о / по + Locative

Topics and Distribution

Level 2Sounds Like lokativ uz o; po

The locative case in Serbian never stands alone—it always requires a preposition. When paired with о, it marks the topic of discussion, thought, or writing ('about'). When paired with по, it denotes movement or distribution across an area ('around', 'all over', 'along').

How It Works

In Serbian, the locative case (локатив) is strictly prepositional. Two of its most frequent everyday partners are о and по.

1. 'О' + Locative (Topic & Theme)
Whenever you speak, write, or ponder a topic, standard Serbian pairs the verb with о followed by the locative:

  • Разговарамо о новом филму. (We are talking about the new movie.)
  • Ученици уче о историји. (The students are learning about history.)
  • Размишљам о послу. (I am pondering / reflecting on work.)

Usage Note on 'Thinking': To express actively pondering or meditating on a subject, use размишљати о + locative. The verb мислити generally pairs with на + accusative when you have someone or something on your mind (e.g., мислим на тебе — I'm thinking of you). When мислити о + locative is used (as in мислити о), it specifically carries the sense of having an opinion or reflecting on an issue (e.g., Шта мислиш о томе? — What do you think about that?).

2. 'По' + Locative (Space & Manner / Accordance)
The preposition по with the locative has two major everyday roles:

A. Movement and Distribution in Space:
Unlike directed movement toward a destination (у or на with the accusative), по + locative conveys diffuse movement around an area or distribution across a surface:

  • Шетам по парку. (I am walking around in the park.)
  • Путујемо по Србији. (We are traveling around Serbia.)
  • Књиге су разбацане по поду. (Books are scattered across the floor.)
  • Снег лежи по крововима. (Snow is lying across the roofs.)

B. 'According to' / 'By' (Manner & Reference):
A very frequent non-spatial use of по + locative means "according to", "in accordance with", or "by":

  • По мом мишљењу, то није тачно. (In my opinion / According to my opinion, that is not correct.)
  • Све иде по плану. (Everything is going according to plan.)
  • То је по закону. (That is according to the law.)
  • По правилу, час почиње на време. (As a rule / By rule, class starts on time.)

3. Case Endings and Consonant Shifts
Make sure to apply the regular locative endings:

  • Masculine and Neuter singular: -у (град → по граду; село → о селу)
  • Feminine singular: -и (соба → по соби)
  • Plural (all genders): masculine/neuter -има, feminine -ама (see plural dative and locative)

Watch out for sound changes: many feminine nouns ending in -ка, -га, -ха undergo sibilarization before the -и ending (e.g., књига → о књизи; рука → по руци). However, this is not an absolute rule: stems with certain consonant clusters (such as -тк-, -чк-, -цк- like тетка → тетки, мачка → мачки) as well as hypocorisms and familiar names (like бака → баки) regularly resist this shift.

Examples (4)

  1. Често разговарамо о новим филмовима и књигама.

    We often talk about new movies and books.

    Word by Word: Often we-talk about new movies and books.

    The preposition 'о' governs the plural locative forms 'новим филмовима' and 'књигама' to indicate the topic of conversation.

  2. Туристи су цело поподне шетали по старом граду.

    The tourists walked around the old town all afternoon.

    Word by Word: Tourists are whole afternoon walked around old town.

    'По' governs the locative singular masculine 'старом граду' to express wandering throughout an area.

  3. Деца су трчала и играла се по целом дворишту.

    The children ran and played all over the yard.

    Word by Word: Children are ran and played self all-over whole yard.

    'По' with the neuter locative singular 'целом дворишту' shows movement distributed across the entire space.

  4. Шта пише у тој књизи о српској историји?

    What does it say in that book about Serbian history?

    Word by Word: What writes in that book about Serbian history?

    'О' introduces the subject matter of the book using feminine singular locative forms ('српској историји').

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative case instead of the locative to express a topic.

    Причамо о нови филм.
    Причамо о новом филму.

    The preposition 'о' in the sense of 'about' strictly governs the locative case, requiring '-ом' on the descriptive adjective and '-у' on masculine nouns.

  • Using the accusative after 'по' when describing wandering around a place.

    Шетам по град цео дан.
    Шетам по граду цео дан.

    Diffuse movement within an area requires 'по' + locative ('по граду'). 'По' + accusative has a completely different meaning: fetching or going after something (e.g., 'идем по хлеб' = I am going to get bread).

  • Forgetting the consonant shift (sibilarization) in feminine locative singular nouns.

    Размишљам о тој књиги.
    Размишљам о тој књизи.

    Feminine nouns ending in '-га' undergo sibilarization before the locative singular suffix '-и', changing 'г' to 'з' ('књига' → 'књизи').

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о / по + LocativeLevel 2Topics and Distribution

Learn This First

To use the prepositions 'o' (about) and 'po' (around, along) with the locative, learners must already know how to form the locative case endings and be familiar with prepositional case governance in Serbian.

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Words in This Pattern

опо