није за децу
2. за + instrumental. Pursuit, following, and longing:
трчати за неким — to run after someone ићи за неким — to follow someone чезнути за нечим — to long for something жалити за неким — to mourn for someone
The instrumental here is the same case Serbian uses for accompaniment, and the sense is of movement or feeling behind something out of reach.
3. Duration takes the bare accusative. No preposition at all: чекао сам два сата, живео сам тамо три године, спавала је цео дан. Adding за changes the meaning from how long to within how long:
Чекао сам два сата. — I waited for two hours. Вратићу се за два сата. — I'll be back in two hours.
This is the single most useful distinction in the lesson.
4. ради + genitive. "For the sake of," formal or emphatic: ради мира, ради деце, ради себе. Do not confuse it with the verb ради ("he works"), spelt identically — context alone distinguishes them, and 14.11 contains both senses of the sound.
5. због + genitive. Cause, not purpose: због кише, због тебе. English uses for here too — "we were late for you"? no — English says because of, and so must the learner's mental grammar: због answers why, за answers what for.
6. The dative beneficiary. Where English says for someone, Serbian often just uses the dative: донео сам ти воде, направила му је кафу, чувам вам место. За тебе would emphasise that the thing is destined for you as its owner; the dative simply says you benefit.
7. хвала на + locative. Thanks take на, not за: хвала на помоћи, хвала на позиву, хвала на свему. Хвала за is heard but is regarded as non-standard.
Common Mistakes
Using за for duration: *чекао сам за два сата means "I waited within two hours," which is nonsense. Say чекао сам два сата.
Using the accusative after за where the instrumental is required: *чезне за дом. Say за домом.
Using за with хвала: say хвала на помоћи.
Confusing због and ради. Због looks backwards to a cause, ради forwards to a purpose. Дошао сам због тебе (you are why I came) against дошао сам ради договора (I came in order to reach an agreement).
Adding за to a dative beneficiary: *купио сам за тебе књигу is possible but heavy; купио сам ти књигу is what a Serb says.
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За opens the two commonest toasts in the language. За наше здравље! and simply За нас! are what is said as glasses meet, and the response is Живели! ("may we live"). Serbs toast with eye contact, and looking away as the glasses touch is noticed.
The instrumental за carries a particular emotional weight in folk song, where жалити за and чезнути за describe the longing that runs through the whole sevdah tradition — a Turkish-derived word for a melancholy that is enjoyed rather than escaped. That construction, the longing behind something unreachable, is why the case is instrumental rather than accusative: the object is not a target but a direction of feeling.
Свака мука за времена, а срамота завијека belongs to a large family of Vuk's proverbs contrasting мука (hardship, toil, trouble) with срамота (shame, disgrace). The pairing reflects an honour culture in which material suffering is survivable and public disgrace is not, and the same opposition drives the plot of Хасанагиница, where a woman is destroyed by shame rather than by hardship.
Мука is worth learning on its own account: it appears in мучити се (to struggle), намучити се (to have a hard time of it), and in Njegoš's без муке се пјесна не испоја — "without toil no song is sung."
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From Српске народне пословице, Вук Стефановић Караџић, 1836. Two proverbs turning on за — the first with the genitive of time, the second with the instrumental of pursuit.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Свака every мука hardship за for времена time-GEN а but срамота shame завијека for-ever F.1b Svaka (SVA-ka) every muka (MOO-ka) hardship za (zah) for vremena (VRE-me-na) time-GEN a (ah) but sramota (sra-MO-ta) shame zavijeka (za-VEE-ye-ka) for-ever
F.2a Ко whoever за after туђом another's-INST вуном wool-INST пође sets-out F.2b Ko (koh) whoever za (zah) after tuđom (TOO-dyom) another's-INST vunom (VOO-nom) wool-INST pođe (PO-dye) sets-out
F.3a сам himself острижен shorn-MASC кући home-DAT дође comes F.3b sam (sahm) himself ostrižen (os-TREE-zhen) shorn-MASC kući (KOO-chee) home-DAT dođe (DO-dye) comes
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Свака мука за времена, а срамота завијека. Ко за туђом вуном пође, сам острижен кући дође.
"Every hardship is for a time, but shame is for ever. He who sets out after another man's wool comes home shorn himself."
F-C: Original Only
Свака мука за времена, а срамота завијека. Ко за туђом вуном пође, сам острижен кући дође.
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
за времена is an archaic fixed phrase — за governing the genitive, which it no longer does in modern Serbian — meaning "for a time, for a while." Compare the modern за неко време, with the accusative. Proverbs preserve older syntax, which is part of what makes them worth reading early.
завијека is likewise fossilised: за plus вијек ("age, lifetime"), written as one word, "for ever." The Ekavian form is завека, but the proverb is recorded in Vuk's Ijekavian.
