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Feminine Direct Objects

Level 1Sounds Like akuzativ ženskog roda na -u

In Serbian, when a noun ending in -a (typically feminine) becomes the direct object of a sentence, its ending changes to -u. Any adjectives or possessives describing it also take the ending -u.

How It Works

The accusative case is used for the direct object of a transitive verb—the person or thing directly affected by the action.

1. How to form it:
Take any singular noun of the -a declension (most feminine nouns ending in -a), remove the -a, and add -u:

  • књига (book) → Читам књигу. (I am reading a book.)
  • сестра (sister) → Чекам сестру. (I am waiting for my sister.)
  • вода (water) → Пијем воду. (I am drinking water.)

Note: Do not apply this to neuter plural-only nouns like врата (door) or кола (car); their accusative singular does not exist, and in the plural they stay врата and кола.

2. Modifiers of feminine nouns must agree:
For feminine nouns, adjectives, possessives, and demonstratives modifying the noun also change their ending to -u:

  • Пијем црну кафу. (I drink black coffee.)
  • Волим твоју нову кућу. (I like your new house.)

3. Animacy makes no difference for feminine nouns:
Unlike masculine nouns, which need special checks for living things versus inanimate objects, feminine singular nouns in -a always take -u in the accusative.

4. Masculine nouns ending in -a:
Some masculine nouns end in -a (such as тата, деда, колега, or male names like Никола). The noun itself takes the ending -u in the accusative singular:

  • Видим тату. (I see dad.)
  • Познајем Николу. (I know Nikola.)

However, because their natural gender is masculine, any adjectives or possessives modifying them take masculine animate accusative endings in -og / -eg, not -u:

  • Чекам мог новог колегу. (I am waiting for my new colleague.)
  • Волим свог доброг тату. (I love my good dad.)

Examples (4)

  1. Свако јутро пијем црну кафу.

    Every morning I drink black coffee.

    Word by Word: Every morning I-drink black coffee.

    Both the adjective 'црна' and the noun 'кафа' switch to '-u' ('црну кафу') because coffee is the direct object being consumed.

  2. Ана чита занимљиву књигу.

    Ana is reading an interesting book.

    Word by Word: Ana reads interesting book.

    'Занимљива књига' changes to 'занимљиву књигу' in the accusative singular.

  3. Чекам другарицу испред биоскопа.

    I am waiting for a friend in front of the cinema.

    Word by Word: I-wait-for female-friend in-front-of cinema.

    'Другарица' is a female friend. Even though it is a living person, it simply takes the ending '-u' ('другарицу').

  4. Да ли познајеш мог колегу?

    Do you know my colleague?

    Word by Word: Whether you-know my colleague?

    'Колега' is a masculine noun that ends in '-a', so its accusative singular ending is also '-u'.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving inanimate feminine nouns in the nominative (-a)

    Пијем кафа сваки дан.
    Пијем кафу сваки дан.

    Learners often remember that inanimate masculine nouns do not change (e.g. 'Гледам филм') and mistakenly apply that rule to feminine things. Nouns in '-a' must always change to '-u', even when inanimate.

  • Changing the noun but forgetting to decline the adjective

    Чекам моја сестру.
    Чекам моју сестру.

    Adjectives and possessives must match the noun in case. 'Моја' must decline to 'моју' to agree with 'сестру'.

  • Adding -u to feminine nouns ending in a consonant

    Осећам велику љубаву према њој.
    Осећам велику љубав према њој.

    Only nouns ending in '-a' take '-u'. Feminine consonant-stem nouns (such as 'ноћ' or 'љубав') keep the same form in the accusative as in the nominative singular.

How It Connects

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

-уLevel 1Feminine Direct Objects

Learn This First

To form and use the feminine accusative ending -u, learners must understand basic noun gender (specifically regular feminine nouns ending in -a) and the general function of the accusative case as the direct object.