English with does two quite different jobs in one word. It joins a companion — I went with my brother — and it names a tool — he cut it with a knife. Serbian separates these absolutely, and the separation is the whole lesson.
For a companion, Serbian uses the preposition с (or са) followed by the instrumental case: с братом. For a tool or means, it uses the bare instrumental with no preposition at all: ножем, возом, оловком. Putting с in front of an instrument is one of the most immediately foreign-sounding errors an English speaker can make.
A second complication: с also governs the genitive, where it means from or off — с главе (off the head), с клина (from the peg, as in Lesson 16's Kočić passage). One preposition, two cases, two unrelated meanings, distinguished only by the ending on the noun that follows.
Key Takeaways
- с / са + instrumental = accompaniment: с братом, с њом, с децом - Bare instrumental, no preposition = means or instrument: ножем, возом - с + genitive = from, off: с главе, с крова, с посла - са appears before с, з, ш, ж, before difficult clusters, and always before мном - Instrumental singular: masculine and neuter -ом (-ем after soft consonants), feminine -ом - Instrumental plural: -има (masc/neut), -ама (fem) - с is unstressed and leans on the following word: с бра́том is one rhythmic unit
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17.1a Идем I-go с with братом brother-INST 17.1b Idem (EE-dem) I-go s (s) with bratom (BRA-tom) brother-INST
17.2a Са with мном me-INST је is стари old пас dog 17.2b Sa (sah) with mnom (mnohm) me-INST je (yeh) is stari (STA-ree) old pas (pahs) dog
17.3a Пише he-writes оловком pencil-INST 17.3b Piše (PEE-she) he-writes olovkom (O-lov-kom) pencil-INST
17.4a Разговарам I-talk с with њом her-INST сваки every дан day 17.4b Razgovaram (raz-GO-va-ram) I-talk s (s) with njom (nyom) her-INST svaki (SVA-kee) every dan (dahn) day
17.5a Кафа coffee с with млеком milk-INST молим please 17.5b Kafa (KA-fa) coffee s (s) with mlekom (MLE-kom) milk-INST molim (MO-leem) please
17.6a Дошли come-PL су they-are са with децом children-INST 17.6b Došli (DOSH-lee) come-PL su (soo) they-are sa (sah) with decom (DE-tsom) children-INST
17.7a Сече he-cuts хлеб bread ножем knife-INST 17.7b Seče (SE-che) he-cuts hleb (hleb) bread nožem (NO-zhem) knife-INST
17.8a С with ким whom-INST си you-are био been-MASC 17.8b S (s) with kim (keem) whom-INST si (see) you-are bio (BEE-o) been-MASC
17.9a Путујемо we-travel возом train-INST до to Ниша Niš-GEN 17.9b Putujemo (poo-TOO-ye-mo) we-travel vozom (VO-zom) train-INST do (doh) to Niša (NEE-sha) Niš-GEN
17.10a Скинуо taken-off-MASC је he-is капу cap-ACC с from главе head-GEN 17.10b Skinuo (SKEE-noo-o) taken-off-MASC je (yeh) he-is kapu (KA-poo) cap-ACC s (s) from glave (GLA-ve) head-GEN
17.11a Помоћи to-help ћу I-will вам you-DAT са with задовољством pleasure-INST 17.11b Pomoći (po-MO-chee) to-help ću (choo) I-will vam (vahm) you-DAT sa (sah) with zadovoljstvom (za-do-VOLY-stvom) pleasure-INST
17.12a Отишла gone-FEM је she-is с with пријатељицом friend-FEM-INST у to позориште theatre-ACC 17.12b Otišla (o-TEESH-la) gone-FEM je (yeh) she-is s (s) with prijateljicom (pree-ya-TE-lyee-tsom) friend-FEM-INST u (oo) to pozorište (po-ZO-reesh-te) theatre-ACC
17.13a Разговарали talked-PL смо we-are с with њима them-INST о about томе that-LOC 17.13b Razgovarali (raz-go-VA-ra-lee) talked-PL smo (smo) we-are s (s) with njima (NYEE-ma) them-INST o (oh) about tome (TO-me) that-LOC
17.14a Са with старим old-INST мајстором master-INST ради works млад young ученик apprentice 17.14b Sa (sah) with starim (STA-reem) old-INST majstorom (MAY-sto-rom) master-INST radi (RA-dee) works mlad (mlahd) young učenik (oo-CHE-neek) apprentice
17.15a Ко who с with ђаволом devil-INST тикве gourds сади plants о on главу head-ACC му to-him се REFL лупају they-bang 17.15b Ko (koh) who s (s) with đavolom (DYA-vo-lom) devil-INST tikve (TEEK-ve) gourds sadi (SA-dee) plants o (oh) on glavu (GLA-voo) head-ACC mu (moo) to-him se (seh) REFL lupaju (LOO-pa-yoo) they-bang
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17.1 Идем с братом. "I'm going with my brother."
