Serbian subordinators do more than attach one proposition to another. Ако makes one proposition a condition, иако and премда concede a fact without letting it change the outcome, као да marks an appearance or imagined comparison, and complement што presents a proposition as factive background. Correlative pairs then signal how two coordinated or comparative parts belong together.
Ако: an open condition
Ако means “if”: the subordinate clause presents a condition whose fulfillment is open or relevant. It does not itself make the sentence hypothetical; tense and the verb forms in both clauses determine whether the speaker describes a regular consequence, a realistic future possibility, or a counterfactual situation.
Ако имам јутарњи састанак, обично долазим пола сата раније.
If I have a morning meeting, I usually arrive half an hour early.
Ако сутра завршимо раније, отићи ћемо заједно на ручак.
If we finish early tomorrow, we will go to lunch together.
In the future condition, Serbian uses the perfective present завршимо, while Future I belongs in the result clause отићи ћемо. Future II can emphasize that the condition will have been fulfilled: ако будемо завршили раније. Neutral future conditions do not normally use Future I directly after ако.
The result clause may contain an imperative, modal expression, or present-tense consequence.
Ако ти затреба помоћ, одмах ми се јави.
If you need help, contact me right away.
Optional онда in the main clause makes the condition-result pairing explicit: ако X, онда Y. It is useful in argumentation, but everyday sentences do not require it.
For the full contrast between real, potential, and counterfactual patterns, see Conditional Sentences. This page keeps the focus on how ако links an open condition to its result.
Иако and премда: concession
A concessive clause presents a fact that might have led us to expect the opposite result. Neutral иако is common in speech and writing.
Иако је било хладно, седели смо напољу скоро два сата.
Although it was cold, we sat outside for almost two hours.
Прихватила је понуду иако плата није била нарочито висока.
She accepted the offer although the salary was not especially high.
Премда has the same basic concessive relation but is more characteristic of (formal) or edited prose. It does not change the truth of its clause.
Премда резултати нису коначни, они јасно указују на промену тренда.
Although the results are not final, they clearly indicate a change in the trend. (formal)
Neutral мада is also common and may sound somewhat more conversational than премда. Ипак “nevertheless/still” can reinforce the unexpected result in the main clause: Иако је било касно, ипак смо наставили. This is grammatical, though ипак is unnecessary when no extra emphasis is intended.
Clause order controls punctuation. A fronted concessive clause is followed by a comma; a following integrated clause normally is not preceded by one.
Остаћемо до краја иако последњи аутобус полази у једанаест.
We will stay until the end although the last bus leaves at eleven.
Као да: appearance and imagined comparison
Као да introduces a comparison to a proposition: something looks, sounds, feels, or behaves as if that proposition were true. Serbian has no separate subjunctive paradigm here. An ordinary finite verb locates the imagined or inferred situation in time.
Изгледа као да ће ускоро почети пљусак.
It looks as if a downpour is about to start.
Говорио је као да је лично присуствовао разговору.
He spoke as though he had personally been present at the conversation.
Понашају се као да се ништа није догодило.
They are behaving as if nothing happened.
The speaker need not declare the subordinate proposition false. Као да presents it as the standard of comparison or as an appearance for which the speaker withholds full commitment. By contrast, plain да after изгледа can introduce an assessment: Изгледа да ће падати киша “It appears that it will rain.” Adding као strengthens the “as if/as though” comparison.
Complement што: a fact as background
After emotional and evaluative expressions, што frequently introduces a proposition treated as a fact. English usually translates it as that or with an -ing clause.
Драго ми је што сте нашли времена да дођете.
I'm glad that you found time to come.
Жао нам је што вам нисмо раније одговорили.
We are sorry that we did not reply to you earlier.
The contrast with да can change the informational status. Драго ми је што си дошао reacts to an actual arrival. Волео бих да дођеш expresses a wish for an arrival and does not presuppose that it happened. Do not reduce this to an English word-for-word choice between two versions of that.
Complement што is distinct from relative што and from interrogative/exclamative “what.” This page focuses on its clause-linking, factive use.
Изненадило ме је што нико није поставио питање.
I was surprised that no one asked a question.
Correlative pairs: signaling both halves
Correlatives place a marker in each linked unit. Some coordinate equal units; others pair a subordinate scale or condition with a main-clause counterpart.
| Pair | Relation | English guide |
|---|---|---|
| и … и | inclusive addition | both … and |
| ни … ни | negative addition | neither … nor |
| или … или | exclusive or emphasized alternatives | either … or |
| не само … него/већ и | addition beyond the first expectation | not only … but also |
| што … то | parallel change of degree | the more … the more |
| колико … толико | matched degree or extent | as much … as |
| како … тако | parallel inclusion or manner | both … and / as … so |
| ако … онда | explicit condition-result structure | if … then |
На обуци су учествовали и нови запослени и искусни руководиоци.