за туђом вуном is the instrumental of pursuit from Section D §2 in its purest form: to go after someone else's wool. The construction is identical to трчати за мачком in 14.9.
туђ means "another's, foreign, not one's own," and it has no single English equivalent. It is the opposite of свој (Lesson 9), and the pair своје и туђе underlies a whole moral vocabulary.
пође and дође are perfective presents used gnomically — that is, for a general truth rather than a particular event. Serbian proverbs use this tense throughout, exactly as English uses the simple present in he who hesitates is lost.
острижен is a passive participle from острићи (to shear), agreeing with the masculine subject: he comes home having been shorn. Passive participles are formed with -н or -т and decline like adjectives.
кући is the adverbial dative of Lesson 6 — "homewards" — not the genitive куће.
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Part A — Intralinear Construed Text
14.16a Тражим I-seek поклон present за for сестру sister-ACC 14.16b Tražim (TRA-zheem) I-seek poklon (POK-lon) present za (zah) for sestru (SES-troo) sister-ACC
14.17a За for рођендан birthday-ACC или or за for неку some-ACC другу other-ACC прилику occasion-ACC 14.17b Za (zah) for rođendan (RO-dyen-dan) birthday-ACC ili (EE-lee) or za (zah) for neku (NE-koo) some-ACC drugu (DROO-goo) other-ACC priliku (PREE-lee-koo) occasion-ACC
14.18a За for рођендан birthday-ACC пуни she-fills тридесет thirty 14.18b Za (zah) for rođendan (RO-dyen-dan) birthday-ACC puni (POO-nee) she-fills trideset (TREE-de-set) thirty
14.19a Колико how-much сте you-are мислили thought-PL да to дате you-give 14.19b Koliko (KO-lee-ko) how-much ste (steh) you-are mislili (MEES-lee-lee) thought-PL da (dah) to date (DA-te) you-give
14.20a До up-to пет five хиљада thousand-GEN.PL динара dinars-GEN.PL 14.20b Do (doh) up-to pet (pet) five hiljada (HEE-lya-da) thousand-GEN.PL dinara (DEE-na-ra) dinars-GEN.PL
14.21a Имамо we-have лепе nice-ACC.PL шалове scarves-ACC.PL за for ту that-ACC цену price-ACC 14.21b Imamo (EE-ma-mo) we-have lepe (LE-pe) nice-ACC.PL šalove (SHA-lo-ve) scarves-ACC.PL za (zah) for tu (too) that-ACC cenu (TSE-noo) price-ACC
14.22a Она she већ already дуго long чезне longs за for једном one-INST књигом book-INST 14.22b Ona (O-na) she već (vech) already dugo (DOO-go) long čezne (CHEZ-ne) longs za (zah) for jednom (YED-nom) one-INST knjigom (KNYEE-gom) book-INST
14.23a Онда then је it-is боље better купити buy-INF књигу book-ACC ради for-sake-of ње her-GEN а and не not ради for-sake-of себе self-GEN 14.23b Onda (ON-da) then je (yeh) it-is bolje (BO-lye) better kupiti (KOO-pee-tee) buy-INF knjigu (KNYEE-goo) book-ACC radi (RA-dee) for-sake-of nje (nyeh) her-GEN a (ah) and ne (neh) not radi (RA-dee) for-sake-of sebe (SE-be) self-GEN
14.24a Тачно exactly можете you-can ли Q да to је it-ACC наручите you-order 14.24b Tačno (TACH-no) exactly — možete (MO-zhe-te) you-can li (lee) Q da (dah) to je (yeh) it-ACC naručite (na-ROO-chee-te) you-order
14.25a Могу I-can стићи arrive-INF ће it-will за in три three дана days-GEN 14.25b Mogu (MO-goo) I-can — stići (STEE-chee) arrive-INF će (che) it-will za (zah) in tri (tree) three dana (DA-na) days-GEN
14.26a Због because-of путовања journey-GEN ми to-me треба is-needed раније earlier 14.26b Zbog (zbog) because-of putovanja (poo-to-VA-nya) journey-GEN mi (mee) to-me treba (TRE-ba) is-needed ranije (RA-nee-ye) earlier
14.27a Онда then вам to-you је it-is шал scarf сигурнији safer 14.27b Onda (ON-da) then vam (vahm) to-you je (yeh) it-is šal (shahl) scarf sigurniji (see-GOOR-nee-yee) safer
14.28a Узећу I-will-take и both шал scarf и and честитку card-ACC 14.28b Uzeću (OO-ze-choo) I-will-take i (ee) both šal (shahl) scarf i (ee) and čestitku (CHES-teet-koo) card-ACC
14.29a Хоћете you-want ли Q да to вам for-you упакујем I-wrap 14.29b Hoćete (HO-che-te) you-want li (lee) Q da (dah) to vam (vahm) for-you upakujem (oo-PA-koo-yem) I-wrap
14.30a Да yes молим I-beg и and хвала thanks на for савету advice-LOC 14.30b Da (dah) yes molim (MO-leem) I-beg i (ee) and hvala (HVA-la) thanks na (nah) for savetu (SA-ve-too) advice-LOC
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Part B — Natural Sentences
14.16 Тражим поклон за сестру. "I'm looking for a present for my sister."