17.2 Са мном је стари пас. "An old dog is with me."
17.3 Пише оловком. "He writes with a pencil."
17.4 Разговарам с њом сваки дан. "I talk with her every day."
17.5 Кафа с млеком, молим. "A coffee with milk, please."
17.6 Дошли су са децом. "They came with the children."
17.7 Сече хлеб ножем. "He cuts the bread with a knife."
17.8 С ким си био? "Who were you with?"
17.9 Путујемо возом до Ниша. "We're travelling to Niš by train."
17.10 Скинуо је капу с главе. "He took the cap off his head."
17.11 Помоћи ћу вам са задовољством. "I'll be glad to help you."
17.12 Отишла је с пријатељицом у позориште. "She went to the theatre with a friend."
17.13 Разговарали смо с њима о томе. "We talked with them about it."
17.14 Са старим мајстором ради млад ученик. "A young apprentice works with the old master."
17.15 Ко с ђаволом тикве сади, о главу му се лупају. "He who plants gourds with the devil gets them banged about his head."
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17.1 Идем с братом.
17.2 Са мном је стари пас.
17.3 Пише оловком.
17.4 Разговарам с њом сваки дан.
17.5 Кафа с млеком, молим.
17.6 Дошли су са децом.
17.7 Сече хлеб ножем.
17.8 С ким си био?
17.9 Путујемо возом до Ниша.
17.10 Скинуо је капу с главе.
17.11 Помоћи ћу вам са задовољством.
17.12 Отишла је с пријатељицом у позориште.
17.13 Разговарали смо с њима о томе.
17.14 Са старим мајстором ради млад ученик.
17.15 Ко с ђаволом тикве сади, о главу му се лупају.
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These are the rules for с and са.
1. Companion versus instrument. This is the central distinction.
Companion — preposition plus instrumental: идем с братом, разговарам с њом, дошли су са децом. Instrument or means — instrumental alone, no preposition: сече ножем, путујемо возом, пише оловком.
The traditional Serbian grammatical terms are социјатив for the first and инструментал proper for the second. English collapses both into with, which is why the error runs in one direction only: learners insert с where none belongs. Serbs never insert it. Сече хлеб с ножем would suggest the knife came along for company.
A useful test: if you could replace with by by means of, drop the preposition.
2. с or са. The base form is с. Са appears:
- before words beginning with с, з, ш, ж: са сестром, са зидом, са шеширом, са женом - before мном, always: са мном, never с мном - before consonant clusters that would be hard to articulate: са мном, са псом - optionally elsewhere, for rhythm; са децом and с децом are both current
There is no difference of meaning whatsoever. Both alphabets and both scripts use the same rule.
3. с plus genitive. Entirely separate from the above. С with a genitive means from or off a surface:
с главе — off the head с крова — off the roof с посла — from work с планине — down from the mountain
The pair на (onto) and с (off) are opposites, as у (into) and из (out of) are. Lesson 18 takes up на.
4. Instrumental endings.
Masculine and neuter singular: -ом after a hard consonant (братом, возом, млеком), -ем after a soft one (ножем, пријатељем, оцем, мужем). Feminine singular in -а: -ом (сестром, женом, оловком). Feminine singular in a consonant: -и or -ју (ноћи or ноћу, крвљу). Masculine and neuter plural: -има (братима, колима, возовима). Feminine plural: -ама (сестрама, женама).
Pronouns: мном, тобом, њим(е), њом(е), нама, вама, њима; interrogative ким (who) and чим (what).