Both new employees and experienced managers participated in the training.
Предлог није само јефтинији него је и лакши за одржавање.
The proposal is not only cheaper but also easier to maintain.
Што дуже чекамо, то ће решење бити скупље.
The longer we wait, the more expensive the solution will be.
Колико је план амбициозан, толико је и ризичан.
The plan is as risky as it is ambitious.
Keep the two halves grammatically parallel. In не само X него и Y, X and Y should both be noun phrases, both predicates, or both clauses. Negative ни … ни occurs with a negated predicate because Serbian uses negative concord: Нисмо видели ни Ану ни Марка.
The degree pairs што … то and колико … толико receive a fuller treatment in Comparative Correlatives.
Clitics and clause boundaries
Each subordinate clause creates its own early clitic position. The connector normally stands first and the cluster follows it.
Иако ми се није јавила, сачувао сам јој место.
Although she did not contact me, I saved her a seat. (male speaker)
Ако му га данас пошаљеш, имаће времена да га прочита.
If you send it to him today, he will have time to read it.
The first cluster is ми се; the second is dative-before-accusative му га. Do not move them after the lexical verb because English places object pronouns differently.
A short passage
Иако је рок кратак, мислим да можемо да завршимо посао. Ако нам клијент данас пошаље податке, онда ћемо сутра проверити и табеле и графиконе. Забрињава ме што још немамо коначну цену, али се тим понаша као да је све већ договорено. Што пре добијемо одговор, то ћемо лакше распоредити задатке.
Although the deadline is short, I think we can finish the work. If the client sends us the data today, then tomorrow we will check both the tables and the charts. It worries me that we still do not have the final price, but the team is behaving as if everything had already been agreed. The sooner we receive an answer, the more easily we will assign the tasks.
The passage contrasts concession, open condition, a factive reaction, appearance, and parallel degree. The connectors organize how each proposition enters the argument rather than serving as decorative synonyms.
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Choose the relation
Join five pairs to express an open condition, a neutral concession, a formal written concession, an appearance, and an emotional reaction to a fact. Use ако, иако, премда, као да, and што once each; then explain the information status of the subordinate clause.
Task 2: Complete the pairs
Write four balanced sentences using и … и, не само … него и, што … то, and ако … онда. Underline the parallel constituents and correct any mismatch of grammatical form.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ако ћу имати времена, свратићу после посла.
Incorrect in a neutral future condition — the ако clause normally uses present or Future II, not Future I.
✅ Ако будем имао времена, свратићу после посла.
If I have time, I will stop by after work. (male speaker)
❌ Иако је падала киша али смо отишли у шетњу.
Incorrect — do not pair concessive иако with adversative али as if both were obligatory halves.
✅ Иако је падала киша, отишли смо у шетњу.
Although it was raining, we went for a walk.
❌ Волео бих што сутра дођеш раније.
Incorrect — a wish concerns a desired event and takes a да clause, not factive complement што.
✅ Волео бих да сутра дођеш раније.
I would like you to come earlier tomorrow. (male speaker)
❌ Нисмо добили ни уговор или рачун.
Incorrect correlative structure — negative alternatives require the matched pair ни … ни.
✅ Нисмо добили ни уговор ни рачун.
We received neither the contract nor the invoice.
❌ Не само да је прочитала извештај него је и табеле.
Incorrect parallelism — the second half lacks a predicate parallel to the first clause.
✅ Не само да је прочитала извештај него је и проверила табеле.
She not only read the report but also checked the tables.
Key Takeaways
- Ако makes an open condition; future conditions normally use present or Future II inside the subordinate clause.
- Иако is neutral concession, while премда is more formal and written.
- Као да creates an appearance or imagined comparison without requiring a special mood.
- Complement што commonly frames a proposition as an established fact after emotional and evaluative expressions.
- Correlative markers must form a complete pair, and the linked constituents should be grammatically parallel.
- Put clitics immediately after the subordinator in their regular cluster order.
Now practice Serbian
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Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- Conditional Sentences (if-clauses)B1 — The ako/da/kad system for real and unreal conditions.
- ako vs da vs kad (if/when)B1 — Choosing the right conditional/temporal subordinator.
- Comparative, Result, and Purpose ClausesB2 — nego/od comparison, da/te result, kako bi/da purpose.
- Correlative ConstructionsB2 — što...to, ne samo...nego i, kako...tako and paired structures.
- Punctuation and Quotation MarksB1 — A focused guide to punctuation and quotation marks in Serbian.
- Clitics after Conjunctions and SubordinatorsB2 — A focused guide to clitics after conjunctions and subordinators in Serbian.