Inversion

Level 6

Putting a word first stresses it, and short words keep their second place.

How It Works

Inversion is the move of a word to the front.

NeutralWith inversion
Taj dan je bio lijep.Lijep je bio taj dan.
Ta zima je bila teška.Teška je bila ta zima.
To je davno bilo.Davno je to bilo.

The first word gets the stress, and it is often a feeling, a judgement or a time. The effect is warm, like a story told aloud.

Short words such as je, su, sam, mi, se do not move to the front. They stay in second place, so you use Lijep je bio and not Lijep bio je.

You will see this in novels and in careful speech. Everyday speech uses it for emphasis too: Mala je ova avlija, ali topla.

Examples (4)

  1. Lijep je bio taj dan.

    That day was a beautiful one.

    Lijep first, je in second place.

  2. Teška je bila ta zima.

    That winter was a hard one.

    The adjective first.

  3. Davno je to bilo.

    That was a long time ago.

    The time word first.

  4. Mala je ova avlija, ali topla.

    This yard is small, but warm.

    Inversion in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

  • Learners put the short word later.

    Lijep bio je taj dan.
    Lijep je bio taj dan.

    Je normally stays in second place.

How It Connects

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

InversionLevel 6

Learn This First

Inversion.

Words in This Pattern

inverzija