имам ... година

Saying Your Age

Level 1Sounds Like imam ... godina

In Serbian, you state your age directly by saying you have years (using the verb имати), rather than translating "I am X years old" literally with a personal pronoun and the verb "to be" (бити). Subject pronouns like ја are normally omitted unless you want to emphasize contrast.

How It Works

To state your age in Serbian, use the present tense of имати ("to have"). Saying *Ја сам 20 is an incorrect word-for-word translation from English or German. While Serbian can also describe age impersonally with the dative and бити (e.g., Њему је двадесет година), the most common personal way to state age is with имати.

1. Dropping the Pronoun
Serbian verbs clearly indicate the person through their endings (имам = I have, имаш = you have, има = he/she/it has). Because of leaving out a clear subject pronoun, you typically begin directly with the verb: Имам двадесет година. Adding the pronoun (Ја имам двадесет година) is completely grammatical, but it is usually reserved for contrast or special emphasis.

2. Numeral Agreement Rules
The noun for "year" changes according to the numeral's last digit:

  • Last digit 1 (except 11): Takes the accusative singular feminine ending -у $\rightarrow$ годину. Notice that the number 1 also declines in the feminine accusative: двадесет једну годину.
  • Last digit 2, 3, 4 (except 12, 13, 14): Follows counting two to four rules and requires the paucal form ending in -е $\rightarrow$ године (e.g., двадесет четири године).
  • Last digit 5–0, plus 11–14: Follows the rule for counting five or more and takes the genitive plural ending in -а $\rightarrow$ година (e.g., петнаест година, тридесет година).

3. Asking Age
To ask someone's age using this pattern, use Колико имаш година? (informal) or Колико имате година? (polite/plural).

Examples (4)

  1. Имам двадесет пет година.

    I am twenty-five years old.

    Word by Word: I-have twenty five years.

    Because 25 ends in 5, the noun takes the genitive plural form "година".

  2. Моја ћерка има четири године.

    My daughter is four years old.

    Word by Word: My daughter has four years.

    The numeral 4 triggers the paucal form ending in -е: "године".

  3. Марко има тридесет једну годину.

    Marko is thirty-one years old.

    Word by Word: Marko has thirty one year.

    Compound numbers ending in 1 govern the feminine accusative singular: "једну годину".

  4. Колико имаш година?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How-much you-have of-years?

    The standard informal question to ask someone their age, using genitive plural "година" after "колико".

Common Mistakes

  • Using the verb "бити" (to be) instead of "имати" (to have).

    Ја сам двадесет година.
    Имам двадесет година.

    Serbian uses "имати" (to have) for age, not "бити" (to be). Additionally, the pronoun "ја" is unnecessary and usually omitted.

  • Using the dictionary form "година" for numbers ending in 2, 3, or 4.

    Имам двадесет три година.
    Имам двадесет три године.

    Numbers ending in 2, 3, and 4 (except 12–14) govern the paucal ending -е ("године"), not the genitive plural "година".

  • Dropping the word for "years" in a full statement about your age.

    Имам тридесет.
    Имам тридесет година.

    In a full sentence, Serbian gives the noun: "Имам тридесет година." A bare "Имам тридесет." is fine as a short answer to "Колико имаш година?", but not as a stand-alone statement.

How It Connects

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

имам ... годинаLevel 1Saying Your Age

Learn This First

Expressing age in Serbian requires using the verb 'имати' alongside numbers and appropriate noun forms for years, specifically genitive constructions like 'година' following numerals.

Words in This Pattern

иматигодина