На is the most heavily worked preposition in Serbian. It covers English on, a great deal of English at, a surprising amount of English to, and a scatter of for, in and about — and it does all this with two cases, which between them draw a line English does not draw at all.
На plus the locative answers where: на столу, on the table, at rest. На plus the accusative answers whither: на сто, onto the table, in motion. Same preposition, same noun, different ending, and the difference is location versus destination. English marks it lexically — on against onto, at against to — and often not at all: he's at work and he's going to work share a noun with no signal on it. Serbian signals it every time: на послу, на посао.
The second difficulty is knowing when Serbian chooses на and when it chooses у. Broadly, у is for enclosed spaces you go inside — у кући, у соби, у Србији — and на for surfaces, open spaces, events, and a fixed list of institutions and activities: на мосту, на пијаци, на факултету, на послу, на свадби. The list has to be learned; there is no rule that predicts all of it.
Key Takeaways
- на + locative = static position: на столу, на послу, на мосту - на + accusative = motion towards: на сто, на посао, на мост - English on, at, to, for and about can all appear as на - на competes with у; enclosed spaces take у, surfaces, events and many institutions take на - Verbs governing на + accusative: мислити на (think of), личити на (resemble), чекати на (wait for), пазити на (mind) - на is the opposite of с + genitive (Lesson 17): на кров / с крова - Many fixed adverbials: на време, на пример, на крају, на памет
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18.1a Књига book је is на on столу table-LOC 18.1b Knjiga (KNYEE-ga) book je (yeh) is na (nah) on stolu (STO-loo) table-LOC
18.2a Стави put-IMP књигу book-ACC на onto сто table-ACC 18.2b Stavi (STA-vee) put-IMP knjigu (KNYEE-goo) book-ACC na (nah) onto sto (stoh) table-ACC
18.3a Он he је is на at послу work-LOC 18.3b On (on) he je (yeh) is na (nah) at poslu (POS-loo) work-LOC
18.4a Идем I-go на to посао work-ACC 18.4b Idem (EE-dem) I-go na (nah) to posao (PO-sao) work-ACC
18.5a Живимо we-live на on трећем third-LOC спрату floor-LOC 18.5b Živimo (ZHEE-vee-mo) we-live na (nah) on trećem (TRE-chem) third-LOC spratu (SPRA-too) floor-LOC
18.6a Видимо we-see се each-other на at станици station-LOC 18.6b Vidimo (VEE-dee-mo) we-see se (seh) each-other na (nah) at stanici (STA-nee-tsee) station-LOC
18.7a Седи he-sits на on клупи bench-LOC и and чита reads новине newspaper-ACC.PL 18.7b Sedi (SE-dee) he-sits na (nah) on klupi (KLOO-pee) bench-LOC i (ee) and čita (CHEE-ta) reads novine (NO-vee-ne) newspaper-ACC.PL
18.8a Мислим I-think на of тебе you-ACC 18.8b Mislim (MEES-leem) I-think na (nah) of tebe (TE-be) you-ACC
18.9a Дошли come-PL смо we-are на on време time-ACC 18.9b Došli (DOSH-lee) come-PL smo (smo) we-are na (nah) on vreme (VRE-me) time-ACC
18.10a На for пример example-ACC Ниш Niš и and Крагујевац Kragujevac 18.10b Na (nah) for primer (PREE-mer) example-ACC Niš (neesh) Niš i (ee) and Kragujevac (kra-GOO-ye-vats) Kragujevac
18.11a Студира she-studies на at Филозофском Philosophical-LOC факултету faculty-LOC 18.11b Studira (STOO-dee-ra) she-studies na (nah) at Filozofskom (fee-lo-ZOF-skom) Philosophical-LOC fakultetu (fa-kool-TE-too) faculty-LOC
18.12a Личи he-resembles на on оца father-ACC 18.12b Liči (LEE-chee) he-resembles na (nah) on oca (O-tsa) father-ACC
18.13a Изашао gone-out-MASC је he-is на onto улицу street-ACC без without капута coat-GEN 18.13b Izašao (ee-ZA-shao) gone-out-MASC je (yeh) he-is na (nah) onto ulicu (OO-lee-tsoo) street-ACC bez (bez) without kaputa (ka-POO-ta) coat-GEN
18.14a Снег snow још still лежи lies на on планини mountain-LOC 18.14b Sneg (sneg) snow još (yosh) still leži (LE-zhee) lies na (nah) on planini (pla-NEE-nee) mountain-LOC
18.15a На in муци hardship-LOC се REFL познају are-known јунаци heroes 18.15b Na (nah) in muci (MOO-tsee) hardship-LOC se (seh) REFL poznaju (POZ-na-yoo) are-known junaci (yoo-NA-tsee) heroes
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18.1 Књига је на столу. "The book is on the table."