5. Verbs that require с. A group of verbs takes с plus instrumental as a fixed government, whatever the English preposition:
разговарати с ким — to talk to someone дружити се с ким — to be friends with свађати се с ким — to quarrel with растати се с ким — to part from упознати се с ким — to get to know
Note растати се с ким: Serbian says part with, English part from.
6. Fixed adverbial phrases. Са задовољством (with pleasure), с муком (with difficulty), с правом (rightly), с временом (in time), с разлогом (with reason). These are abstract nouns in the instrumental with с, and they behave as manner adverbs. They are learned as units.
7. Stress. С carries no stress of its own. С братом is pronounced as a single word, sbratom, with the stress on the noun. Before a voiceless consonant it stays voiceless; before a voiced one it assimilates: с братом sounds closer to zbratom. Serbs do not notice this and the spelling never changes.
Common Mistakes
Adding с to an instrument: с ножем, с возом, *с оловком. Say ножем, возом, оловком.
Writing *с мном. The form is са мном, without exception.
Using the accusative or genitive after comitative с: с брата, с брат. The instrumental is obligatory: с братом.
Confusing the two governments. С кровом means with the roof (it came too); с крова means off the roof.
Translating talk to with ка or a dative. Serbian says разговарати с ким.
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С ким is the opening move of Balkan sociability. С ким си дошао? is not surveillance but placement: who you arrived with tells a room where you belong. The proverb Кажи ми с ким се дружиш, да ти кажем ко си — tell me who you keep company with and I'll tell you who you are — states the principle outright, and it is quoted often enough to be a mild threat.
Кафа с млеком is the everyday order, but the older institution is домаћа кафа, Turkish-style, taken black and unhurried. Ordering it с шећером or без шећера is a question a waiter will always ask. Coffee is drunk with someone; идемо на кафу is an invitation to two hours of conversation and only incidentally to a drink.
The farewell збогом is с Богом worn down into one word — go with God. It is now the heavy goodbye, used when a return is uncertain, and Serbs reach instead for довиђења or the borrowed ћао for ordinary partings. The older с Богом survives in the mouths of the very old and in liturgical language.
The социјатив / инструментал distinction taught in Section D is one Serbian shares with Russian, Czech and Polish, and it is a point of quiet pride in Serbian school grammar, where children spend a term on it. Regionally, western speakers (Bosnia, Montenegro) use са more freely than the Belgrade standard prescribes; nobody corrects it.
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From Хасанагиница, the anonymous folk ballad collected by Alberto Fortis in 1774 and republished by Vuk Karadžić — the most translated South Slavic poem, rendered into German by Goethe. The mother, divorced and sent back to her family, cannot be separated from her infant son. Every parting in the passage is expressed with с.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a а and с with малахним tiny-INST у in бешици cradle-LOC синком son-DIM-INST F.1b a (ah) and s (s) with malahnim (MA-lah-neem) tiny-INST u (oo) in bešici (BE-shee-tsee) cradle-LOC sinkom (SEEN-kom) son-DIM-INST
F.2a од'јелит to-part се REFL никако in-no-way не not могла able-FEM F.2b od'jelit (OD-ye-leet) to-part se (seh) REFL nikako (NEE-ka-ko) in-no-way ne (neh) not mogla (MOG-la) able-FEM
F.3a већ but-rather је her-ACC братац brother-DIM за by руке hands-ACC узео taken-MASC F.3b već (vech) but-rather je (yeh) her-ACC bratac (BRA-tats) brother-DIM za (zah) by ruke (ROO-ke) hands-ACC uzeo (OO-ze-o) taken-MASC
F.4a и and једва barely је her-ACC с from синком son-DIM-INST раставио parted-MASC F.4b i (ee) and jedva (YED-va) barely je (yeh) her-ACC s (s) from sinkom (SEEN-kom) son-DIM-INST rastavio (ras-TA-vee-o) parted-MASC
F.5a тер and-then је her-ACC меће he-puts к to себи self-DAT на on коњица horse-DIM-ACC F.5b ter (ter) and-then je (yeh) her-ACC meće (ME-che) he-puts k (k) to sebi (SE-bee) self-DAT na (nah) on konjica (KO-nyee-tsa) horse-DIM-ACC
F.6a с with њоме her-INST греде he-goes двору court-DAT бијелому white-DAT F.6b s (s) with njome (NYO-me) her-INST grede (GRE-de) he-goes dvoru (DVO-roo) court-DAT bijelomu (bee-YE-lo-moo) white-DAT
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
а с малахним у бешици синком од'јелит се никако не могла; већ је братац за руке узео и једва је с синком раставио, тер је меће к себи на коњица, с њоме греде двору бијелому.
