волети + Accusative

Saying What You Like

Level 1Sounds Like voleti + akuzativ

волети + accusative direct object
Serbian uses the verb волети (conjugated in the present tense: волим, волиш, воли...) to express both liking (tastes, hobbies, food) and loving (people, pets). The thing or person you like takes the accusative case without any preposition.

How It Works

To express preferences, tastes, or affection in Serbian, combine the present tense of волети with a noun in the accusative case.

1. Present Tense Conjugation of волети:
• ја волим (I like/love)
• ти волиш (you like/love)
• он / она / оно воли (he / she / it likes/loves)
• ми волимо (we like/love)
• ви волите (you [plural/polite] like/love)
• они / оне / она воле (they like/love)

2. Accusative Case Rules for Objects:

  • Feminine nouns ending in -а: change -а to -у. Any descriptive adjective must match in -у (e.g., црну кафу, пицу, музику).
  • Masculine inanimate objects: look exactly like the dictionary form (e.g., чај, спорт, филм).
  • Masculine living beings: add the ending -а (e.g., пас → пса, брат → брата).
  • Neuter nouns: look identical to the dictionary form (e.g., пиво, море).

3. Liking vs. Loving:
English learners often worry that волети sounds overly intense or romantic. In Serbian, saying Волим чоколаду is the standard, everyday way to say 'I like chocolate'. It does not carry dramatic romantic weight unless paired with a person (e.g., Волим те = 'I love you').

Examples (4)

  1. Волим црну кафу без шећера.

    I like black coffee without sugar.

    Word by Word: I-like black coffee without sugar.

    Both the adjective 'црну' and the feminine noun 'кафу' take the accusative ending -у.

  2. Да ли волиш народну музику?

    Do you like folk music?

    Word by Word: Whether you-like folk music?

    'Народну музику' is the accusative singular of the feminine phrase 'народна музика'.

  3. Ми волимо српски фудбал.

    We like Serbian football.

    Word by Word: We like Serbian football.

    'Фудбал' is an inanimate masculine noun, so its accusative form is identical to the nominative.

  4. Ана много воли свог пса.

    Ana loves her dog very much.

    Word by Word: Ana much loves her-own dog.

    'Пас' is an animate masculine noun, so it receives the accusative animate ending -а ('пса').

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving feminine nouns in their nominative dictionary ending -а instead of changing to -у.

    Ја волим кафа и пица.
    Ја волим кафу и пицу.

    Because 'волети' is a transitive verb, direct objects must take the accusative case. Feminine singular nouns ending in -а change to -у.

  • Adding an -а ending to inanimate masculine things by confusing them with living beings.

    Волим црног чаја.
    Волим црни чај.

    Only animate masculine nouns (people and animals) add -а in the accusative singular. Inanimate masculine objects remain identical to their nominative forms.

  • Placing clitic object pronouns at the end of the clause after a subject pronoun.

    Ја волим те.
    Ја те волим.

    Short pronominal clitics like 'те' must follow the standard second-position rules in Serbian and cannot trail at the end of a clause after a stressed subject.

How It Connects

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

волети + AccusativeLevel 1Saying What You Like

Learn This First

Using 'волети + акузатив' requires knowing how to conjugate regular present-tense verbs to produce forms like 'волим' and 'волиш', before applying them to a direct object in the accusative case.

Words in This Pattern

волети