18.2 Стави књигу на сто. "Put the book on the table."
18.3 Он је на послу. "He's at work."
18.4 Идем на посао. "I'm going to work."
18.5 Живимо на трећем спрату. "We live on the third floor."
18.6 Видимо се на станици. "We'll meet at the station."
18.7 Седи на клупи и чита новине. "He sits on the bench reading the paper."
18.8 Мислим на тебе. "I'm thinking of you."
18.9 Дошли смо на време. "We arrived on time."
18.10 На пример, Ниш и Крагујевац. "For example, Niš and Kragujevac."
18.11 Студира на Филозофском факултету. "She studies at the Faculty of Philosophy."
18.12 Личи на оца. "He looks like his father."
18.13 Изашао је на улицу без капута. "He went out into the street without a coat."
18.14 Снег још лежи на планини. "The snow is still lying on the mountain."
18.15 На муци се познају јунаци. "It is in hardship that heroes are known."
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18.1 Књига је на столу.
18.2 Стави књигу на сто.
18.3 Он је на послу.
18.4 Идем на посао.
18.5 Живимо на трећем спрату.
18.6 Видимо се на станици.
18.7 Седи на клупи и чита новине.
18.8 Мислим на тебе.
18.9 Дошли смо на време.
18.10 На пример, Ниш и Крагујевац.
18.11 Студира на Филозофском факултету.
18.12 Личи на оца.
18.13 Изашао је на улицу без капута.
18.14 Снег још лежи на планини.
18.15 На муци се познају јунаци.
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These are the rules for на.
1. Two cases, two questions.
Locative — the question где? (where): Књига је на столу. The book is at rest. Accusative — the question куда? or где? with a verb of motion: Стави књигу на сто. The book moves.
The same opposition runs through у (у кући / у кућу), под (под столом / под сто) and над. It is the single most productive pattern in the Serbian prepositional system, and once it is secure, four prepositions come with it.
Note that Serbian asks about destination with где in ordinary speech — Где идеш? — but the noun still takes the accusative. Do not trust the question word; trust the verb.
2. Locative endings. The locative singular is identical to the dative:
masculine and neuter: -у (столу, послу, мосту, селу) feminine in -а: -и (клупи, планини, улици) feminine in a consonant: -и (ноћи, ствари) plural: -има / -ама (столовима, планинама)
Feminine nouns ending in -ка, -га, -ха undergo the second palatalization before -и: мука → муци, нога → нози, свраха → сврси. Learners meet this first in на руци (on the hand, from рука) and на муци in the proverb above.
3. Accusative after на. Ordinary accusative rules: inanimate masculines are unchanged from the nominative (на сто, на мост, на посао), animates take the genitive form (на оца, на брата), feminines in -а take -у (на улицу, на планину), neuters are unchanged (на време, на село).
4. на versus у. Both mean roughly in / at, and the choice is lexical.
у — enclosed spaces, countries, cities, rooms: у кући, у соби, у школи, у Београду, у Србији, у болници, у ресторану на — surfaces, open spaces, events, some institutions and most activities: на столу, на улици, на пијаци, на мосту, на планини, на факултету, на послу, на свадби, на утакмици, на концерту, на путу, на селу
Two contrasts worth memorising. У школи (a pupil at school) but на факултету (a student at university). У селу (physically inside a particular village) but на селу (in the countryside, as opposed to town).
Islands and some regions take на: на Криту, на Косову. This last is politically loaded and Section E returns to it.
5. Verbs governing на plus accusative. A closed list, and each must be learned as a unit:
мислити на — to think of личити на — to resemble чекати на — to wait for (though bare accusative чекати некога is commoner) пазити на — to watch out for, mind навикнути се на — to get used to љутити се на — to be angry at одговорити на — to answer (a question) подсећати на — to remind of
6. Verbs and nouns governing на plus locative. Fewer, but frequent:
инсистирати на — to insist on захвалити на / хвала на — to thank for радити на — to work on
Хвала на помоћи (Lesson 17, 17.29) is the ordinary formula: thanks takes на and the locative, never за.
