osim, protiv

Except and Against

Level 4

Except / against + genitive.

How It Works

Two small prepositions that you will need often. Both are followed by the genitive.

WordMeaningExample
osimexcept, besidessvi osim Amira
protivagainstprotiv toga

With pronouns, use the genitive: osim mene (except me), osim tebe, osim njega, osim nje, osim nas, protiv njih.

Osim has two uses. It can mean "except": Sve osim ćevapa. It can also mean "besides, as well as": Osim kafe pijem i čaj. The context tells you which one.

The phrase osim toga works like "besides that" and starts a new point: Osim toga, kasno je.

Use protiv for things you oppose: protiv ideje. For a sports match, it also means "against": Sarajevo igra protiv Zrinjskog.

Examples (5)

  1. Svi su došli osim Amira.

    Everyone came except Amir.

    Amira is the genitive.

  2. Osim kafe pijem i čaj.

    Besides coffee, I also drink tea.

    Kafe is the genitive of kafa.

  3. Nisam protiv toga.

    I am not against that.

    Toga is the genitive of to.

  4. Svi osim mene vole burek.

    Everyone except me likes burek.

    Mene is the genitive of ja.

  5. Naš tim igra protiv Tuzle.

    Our team plays against Tuzla.

    Tuzle is the genitive of Tuzla.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative of a pronoun.

    Svi osim ja.
    Svi osim mene.

    After osim, the pronoun is in the genitive.

How It Connects

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

osim, protivLevel 4Except and Against

Learn This First

Osim and protiv take the genitive.

Words in This Pattern

osimprotiv