волети + да + Present-Tense Verb

Activities You Like

Level 1Sounds Like voleti + da + prezent

In Serbian, to say that you enjoy an activity, say волим да... followed by the second verb conjugated in the present tense (e.g., Волим да читам = "I like to read").

How It Works

The construction волети + да + презент is the natural, everyday standard Serbian way to talk about hobbies, preferences, and enjoyable routines.

1. Subject Agreement and Present Forms
When talking about activities you enjoy doing yourself, both волети and the activity verb match the subject in person and number. Any verb can be used in the second slot, whether regular or irregular (such as ићи, пити, or јести):

  • Ја: волим да кувам (I like to cook) / волим да пијем чај (I like to drink tea)
  • Ти: волиш да куваш (You like to cook)
  • Он / Она / Оно: воли да кува (He/She likes to cook)
  • Ми: волимо да кувамо (We like to cook)
  • Ви: волите да кувате (You like to cook)
  • Они / Оне / Она: воле да кувају (They like to cook)

Note on different subjects: When expressing a preference about what someone else does, the verb after да conjugates to match that new subject instead (e.g., Волим да деца читају – "I like it when children read").

2. Word Order and Clitics
Serbian short pronoun forms and reflexive particles (clitics) occupy the second position in the clause right after да. They never go at the end of the clause. Within this clitic group, dative pronouns come before accusative pronouns and the reflexive се:
• Волим да се шетам (I like to take walks) — never волим да шетам се
• Волим да му се јавим (I like to get in touch with him) — pronoun clitic precedes се.

3. Difference from Other Expressions
• Волети vs. Желети: желети + да + презент expresses immediate desires or specific wishes ("I want to"), while волети expresses general tastes, hobbies, and likes.
• Natural Serbian Standard: While neighbouring standard varieties often favor the bare infinitive (волим пливати), contemporary standard Serbian overwhelmingly prefers the да + презент clause in speech and everyday writing.

Examples (4)

  1. Волим да читам књиге увече.

    I like to read books in the evening.

    Word by Word: I-like that I-read books in-the-evening.

    Both 'волим' and 'читам' are in the first-person singular present, connected by 'да'.

  2. Да ли волиш да куваш?

    Do you like to cook?

    Word by Word: Whether you-like that you-cook?

    Forms a standard question using 'да ли' with second-person singular present agreement across both verbs.

  3. Они воле да путују лети.

    They like to travel in the summer.

    Word by Word: They like that they-travel in-summer.

    Both verbs ('воле' and 'путују') match the third-person plural subject.

  4. Волимо да се шетамо парком.

    We like to walk through the park.

    Word by Word: We-like that reflexive-clitic we-walk park-instrumental.

    Illustrates clitic placement: the reflexive particle 'се' attaches directly after 'да'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using an infinitive after да instead of conjugating the second verb.

    Волим да читати књиге.
    Волим да читам књиге.

    In Serbian, 'да' must be followed by a finite verb conjugated in the present tense, never the dictionary infinitive ending in -ти or -ћи.

  • Failing to change the complement verb to agree with the subject.

    Ми волимо да чита.
    Ми волимо да читамо.

    Both verbs must conjugate for the same subject. If the subject is 'ми' (we), both verbs must have the first-person plural ending (-мо).

  • Placing reflexive 'се' after the complement verb instead of right after 'да'.

    Волим да одмарам се.
    Волим да се одмарам.

    Reflexive 'се' is an enclitic and must occupy second position in its clause, coming directly after the complementizer 'да'.

How It Connects

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

волети + да + Present-Tense VerbLevel 1Activities You Like

Learn This First

To use 'волети + да + презент' to describe activities you enjoy doing, you must be able to conjugate verbs in the present tense (both 'волети' and the dependent verb following 'да') and understand the core meaning of 'волети'.

Words in This Pattern

волетида