"But from the tiny son in the cradle she could not part at all; so her brother took her by the hands and barely got her away from the little boy, and then set her on the horse beside him, and rode with her to the white court."
F-C: Original Only
а с малахним у бешици синком од'јелит се никако не могла; већ је братац за руке узео и једва је с синком раставио, тер је меће к себи на коњица, с њоме греде двору бијелому.
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
Three instances of с, and they are not all the same. С малахним синком in F.1 is the companion use: she cannot part company with him. С синком раставио in F.4 is the government of раставити from Section D §5 — Serbian parts you with someone where English parts you from them. С њоме греде in F.6 is again pure accompaniment.
малахним … синком — the adjective and its noun are separated by four words. Serbian case endings make this possible: малахним can only agree with an instrumental masculine, and синком is the only candidate. English, having no endings, cannot split a phrase this way. The technique is standard in the decasyllabic epic, where the line, not the phrase, is the unit.
малахан is a diminutive-affectionate form of мали, and синак and коњиц are likewise diminutives. Three in six lines is characteristic of the ballad register, and they carry the pathos that the bare narration refuses to state.
је appears four times as the feminine accusative clitic her — је узео, је раставио, је меће — and never as the copula. The collision flagged in Lesson 10 and met again in Lesson 16 is here at its densest.
меће is present tense inside a past narrative: the historic present, which the singer switches into at the moment of greatest tension. Греде is an archaic verb for goes, preserved in folk poetry and dead in the modern language.
тер is an old conjunction, roughly and so, common in the western ballads.
двору бијелому — dative of destination without a preposition, another epic archaism; modern Serbian would say у бијели двор. The adjective is in the long definite dative бијелому, where prose would have бијелом.
The text is Ijekavian — бијелому, од'јелит — as Fortis recorded it on the Dalmatian coast.
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Part A — Intralinear Construed Text
17.16a Седи sit-IMP са with мном me-INST има there-is места room-GEN 17.16b Sedi (SE-dee) sit-IMP sa (sah) with mnom (mnohm) me-INST ima (EE-ma) there-is mesta (MES-ta) room-GEN
17.17a Хвала thanks али but нисам I-am-not сам alone дошао come-MASC сам I-am с with братом brother-INST 17.17b Hvala (HVA-la) thanks ali (A-lee) but nisam (NEE-sam) I-am-not sam (sahm) alone došao (DO-shao) come-MASC sam (sahm) I-am s (s) with bratom (BRA-tom) brother-INST
17.18a Онда then седите sit-IMP.PL обојица both-MASC с with нама us-INST 17.18b Onda (ON-da) then sedite (SE-dee-te) sit-IMP.PL obojica (o-BO-yee-tsa) both-MASC s (s) with nama (NA-ma) us-INST
17.19a Шта what пијете you-drink-PL 17.19b Šta (shtah) what pijete (PEE-ye-te) you-drink-PL
17.20a Ја I кафу coffee-ACC с with млеком milk-INST а and брат brother чај tea с with лимуном lemon-INST 17.20b Ja (yah) I kafu (KA-foo) coffee-ACC s (s) with mlekom (MLE-kom) milk-INST a (ah) and brat (braht) brother čaj (chai) tea s (s) with limunom (LEE-moo-nom) lemon-INST
17.21a Конобару waiter-VOC две two кафе coffees-GEN и and један one чај tea молим I-ask 17.21b Konobaru (ko-NO-ba-roo) waiter-VOC dve (dveh) two kafe (KA-fe) coffees-GEN i (ee) and jedan (YE-dan) one čaj (chai) tea molim (MO-leem) I-ask