7. Fixed adverbials. На време (on time), на пример (for example), на крају (in the end), на срећу (fortunately), на жалост (unfortunately), напамет (by heart), на здравље (to your health, said after a sneeze or a drink), на брзину (hastily), на први поглед (at first sight).
Common Mistakes
Using the locative after a verb of motion: *идем на послу. Say идем на посао.
Using the accusative for position: *књига је на сто. Say на столу.
Choosing у for institutions that take на: у факултету, у послу, *у пијаци. Say на факултету, на послу, на пијаци.
Forgetting the palatalization: на муки, на руки. Say на муци, на руци.
Translating thank you for with за: *хвала за помоћ. Say хвала на помоћи.
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Идемо на кафу is the standard invitation, and it takes на because coffee is an event rather than a liquid — as на пиво, на ручак, на свадбу and на славу all do. The слава, the family's patron saint's day, is the most characteristically Serbian of these; one goes на славу without an invitation, because the household is understood to be open on that day.
На селу against у селу carries more weight than the grammar suggests. На селу means the countryside as a way of life, and in a country that urbanised violently within two generations it is said with a mixture of nostalgia and condescension depending entirely on who is speaking.
На Косову is the form that Serbian grammar produces, and the phrase на Косову has been the opening words of epic poetry since the fifteenth century: the battle, the field, the loss. That the same construction now carries a contemporary political charge is a fact learners should be aware of before using the phrase; the grammar is neutral and the reference is not.
На здравље is said to someone who has sneezed and, in a different register, when glasses are raised — though for a toast живели is commoner. На памет appears in знати напамет (to know by heart) and in пасти на памет (to occur to one), where the mind is treated as a surface things land on.
Finally, the на / с pair from Lesson 17: на кров and с крова, на планину and с планине. This symmetry is worth noticing early, because a great many Serbian verbs of motion are built from these two prepositions as prefixes — насути (pour on), сићи (come down) — and the prefix keeps the meaning of the preposition.
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From Смрт мајке Југовића, an anonymous epic ballad of the Kosovo cycle, sent to Vuk Karadžić by Lukijan Mušicki and published in his collection. The opening lines establish the field, and the mother's prayer for a falcon's eyes and a swan's wings so that she may fly over it.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Мили dear боже God-VOC чуда wonder-GEN великога great-GEN кад when се REFL слеже gathered на onto Косово Kosovo-ACC војска army F.1b Mili (MEE-lee) dear bože (BO-zhe) God-VOC čuda (CHOO-da) wonder-GEN velikoga (ve-LEE-ko-ga) great-GEN kad (kahd) when se (seh) REFL sleže (SLE-zhe) gathered na (nah) onto Kosovo (KO-so-vo) Kosovo-ACC vojska (VOY-ska) army
F.2a у in тој that-LOC војсци army-LOC девет nine Југовића Jugovići-GEN и and десети tenth стар-Јуже old-Jug-VOC Богдане Bogdan-VOC F.2b u (oo) in toj (toy) that-LOC vojsci (VOY-stsee) army-LOC devet (DE-vet) nine Jugovića (yoo-GO-vee-cha) Jugovići-GEN i (ee) and deseti (DE-se-tee) tenth star-Juže (star-YOO-zhe) old-Jug-VOC Bogdane (BOG-da-ne) Bogdan-VOC
F.3a Бога God-ACC моли prays Југовића Jugovići-GEN мајка mother да that јој to-her бог God да give очи eyes соколове falcon's F.3b Boga (BO-ga) God-ACC moli (MO-lee) prays Jugovića (yoo-GO-vee-cha) Jugovići-GEN majka (MAY-ka) mother da (dah) that joj (yoy) to-her bog (bog) God da (dah) give oči (O-chee) eyes sokolove (so-KO-lo-ve) falcon's
F.4a и and бијела white крила wings лабудова swan's да that одлети she-fly-off над over Косово Kosovo-ACC равно level F.4b i (ee) and bijela (bee-YE-la) white krila (KREE-la) wings labudova (la-boo-DO-va) swan's da (dah) that odleti (od-LE-tee) she-fly-off nad (nahd) over Kosovo (KO-so-vo) Kosovo-ACC ravno (RAV-no) level
F.5a и and да that види she-see девет nine Југовића Jugovići-GEN и and десетог tenth-ACC стар-Југа old-Jug-ACC Богдана Bogdan-ACC F.5b i (ee) and da (dah) that vidi (VEE-dee) she-see devet (DE-vet) nine Jugovića (yoo-GO-vee-cha) Jugovići-GEN i (ee) and desetog (DE-se-tog) tenth-ACC star-Juga (star-YOO-ga) old-Jug-ACC Bogdana (BOG-da-na) Bogdan-ACC
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Мили боже, чуда великога! Кад се слеже на Косово војска, у тој војсци девет Југовића и десети стар-Јуже Богдане; Бога моли Југовића мајка, да јој бог да очи соколове и бијела крила лабудова, да одлети над Косово равно, и да види девет Југовића и десетог стар-Југа Богдана.
