поред / близу / око + Genitive

Nearby and Around

Level 2Sounds Like pored; blizu; oko + genitiv

The prepositions поред (next to / past), близу (near / close to), and око (around / approximately) describe physical position and always govern the genitive case. Unlike у and на, their case never changes when movement is involved.

How It Works

To express spatial relationships in Serbian, you frequently rely on prepositions with the genitive. Three of the most common are поред, близу, and око.

1. Поред + Genitive ('next to', 'beside', 'past')
• Statically, it identifies something positioned laterally adjacent: Седели смо поред прозора ('We were sitting next to the window').
• With verbs of motion, it denotes passing alongside: Прошао је поред мене ('He walked past me').
• In abstract contexts, it can mean 'besides' or 'in addition to' (additive meaning, distinct from subtractive words like осим).

2. Близу + Genitive ('near', 'close to')
• Denotes proximity without requiring immediate lateral contact: Живим близу центра ('I live near the center').
• Близу can also stand on its own as an adverb without any noun: Живим близу ('I live nearby').
• Do not use the dative after близу; even though English uses 'close to', Serbian demands the genitive.

3. Око + Genitive ('around', 'round', 'approximately')
• Spatially indicates encircling or a circular trajectory: Трчали су око парка ('They ran around the park').
• Outside space, it serves as an approximative marker for time and counts: Видимо се око пет сати ('See you around five o'clock').

Crucial Rule: No Motion Shift
Learners familiar with у and на often expect spatial prepositions to switch from locative to accusative when motion occurs. However, relative prepositions like поред, близу, and око strictly take the genitive at all times. They never take the locative or accusative.

Examples (5)

  1. Седели смо поред отвореног прозора.

    We were sitting next to the open window.

    Word by Word: Sat were beside open window.

    The preposition 'поред' governs the genitive masculine singular phrase 'отвореног прозора'.

  2. Мој стан се налази близу главног трга.

    My apartment is located near the main square.

    Word by Word: My apartment itself finds near main square.

    'Близу' governs 'главног трга' in the genitive case to indicate proximity.

  3. Деца су трчала око великог дрвета у дворишту.

    The children were running around the big tree in the yard.

    Word by Word: Children were run around big tree in yard.

    'Око' governs the genitive singular 'великог дрвета' to express circular motion around an object.

  4. Сваки дан пролазим поред оне старе зграде.

    Every day I walk past that old building.

    Word by Word: Every day I-pass beside that old building.

    With a verb of movement ('пролазити'), 'поред' means 'past/by' and strictly takes the genitive 'оне старе зграде'.

  5. Наћи ћемо се у кафићу око шест сати.

    We will meet at the cafe around six o'clock.

    Word by Word: Find will-we ourselves in cafe around six hours.

    'Око' is used here in its temporal/approximative meaning ('around six o'clock').

Common Mistakes

  • Using the locative case for static location after 'поред' or 'близу'

    Седели смо поред отвореном прозору.
    Седели смо поред отвореног прозора.

    Learners often assume answering 'Где?' (Where?) always requires the locative. In fact, 'поред' and 'близу' unconditionally take the genitive.

  • Using the dative case with 'близу' by analogy with English 'close to'

    Мој стан је близу мојој школи.
    Мој стан је близу моје школе.

    English speakers translate 'close to X' using the directional dative case. Serbian 'близу' strictly requires the genitive: 'близу моје школе'.

  • Switching to the accusative case when motion or passing by is described

    Прошао је поред кућу.
    Прошао је поред куће.

    Unlike 'у' or 'на', 'поред' does not switch to the accusative for dynamic motion. It remains in the genitive ('поред куће').

How It Connects

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поред / близу / око + GenitiveLevel 2Nearby and Around

Learn This First

To express spatial concepts with 'поред' (next to), 'близу' (near), and 'око' (around), you need to know how prepositions govern the genitive case and how to form basic genitive noun endings.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

поредблизублизуоко