17.22a Са with задовољством pleasure-INST одмах at-once доносим I-bring 17.22b Sa (sah) with zadovoljstvom (za-do-VOLY-stvom) pleasure-INST odmah (OD-mah) at-once donosim (DO-no-seem) I-bring
17.23a С with ким whom-INST си you-are био been-MASC синоћ last-night на at концерту concert-LOC 17.23b S (s) with kim (keem) whom-INST si (see) you-are bio (BEE-o) been-MASC sinoć (SEE-noch) last-night na (nah) at koncertu (kon-TSER-too) concert-LOC
17.24a Са with сестром sister-INST и and њеним her-INST мужем husband-INST 17.24b Sa (sah) with sestrom (SES-trom) sister-INST i (ee) and njenim (NYE-neem) her-INST mužem (MOO-zhem) husband-INST
17.25a Јесте are ли Q ишли gone-PL колима car-INST 17.25b Jeste (YES-te) are li (lee) Q išli (EESH-lee) gone-PL kolima (KO-lee-ma) car-INST
17.26a Нисмо we-are-not ишли gone-PL смо we-are аутобусом bus-INST 17.26b Nismo (NEES-mo) we-are-not išli (EESH-lee) gone-PL smo (smo) we-are autobusom (a-oo-TO-boo-som) bus-INST
17.27a С with таквом such-INST кишом rain-INST је is аутобус bus паметније wiser-NEUT решење solution 17.27b S (s) with takvom (TAK-vom) such-INST kišom (KEE-shom) rain-INST je (yeh) is autobus (A-oo-to-boos) bus pametnije (pa-MET-nee-ye) wiser-NEUT rešenje (RE-she-nye) solution
17.28a Ја I плаћам I-pay данас today с with тобом you-INST се REFL не not вреди is-worth расправљати to-argue 17.28b Ja (yah) I plaćam (PLA-cham) I-pay danas (DA-nas) today s (s) with tobom (TO-bom) you-INST se (seh) REFL ne (neh) not vredi (VRE-dee) is-worth raspravljati (ras-PRAV-lya-tee) to-argue
17.29a Хвала thanks на for кафи coffee-LOC и and на for друштву company-LOC 17.29b Hvala (HVA-la) thanks na (nah) for kafi (KA-fee) coffee-LOC i (ee) and na (nah) for društvu (DROOSH-tvoo) company-LOC
17.30a Идем I-go с with братом brother-INST до to станице station-GEN видимо we-see се each-other у on недељу Sunday-ACC 17.30b Idem (EE-dem) I-go s (s) with bratom (BRA-tom) brother-INST do (doh) to stanice (STA-nee-tse) station-GEN vidimo (VEE-dee-mo) we-see se (seh) each-other u (oo) on nedelju (NE-de-lyoo) Sunday-ACC
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Part B — Natural Sentences
17.16 — Седи са мном, има места. "Sit with me, there's room."
17.17 — Хвала, али нисам сам, дошао сам с братом. "Thanks, but I'm not alone — I came with my brother."
17.18 — Онда седите обојица с нама. "Then both of you sit with us."
17.19 — Шта пијете? "What are you drinking?"
17.20 — Ја кафу с млеком, а брат чај с лимуном. "Coffee with milk for me, and tea with lemon for my brother."
17.21 — Конобару, две кафе и један чај, молим. "Waiter, two coffees and one tea, please."
17.22 — Са задовољством, одмах доносим. "With pleasure, I'll bring them right away."
17.23 — С ким си био синоћ на концерту? "Who were you at the concert with last night?"
17.24 — Са сестром и њеним мужем. "With my sister and her husband."
17.25 — Јесте ли ишли колима? "Did you go by car?"
17.26 — Нисмо, ишли смо аутобусом. "We didn't — we went by bus."
17.27 — С таквом кишом је аутобус паметније решење. "In rain like that the bus is the wiser choice."
17.28 — Ја плаћам данас. — С тобом се не вреди расправљати. "I'm paying today." — "There's no arguing with you."
17.29 — Хвала на кафи и на друштву. "Thank you for the coffee and for the company."
17.30 — Идем с братом до станице. Видимо се у недељу! "I'm walking to the station with my brother. See you on Sunday!"