"Dear God, what a great wonder! When the army gathered on Kosovo, in that army were the nine Jugovići and, tenth, old Jug Bogdan; and the mother of the Jugovići prayed to God that God would give her a falcon's eyes and the white wings of a swan, so that she might fly out over level Kosovo and see the nine Jugovići and, tenth, old Jug Bogdan."
F-C: Original Only
Мили боже, чуда великога! Кад се слеже на Косово војска, у тој војсци девет Југовића и десети стар-Јуже Богдане; Бога моли Југовића мајка, да јој бог да очи соколове и бијела крила лабудова, да одлети над Косово равно, и да види девет Југовића и десетог стар-Југа Богдана.
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
на Косово (F.1) is accusative, not locative, because слеже се is a verb of gathering-towards: the army converges onto the field. Modern prose would more often say на Косову for the static picture, and the difference is exactly the one drawn in Section D §1. The ballad chooses movement.
над Косово равно (F.4) — над behaves identically to на: accusative for motion, locative for rest. The mother flies out over the field, so accusative. Had she merely hovered there it would be над Косовом.
у тој војсци (F.2) — locative, static, and војска → војсци shows the palatalization of Section D §2 in a cluster: -ск- before -и becomes -сц-.
чуда великога — a genitive of exclamation, an old construction preserved in formulaic openings. It has no modern prose equivalent; English must supply what a.
стар-Јуже Богдане in F.2 is vocative where the syntax demands nominative — a metrical licence, since the vocative fits the decasyllable and the singer needs the syllables. F.5 has the same name correctly in the accusative, стар-Југа Богдана, so the poem itself supplies the contrast.
соколове and лабудова are possessive adjectives formed from соко (falcon) and лабуд (swan), not genitives: falcon-ish eyes, swan-ish wings. Serbian prefers a possessive adjective to a genitive whenever the possessor is a single definite being, and the pattern will return.
да јој бог да — the second да is the present of дати, the first the subordinating conjunction. The collision is a famous small trap.
The text is Ijekavian in бијела, as most of Vuk's western material is.