14.17 За рођендан или за неку другу прилику? "For a birthday, or for some other occasion?"
14.18 За рођендан. Пуни тридесет. "For a birthday. She's turning thirty."
14.19 Колико сте мислили да дате? "How much were you thinking of spending?"
14.20 До пет хиљада динара. "Up to five thousand dinars."
14.21 Имамо лепе шалове за ту цену. "We have nice scarves at that price."
14.22 Она већ дуго чезне за једном књигом. "She's been longing for a certain book for a long time."
14.23 Онда је боље купити књигу — ради ње, а не ради себе. "Then it's better to buy the book — for her sake, not your own."
14.24 Тачно. Можете ли да је наручите? "Exactly. Can you order it?"
14.25 Могу. Стићи ће за три дана. "I can. It will arrive in three days."
14.26 Због путовања ми треба раније. "Because of a trip I need it sooner."
14.27 Онда вам је шал сигурнији. "Then the scarf is safer for you."
14.28 Узећу и шал и честитку. "I'll take both the scarf and a card."
14.29 Хоћете ли да вам упакујем? "Would you like me to wrap it for you?"
14.30 Да, молим. И хвала на савету. "Yes, please. And thank you for the advice."
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Part C — Target Language Only
14.16 Тражим поклон за сестру.
14.17 За рођендан или за неку другу прилику?
14.18 За рођендан. Пуни тридесет.
14.19 Колико сте мислили да дате?
14.20 До пет хиљада динара.
14.21 Имамо лепе шалове за ту цену.
14.22 Она већ дуго чезне за једном књигом.
14.23 Онда је боље купити књигу — ради ње, а не ради себе.
14.24 Тачно. Можете ли да је наручите?
14.25 Могу. Стићи ће за три дана.
14.26 Због путовања ми треба раније.
14.27 Онда вам је шал сигурнији.
14.28 Узећу и шал и честитку.
14.29 Хоћете ли да вам упакујем?
14.30 Да, молим. И хвала на савету.
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Part D — Grammar Notes for the Dialogue
за сестру, за рођендан, за прилику, за ту цену (14.16–14.21) — four accusatives after за: recipient, occasion, occasion, price. This is the default use, and it covers most of what a learner needs.
чезне за књигом (14.22) — the instrumental, and the contrast with the four accusatives above is the point of the dialogue. The book is longed for, not destined.
ради ње, а не ради себе (14.23) — ради with the genitive twice, and the reflexive себе referring to the addressee. Note that this sentence also contains је боље with an infinitive — the impersonal of Lesson 10.
за три дана (14.25) against због путовања (14.26) — deadline against cause, in adjacent lines. За три дана means the parcel arrives within that span; због путовања explains why that is too slow.
вам је шал сигурнији (14.27) — dative of the person concerned plus a comparative. Literally "to you the scarf is safer," where English says "the scarf is a safer bet for you."
и шал и честитку (14.28) — и … и for "both … and," from Lesson 3.
да вам упакујем (14.29) — the dative beneficiary of Section D §6 inside a да clause: "that I wrap it for you." No за is needed or possible.
хвала на савету (14.30) — на with the locative, closing the dialogue on the construction that most often trips learners.
Пуни тридесет (14.18) — an idiom: пунити (to fill) is the verb used for completing a year of age. Данас пуним тридесет = "I turn thirty today."
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за (za): zah. Unstressed and short, leaning on the following word. In older careful speech the stress can retract onto it — зȃ ме — but this is archaic.
чезне (čezne): CHEZ-ne. Hard ч, and the зн cluster pronounced fully.
туђом (tuđom): TOO-dyom. Soft ђ. Contrast туча (fight) with hard ч.
вуном (vunom): VOO-nom. Instrumental of вуна, wool.
острижен (ostrižen): os-TREE-zhen. ж as the s in measure.
рођендан (rođendan): RO-dyen-dan. Three syllables, from род (birth) and дан (day).
хиљада (hiljada): HEE-lya-da. The љ is one sound. Note the genitive plural хиљада is spelt the same as the nominative singular and distinguished in speech by vowel length.
завијека (zavijeka): za-VEE-ye-ka. Four syllables; the Ijekavian -ије- is two syllables, not one, and this is the commonest error Ekavian speakers make when reading folk texts aloud.
Instrumental endings: -ом for masculine and neuter (домом, дрветом), -ом for feminine a-stems (мачком, вуном), -и or -ју for feminine i-stems (помоћи, крвљу). The masculine takes -ем after a soft consonant: пријатељем, ножем.
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