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Part C — Target Language Only
17.16 — Седи са мном, има места.
17.17 — Хвала, али нисам сам, дошао сам с братом.
17.18 — Онда седите обојица с нама.
17.19 — Шта пијете?
17.20 — Ја кафу с млеком, а брат чај с лимуном.
17.21 — Конобару, две кафе и један чај, молим.
17.22 — Са задовољством, одмах доносим.
17.23 — С ким си био синоћ на концерту?
17.24 — Са сестром и њеним мужем.
17.25 — Јесте ли ишли колима?
17.26 — Нисмо, ишли смо аутобусом.
17.27 — С таквом кишом је аутобус паметније решење.
17.28 — Ја плаћам данас. — С тобом се не вреди расправљати.
17.29 — Хвала на кафи и на друштву.
17.30 — Идем с братом до станице. Видимо се у недељу!
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Part D — Grammar Notes for the Dialogue
Са мном (17.16) and с братом, с нама (17.17–17.18) — the companion use throughout the opening. Са мном shows the obligatory са before мном.
Кафу с млеком, чај с лимуном (17.20) — accompaniment extended to substances. Serbian treats an added ingredient as a companion, not an instrument, so the preposition stays.
Конобару (17.21) is the vocative of конобар, the case used for direct address. Masculine nouns in a hard consonant take -е (брате, боже), those in -р and soft consonants take -у (конобару, мужу, пријатељу). The vocative was met in Lesson 16 with дјецо.
Две кафе (17.21) — after два, три, четири and две the noun stands in the old dual, identical in form to the genitive singular. Две кафе, but пет кафа with the genitive plural. This is a large topic; for now, learn the pattern by ear.
Са задовољством (17.22) — a fixed adverbial phrase from Section D §6, and the standard Serbian answer to a request in service register.
С ким (17.23) — the instrumental of ко, and the ordinary way to ask who with. English must split the phrase and strand the preposition; Serbian keeps it in front.
Колима, аутобусом (17.25–17.26) — bare instrumentals of means, no preposition, exactly as Section D §1 requires. Note that кола (car) is a neuter plural in form but singular in sense, so its instrumental is the plural колима.
С таквом кишом (17.27) — a third use, neither companion nor instrument: attendant circumstance. English has in or with here; Serbian keeps с plus instrumental. Такав, таква, такво (such, that kind of) belongs with the demonstratives of Lesson 19.
С тобом се не вреди расправљати (17.28) — расправљати се с ким, a verb of Section D §5. The impersonal не вреди plus an infinitive is the idiomatic Serbian for it's no use -ing.
Хвала на кафи (17.29) — thanks takes на plus the locative, not за. Хвала на помоћи, хвала на свему. Lesson 18 takes up на in full.
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с (s): a bare voiceless s, and a whole word. It has no vowel and no stress; it fuses with what follows. С братом is SBRA-tom, three sounds before the first vowel.
Voicing assimilation: before a voiced consonant the с voices to z in speech though never in spelling. С братом → zbratom; с другом → zdrugom; с њом → znjom. Before a voiceless one it stays s: с тобом → stobom.
са (sa): SAH. Short, open a. Never reduced to a schwa — Serbian has no unstressed vowel reduction, and every а is a full a wherever it stands.
мном (mnom): mnohm. One syllable, opening with the cluster mn, which English allows only across a word boundary. Practise from some no → m'no → mnom.
ђаволом (đavolom): DYA-vo-lom. Ђ is a single soft affricate, closer to the d of British dew than to English j.
задовољством (zadovoljstvom): za-do-VOLY-stvom. Five consonants meet at -љством; the љ is one palatal sound, not l plus y.
Ниша (Niša): NEE-sha. The genitive of Ниш, Serbia's third city.
коњица (konjica): KO-nyee-tsa. Diminutive of коњ; the њ again a single sound.
бијелому (bijelomu): bee-YE-lo-moo. Four syllables, the Ijekavian -ије- counting as two, as in Lesson 14 and Lesson 16.
Rhythm of the decasyllable: every line of the Hasanaginica passage has ten syllables with a fixed break after the fourth — и једва је ‖ с синком раставио. Read aloud with that pause and the metre carries itself.
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