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Part A — Intralinear Construed Text
18.16a Наша our слава slava је is Никољдан St-Nicholas'-Day и and цела whole породица family долази comes на to славу slava-ACC 18.16b Naša (NA-sha) our slava (SLA-va) slava je (yeh) is Nikoljdan (NEE-koly-dan) St-Nicholas'-Day i (ee) and cela (TSE-la) whole porodica (po-RO-dee-tsa) family dolazi (DO-la-zee) comes na (nah) to slavu (SLA-voo) slava-ACC
18.17a Мајка mother је is још still у at зору dawn-ACC изашла gone-out-FEM на to пијацу market-ACC 18.17b Majka (MAY-ka) mother je (yeh) is još (yosh) still u (oo) at zoru (ZO-roo) dawn-ACC izašla (EE-zash-la) gone-out-FEM na (nah) to pijacu (PEE-ya-tsoo) market-ACC
18.18a На on столу table-LOC већ already стоје stand колач kolač и and жито wheat 18.18b Na (nah) on stolu (STO-loo) table-LOC već (vech) already stoje (STO-ye) stand kolač (KO-lach) kolač i (ee) and žito (ZHEE-to) wheat
18.19a Свећа candle гори burns на at средини middle-LOC стола table-GEN 18.19b Sveća (SVE-cha) candle gori (GO-ree) burns na (nah) at sredini (sre-DEE-nee) middle-LOC stola (STO-la) table-GEN
18.20a Свештеник priest је is дошао come-MASC на on време time-ACC и and пресекао cut-MASC колач kolač-ACC 18.20b Sveštenik (SVESH-te-neek) priest je (yeh) is došao (DO-shao) come-MASC na (nah) on vreme (VRE-me) time-ACC i (ee) and presekao (pre-SE-ka-o) cut-MASC kolač (KO-lach) kolač-ACC
18.21a Први first гости guests су are покуцали knocked-PL на on врата door-ACC тек only после after подне noon 18.21b Prvi (PR-vee) first gosti (GOS-tee) guests su (soo) are pokucali (po-KOO-tsa-lee) knocked-PL na (nah) on vrata (VRA-ta) door-ACC tek (tek) only posle (POS-le) after podne (POD-ne) noon
18.22a Деда grandfather је is седео sat-MASC на at челу head-LOC стола table-GEN и and наздрављао toasted-MASC на to здравље health-ACC 18.22b Deda (DE-da) grandfather je (yeh) is sedeo (SE-de-o) sat-MASC na (nah) at čelu (CHE-loo) head-LOC stola (STO-la) table-GEN i (ee) and nazdravljao (naz-DRAV-lya-o) toasted-MASC na (nah) to zdravlje (ZDRAV-lye) health-ACC
18.23a Тетка aunt је is торту cake-ACC спустила set-down-FEM на onto сто table-ACC поред beside прозора window-GEN 18.23b Tetka (TET-ka) aunt je (yeh) is tortu (TOR-too) cake-ACC spustila (SPOOS-tee-la) set-down-FEM na (nah) onto sto (stoh) table-ACC pored (PO-red) beside prozora (PRO-zo-ra) window-GEN
18.24a Деца children су are се REFL играла played-PL на in снегу snow-LOC у in дворишту yard-LOC 18.24b Deca (DE-tsa) children su (soo) are se (seh) REFL igrala (EEG-ra-la) played-PL na (nah) in snegu (SNE-goo) snow-LOC u (oo) in dvorištu (DVO-reesh-too) yard-LOC
18.25a Ујак uncle стално constantly мисли thinks на of посао work-ACC чак even и and на at слави slava-LOC 18.25b Ujak (OO-yak) uncle stalno (STAL-no) constantly misli (MEES-lee) thinks na (nah) of posao (PO-sa-o) work-ACC čak (chak) even i (ee) and na (nah) at slavi (SLA-vee) slava-LOC
18.26a Најмлађи youngest брат brother личи resembles на on деду grandfather-ACC више more него than на on оца father-ACC 18.26b Najmlađi (nai-MLA-jee) youngest brat (braht) brother liči (LEE-chee) resembles na (nah) on dedu (DE-doo) grandfather-ACC više (VEE-she) more nego (NE-go) than na (nah) on oca (O-tsa) father-ACC
18.27a После after вечере dinner-GEN смо we-are изашли gone-out-PL на onto терасу terrace-ACC да to видимо we-see снег snow-ACC на on крововима roofs-LOC 18.27b Posle (POS-le) after večere (VE-che-re) dinner-GEN smo (smo) we-are izašli (EE-zash-lee) gone-out-PL na (nah) onto terasu (TE-ra-soo) terrace-ACC da (dah) to vidimo (VEE-dee-mo) we-see sneg (sneg) snow-ACC na (nah) on krovovima (kro-VO-vee-ma) roofs-LOC
18.28a Бака grandmother нам us-DAT је is причала told-FEM о about слави slava-LOC на in селу countryside-LOC где where се REFL јагње lamb пекло roasted-NEUT на on ражњу spit-LOC 18.28b Baka (BA-ka) grandmother nam (nahm) us-DAT je (yeh) is pričala (PREE-cha-la) told-FEM o (o) about slavi (SLA-vee) slava-LOC na (nah) in selu (SE-loo) countryside-LOC gde (gdeh) where se (seh) REFL jagnje (YAG-nye) lamb peklo (PEK-lo) roasted-NEUT na (nah) on ražnju (RAZH-nyoo) spit-LOC
