Serbian 601 — two prepositions, one accusative, and a decision you make in every sentence.
Both u and na mean to when you are going somewhere, and both take the accusative. The case is never the problem. The problem is which preposition the noun happens to want, and Serbian is not always logical about it — but there is a pattern underneath.
| Preposition | Typically used with | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| U | enclosed spaces, buildings, cities, countries | u banku, u muzej, u prodavnicu, u Beograd, u Srbiju |
| NA | events, activities, open surfaces, islands | na sastanak, na utakmicu, na žurku, na stadion, na ostrvo |
The useful test: can you close a door behind you? If yes, it is usually u — u banku, u bioskop, u muzej. If what you are going to is an event rather than a building — a meeting, a match, a training course, a party — it is na, even when the event happens indoors. That is why na sastanak and u kancelariju can describe the same walk.
Cities and countries take u, wherever they are: u Beograd, u Srbiju, u Edmonton. Islands are the famous exception — na Hvar, na Krf, na ostrvo — and so are the two mountains-and-squares cases you will meet later: na Kopaonik, na Terazije.
One little word, and the sentence is either right or foreign-sounding.
1. Idem klizalište.
2. Idem sastanak.
3. Idem vežbe.
4. Idem žurku.
5. Idem srbiju.
6. Idem obuku.
7. Idem utakmicu.
8. Idem edmonton.
9. Idem stadion.
10. Idem bioskop.
11. Idem ostrvo.
12. Idem prodavnicu.
13. Idem beograd.
14. Idem pijacu.
15. Idem muzej.
16. Idem događaj.
17. Idem banku.
SR (lat): Upisuje se samo predlog: NA ili U. Može latinicom ili ćirilicom.
СР (ћир): Уписује се само предлог: НА или У. Може латиницом или ћирилицом.
EN: Type only the preposition: NA or U. Latin or Cyrillic.
From grammar to the street — the phrases you actually say at a bus stop.
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