kod, bez, blizu + Genitive

At Someone's Place, Without, Near

Level 2

Kod, bez and blizu are followed by the genitive.

How It Works

WordMeaningExample
kodat the place of, withkod doktora
bezwithoutbez šećera
blizunearblizu stanice

Kod answers both "where" and "to where" when a person is the goal: Sjedim kod Selme says where you are, and Idem kod Selme says where you are going. Kod can also mean near a town, as in kod Mostara, but blizu is the clearer choice for this idea.

With bez you can leave something out of a drink or a meal, which is handy in a café: kafa bez šećera, burek bez luka.

For "at home" use the fixed phrase kod kuće.

Examples (5)

  1. Večeras sam kod Selme.

    I am at Selma's place tonight.

    Kod is followed by Selme.

  2. Kafu bez šećera, molim.

    Coffee without sugar, please.

    Bez takes šećera.

  3. Škola je blizu stanice.

    The school is near the station.

    Blizu is followed by stanice.

  4. Živim blizu Miljacke.

    I live near the Miljacka.

    Miljacka becomes Miljacke.

  5. Ne mogu bez kafe.

    I cannot do without coffee.

    Bez also appears after verbs.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the person in the nominative after kod.

    Idem kod doktor.
    Idem kod doktora.

    Kod needs the genitive.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kod, bez, blizu + GenitiveLevel 2At Someone's Place, Without, Near

Learn This First

These prepositions take the genitive.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

kodbezblizugenitiv