18.29a Деда grandfather је is знао known-MASC целу whole песму song-ACC напамет by-heart и and отпевао sung-MASC ју it-ACC је is на at крају end-LOC вечери evening-GEN 18.29b Deda (DE-da) grandfather je (yeh) is znao (ZNA-o) known-MASC celu (TSE-loo) whole pesmu (PES-moo) song-ACC napamet (na-PA-met) by-heart i (ee) and otpevao (ot-PE-va-o) sung-MASC ju (yoo) it-ACC je (yeh) is na (nah) at kraju (KRA-yoo) end-LOC večeri (VE-che-ree) evening-GEN
18.30a На at растанку parting-LOC смо we-are се each-other договорили agreed-PL да that се each-other видимо we-see идуће next године year-GEN на at истом same-LOC месту place-LOC 18.30b Na (nah) at rastanku (ras-TAN-koo) parting-LOC smo (smo) we-are se (seh) each-other dogovorili (do-go-VO-ree-lee) agreed-PL da (dah) that se (seh) each-other vidimo (VEE-dee-mo) we-see iduće (ee-DOO-che) next godine (GO-dee-ne) year-GEN na (nah) at istom (EES-tom) same-LOC mestu (MES-too) place-LOC
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Part B — Natural Sentences
18.16 Наша слава је Никољдан, и цела породица долази на славу. "Our slava is St Nicholas's day, and the whole family comes to the celebration."
18.17 Мајка је још у зору изашла на пијацу. "Mother had gone out to the market while it was still dawn."
18.18 На столу већ стоје колач и жито. "The kolač and the žito are already standing on the table."
18.19 Свећа гори на средини стола. "A candle burns in the middle of the table."
18.20 Свештеник је дошао на време и пресекао колач. "The priest arrived on time and cut the kolač."
18.21 Први гости су покуцали на врата тек после подне. "The first guests knocked at the door only after midday."
18.22 Деда је седео на челу стола и наздрављао: „На здравље!" "Grandfather sat at the head of the table and raised his glass: 'Your health!'"
18.23 Тетка је торту спустила на сто поред прозора. "My aunt set the cake down on the table by the window."
18.24 Деца су се играла на снегу у дворишту. "The children were playing in the snow in the yard."
18.25 Ујак стално мисли на посао, чак и на слави. "My uncle thinks about work constantly, even at a slava."
18.26 Најмлађи брат личи на деду више него на оца. "The youngest brother takes after our grandfather more than our father."
18.27 После вечере смо изашли на терасу да видимо снег на крововима. "After dinner we went out onto the terrace to look at the snow on the roofs."
18.28 Бака нам је причала о слави на селу, где се јагње пекло на ражњу. "Grandmother told us about the slava in the countryside, where a lamb was roasted on the spit."
18.29 Деда је знао целу песму напамет и отпевао ју је на крају вечери. "Grandfather knew the whole song by heart and sang it at the end of the evening."
18.30 На растанку смо се договорили да се видимо идуће године, на истом месту. "As we parted we agreed to meet next year, in the same place."
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Part C — Target Language Only
18.16 Наша слава је Никољдан, и цела породица долази на славу.
18.17 Мајка је још у зору изашла на пијацу.
18.18 На столу већ стоје колач и жито.
18.19 Свећа гори на средини стола.
18.20 Свештеник је дошао на време и пресекао колач.
18.21 Први гости су покуцали на врата тек после подне.
18.22 Деда је седео на челу стола и наздрављао: „На здравље!"
18.23 Тетка је торту спустила на сто поред прозора.
18.24 Деца су се играла на снегу у дворишту.
18.25 Ујак стално мисли на посао, чак и на слави.
18.26 Најмлађи брат личи на деду више него на оца.
18.27 После вечере смо изашли на терасу да видимо снег на крововима.
18.28 Бака нам је причала о слави на селу, где се јагње пекло на ражњу.
18.29 Деда је знао целу песму напамет и отпевао ју је на крају вечери.
18.30 На растанку смо се договорили да се видимо идуће године, на истом месту.
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Part D — Grammar Notes for the Story
На славу (18.16) against на слави (18.25) — the central opposition of Section D §1, here on the same noun a few lines apart. The family comes to the celebration, accusative; the uncle is at it, locative. If a learner takes away one pair from this lesson, it should be this one.
