дома / на работа / на училиште

Home Work and School

Level 2Sounds Like doma; na rabota; na učilište

Say Одам дома (I am going home) and Сум на работа (I am at work). These everyday places are set phrases: no extra preposition for дома, and no article after на.

How It Works

Дома: home. Дома works like English home in go home. It needs no preposition at all:

  • Дома сум. I am at home.
  • Одам дома. I am going home.
  • од дома from home: Работам од дома. (I work from home.)

На + activity place. A place you go to in order to do something takes на and the noun with no article:

  • на работа at work, to work
  • на училиште at school, to school (as a pupil)
  • на факултет at university, to university
  • на пазар at the market, to the market
  • на село in the countryside, to the village
  • на море at the seaside, to the seaside

Being there and going there look the same, because Macedonian uses the same word for where and where to: Сум на работа (I am at work), Одам на работа (I am going to work). Coming back uses од: Се враќам од работа во шест. See Going Somewhere and Being Somewhere.

The building needs the article. The bare phrase is about the activity. When you mean one particular building, it is a known thing and takes the article: Те чекам пред училиштето. (I am waiting for you in front of the school.) · Во училиштето има нова сала. (There is a new hall in the school.)

Someone else's home. For another person's home, use кај: Сум кај Марко. (I am at Marko's.)

Examples (6)

  1. Одам дома.

    I am going home.

    Word by Word: I-go home.

  2. Дома сум.

    I am at home.

    Word by Word: Home I-am.

  3. Тато е на работа.

    Dad is at work.

    Word by Word: Dad is at work.

  4. Децата се на училиште.

    The children are at school.

    Word by Word: Children-the are at school.

  5. Сестра ми е на факултет.

    My sister is at university.

    Word by Word: Sister my is at faculty.

    Факултет is the everyday word for university studies and classes.

  6. Се враќам од работа во шест.

    I get back from work at six.

    Word by Word: Myself I-return from work at six.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a preposition before дома.

    Одам во дома.
    Одам дома.

    Дома already means home or to home, just like English go home. Во or на before it is wrong.

How It Connects

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

дома / на работа / на училиштеLevel 2Home Work and School

Learn This First

Home, work and school follow place prepositions.

Words in This Pattern

дома