из + Genitive

Saying Where You Are from

Level 1Sounds Like iz + genitiv porekla

To say where you are from in Serbian, use the preposition из followed by the name of the place in the genitive case: из + genitive.

How It Works

The construction из + генитив answers foundational questions such as:

  • Одакле си? / Одакле сте? (Where are you from?)
  • Одакле долазиш? / Одакле долазите? (Where do you come from?)

Spatial Logic and Pairs:
Serbian prepositions pair static location with movement away / origin:

  • Static location inside: у + locative (e.g., у Србији, у Београду) corresponds to origin with из + genitive: из Србије, из Београда.
  • Static location on a surface, island, or certain territories: на + locative (e.g., на Кипру, на Куби, на Филипинима) corresponds to origin with с(а) + genitive: са Кипра, са Кубе, са Филипина.

Because most countries and cities pair with у, origin is most often expressed using из.

Declining the Place Name:
Singular place names take the genitive singular:

  • Feminine (-а → -е): Србија → из Србије; Америка → из Америке; Италија → из Италије. (Note: Country names like Француска or Немачка are adjectives used as nouns, but also end in -е in the genitive: из Француске).
  • Masculine (consonant → -а): Лондон → из Лондона; Берлин → из Берлина; Ниш → из Ниша. Foreign cities ending in -о like Токио are grammatically masculine: из Токија.
  • Neuter (-о/-е → -а): Сарајево → из Сарајева; Ваљево → из Ваљева; Скопље → из Скопља.

Plural place names (such as plural-only towns or countries) take the genitive plural: Сремски Карловци → из Сремских Карловаца; Сједињене Америчке Државе (САД) → из Сједињених Америчких Држава.

Modifying Adjectives:
If a city or country has an adjective in its name, the adjective must also take the genitive ending:

  • Masculine/Neuter: -ог(а) / -ег(а): Нови Сад → из Новог Сада.
  • Feminine: -е: Јужна Америка → из Јужне Америке.

Key Difference with English:
Avoid translating English "I am from [city/country]" literally with од (do not say *Ја сам од Београда). In standard Serbian, из is the standard preposition used with бити or долазити to state where you are from. While од appears in route departure points (од Београда до Новог Сада) or origin from persons (од Марка), hometown or territorial provenance in everyday standard speech uses из.

Examples (5)

  1. Ја сам из Србије.

    I am from Serbia.

    Word by Word: I am from Serbia.

    The feminine country name "Србија" takes the genitive singular ending "-е" after "из".

  2. Одакле сте? — Ми смо из Лондона.

    Where are you from? — We are from London.

    Word by Word: From-where are-you? — We are from London.

    The masculine city name "Лондон" adds "-а" in the genitive singular.

  3. Марко је из Новог Сада.

    Marko is from Novi Sad.

    Word by Word: Marko is from Novi Sad.

    Both the adjective "Нови" (taking "-ог") and the noun "Сад" (taking "-а") must decline in the genitive.

  4. Они долазе из Сарајева.

    They come from Sarajevo.

    Word by Word: They come from Sarajevo.

    The neuter place name "Сарајево" changes its ending to "-а" in the genitive.

  5. Ана није из Немачке, она је из Аустрије.

    Ana is not from Germany, she is from Austria.

    Word by Word: Ana is-not from Germany, she is from Austria.

    Demonstrating negative and affirmative origin phrases with feminine country names.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case instead of declining the place name into the genitive.

    Ја сам из Србија.
    Ја сам из Србије.

    The preposition "из" always requires the genitive case. The feminine ending "-а" must change to "-е".

  • Using "од" instead of "из" by literal translation from English "from".

    Ја сам од Београда.
    Ја сам из Београда.

    Geographical origin uses "из", which corresponds to being inside ("у") that city or country. "Од" denotes distance away from or origin from a person.

  • Declining the noun but forgetting to decline the accompanying adjective.

    Они су из Нови Сада.
    Они су из Новог Сада.

    Adjectives modifying the place name must also agree in the genitive case (masculine ending "-ог").

How It Connects

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

из + GenitiveLevel 1Saying Where You Are from

Learn This First

To state where you are from using 'из + genitive', you need to form basic copula sentences using subject pronouns and the present tense forms of the verb 'бити' (to be).

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Words in This Pattern

из