На пијацу (18.17) is likewise motion; на пијаци would be standing there selling. Note also у зору — у plus the accusative for a point in time, a use unrelated to place.
Стоје (18.18) — third plural of стајати. Serbian uses стајати for objects at rest on a surface where English simply says there is: на столу стоји чаша, there is a glass on the table. Лежати is used for things lying flat, as in снег лежи in Section A.
Покуцати на врата (18.21) — knocking takes на plus the accusative even though nobody moves: the knuckles travel to the surface. Куцати на прозор, звонити на врата behave the same way. Врата is a plurale tantum, neuter plural, accusative identical to nominative.
На челу стола (18.22) — чело is the forehead, and the head of a table by extension; the locative is static. In the same sentence наздрављати на здравље shows the fixed accusative adverbial of Section D §7. Наздрављао is imperfective, so the toasting recurs through the evening.
Торту спустила на сто (18.23) — word order. The object has been pulled in front of the participle for emphasis (the cake she set down on the table), which Serbian permits freely because case, not position, marks the object. The clitic је still holds second place in the clause.
На снегу у дворишту (18.24) — both locative, and a good illustration of the lexical split in Section D §4: snow is a surface, so на; a yard is an enclosure, so у. Деца is a collective noun, feminine singular in form but taking plural agreement: деца су се играла.
Личи на деду ... на оца (18.26) — личити на from the verb list, and both nouns are animate masculines, so the accusative borrows the genitive form: деда → деду (as an -а stem it declines like a feminine), отац → оца with the fugitive а dropping out.
На терасу ... на крововима (18.27) — the two cases in a single sentence, motion then rest. Кров takes the long plural кровови, and its locative plural is крововима; short monosyllabic masculines nearly all do this (мост → мостови, син → синови).
На селу (18.28) is the countryside, not one particular village, exactly as Section E describes. На ражњу — the locative of ражањ, with the fugitive а dropping in every case but the nominative and accusative singular.
Отпевао ју је (18.29) — the clitic cluster. The accusative feminine clitic is normally је, but when the auxiliary је follows, the object shifts to the alternative form ју to avoid two identical clitics in a row. This is a small, rigid rule and worth learning now. Напамет is written as one word when it means by heart, two when the mind is a literal surface: пало ми је на памет.
На растанку ... на истом месту (18.30) — two more locatives, one temporal (at parting) and one spatial. Идуће године is a bare genitive of time, no preposition, the ordinary way to say next year.
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на (na): nah. One short open syllable, and — like с in Lesson 17 — a proclitic: it carries no stress of its own and leans forward onto the following word. На столу is one rhythmic unit, na-STO-lu, not two words.
Stress retraction: with several common monosyllables the stress moves back onto the preposition itself, so that на becomes the loud syllable: НА воду, НА руку, НА ноге, НА зиму. This is a relic of the old accent system, it is not predictable from rules, and it is one of the surest markers of a native ear. Listen for it rather than trying to derive it.
свећа (sveća): SVE-cha. Ћ is the soft affricate, tongue flat against the palate — the t of British tune pushed further forward. It contrasts with the hard ч of колач (KO-lach), made further back with the tongue tip curled. The pair ћ / ч is the hardest consonant distinction in Serbian for English speakers, who hear both as ch.
ражњу (ražnju): RAZH-nyoo. Ж is the s of measure; њ is a single palatal nasal, one gesture, as in јагње (YAG-nye).
крововима (krovovima): kro-VO-vee-ma. Five syllables, every vowel fully pronounced. Serbian never reduces an unstressed vowel to a schwa, and the long plural of short masculines produces these accordion-like words constantly.
Најмлађи (Najmlađi): nai-MLA-jee. Ђ is the voiced counterpart of ћ — softer than the English j of judge, closer to the d of dew. Note the four-consonant onset јмл- across the syllable break.
напамет (napamet): na-PA-met. Written solid, stressed on the second syllable, and distinct in rhythm from the phrase на памет, where на leans on памет as a separate word.
Деца (deca): DE-tsa. Ц is always ts, never k or s. English speakers reading the Latin alphabet version routinely mispronounce ц in деца, оца, пијаца; there are no exceptions to the ts value.
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