Attribution tells a reader whose words, evidence, or responsibility a claim carries. Serbian distinguishes an exact direct quotation, an indirect report with каже да, source frames with према + dative, and evidential stance with наводно “allegedly/reportedly.” These devices are not interchangeable: one reproduces wording, one reports content, one identifies a source, and one distances the current speaker from the truth of the claim.
This page uses normative Serbian quotation marks „…“. The full tense and person changes of indirect speech are covered under Reported Speech; here the focus is how speakers and writers package a source.
Direct quotation: exact wording
A reporting clause before a complete quotation normally takes a colon. The quoted sentence begins with a capital letter, and its final full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark belongs inside „…“.
Директорка је рекла: „Резултате ћемо објавити у понедељак.“
The director said, ‘We will publish the results on Monday.’
Новинар је питао: „Ко је одобрио додатне трошкове?“
The journalist asked, ‘Who approved the additional costs?’
Serbian does not normally use the English pattern she said, “...” with a comma before a full quotation. Nor does careful Serbian use English high quotation marks as its primary pair. The low opening mark is U+201E „, and the high closing mark is U+201C “.
When only a word or phrase is quoted inside the surrounding grammar, it is not introduced as an independent sentence:
Његово неодређено „ускоро“ није нам помогло да планирамо посао.
His vague ‘soon’ did not help us plan the work.
Quotation marks can also create distance or irony. Calling something „успех“ may imply that the writer doubts it was a success. They are therefore not neutral emphasis marks.
Каже да: reporting content rather than wording
Use рећи/казати/навести/саопштити + да-clause when content matters more than exact words. No quotation marks surround the indirect clause.
Директорка каже да ће резултате објавити у понедељак.
The director says that she will publish the results on Monday.
У саопштењу се наводи да су сви узорци поново проверени.
The statement says that all the samples were checked again. (formal)
Serbian does not mechanically backshift after a past reporting verb. Рекао је да живи у Крагујевцу can report a fact still valid now. Choose tense according to the actual time relation, not an English sequence-of-tenses rule.
Reporting verbs add stance:
| Verb/frame | Typical effect |
|---|---|
| каже/рекао је да | neutral attribution in speech |
| наводи да | formal written reporting; cites a claim |
| саопштава да | officially communicates information |
| истиче да | highlights what the source stresses |
| тврди да | presents a claim whose truth may be contested |
Ауторка истиче да резултати важе само за испитану групу.
The author emphasizes that the results apply only to the group studied. (academic)
Компанија тврди да није имала приступ спорним подацима.
The company claims that it did not have access to the disputed data.
Тврди is not a neutral synonym for каже: it foregrounds commitment to a proposition and can signal that others dispute it. Признаје adds concession; упозорава adds warning. Accurate attribution chooses a verb the source's act supports.
Према + dative: naming the source
In the meaning “according to,” према governs dative: према извештају, према подацима, према речима сведока, према њеним речима.
Према подацима завода, број путника је порастао за осам одсто.
According to the institute's data, passenger numbers increased by eight percent.
Према речима очевидаца, струја је нестала неколико минута пре пожара.
According to eyewitnesses, the power went out several minutes before the fire.
The whole source frame is usually detached at the beginning and followed by a comma. It can also occur later when integrated: Одлука је, према извештају комисије, донета једногласно. Parenthetical commas mark its inserted status.
Према identifies the evidential basis but does not say whether the current writer believes it. A precise source is stronger than vague према неким информацијама “according to some information,” which may be appropriate only when anonymity is genuinely necessary.
Наводно: distance from an unconfirmed claim
Наводно means “allegedly,” “reportedly,” or “supposedly.” It marks information as attributed elsewhere or not accepted as established fact. Sentence-initial Наводно can scope over the whole proposition, but integrated Serbian normally does not copy the English comma after reportedly. When explicitly parenthetical inside a clause, the adverb can instead be set off by commas. Immediately before a constituent, it can cast doubt specifically on that description.
Наводно ће преговори бити настављени већ следеће недеље.
Reportedly, the negotiations will resume as early as next week.
Састанку је присуствовао и наводно независни саветник.
An allegedly independent adviser also attended the meeting.
The second sentence questions the characterization независни, not necessarily the person's attendance. In speech, stress sharpens this skeptical reading. Because наводно distances the speaker, it can sound insinuating when used about a person; use it only when evidential uncertainty is relevant.
Наводно does not replace a source citation. A careful report can combine them, but each must do real work:
Према незваничним изворима, уговор је наводно потписан у петак, али потврда још није објављена.
According to unofficial sources, the contract was reportedly signed on Friday, but confirmation has not yet been published.
Here према незваничним изворима identifies the source class; наводно marks the signing as unconfirmed. The final clause explains why that caution remains.
Quotative каже in conversation
Conversational Serbian often uses present каже to animate a past exchange: И он каже... а ја кажем... This is a historical present and is (informal). It can make storytelling vivid but is unsuitable as the default style of a formal report.
И ја га питам где жури, а он каже: „Касним на последњи аутобус!“
So I ask him where he's rushing to, and he says, ‘I'm late for the last bus!’ (informal vivid narrative)
In edited reporting, identify speakers clearly and avoid long chains of каже with ambiguous subjects. Serbian can omit a recoverable subject, but a new source should be named.
Before and after: from rumor to accountable attribution
A weak paragraph blurs source and certainty:
Наводно ће фабрика бити затворена. Кажу да радници добијају отпремнине. Ситуација ће се брзо решити.
The factory will reportedly be closed. They say the workers are receiving severance pay. The situation will be resolved quickly. (sources and certainty remain unclear)
A responsible revision separates confirmed and attributed information:
Према саопштењу управе, производња ће бити обустављена до краја месеца. Синдикат наводи да преговори о отпремнинама још трају. Представник општине тврди да ће нови инвеститор бити пронађен брзо, али за ту процену није понудио доказе.
According to management's statement, production will be suspended by the end of the month. The union says that severance negotiations are still ongoing. A municipal representative claims that a new investor will be found quickly, but offered no evidence for that assessment.
The revision identifies three sources and uses наводи and тврди according to their evidential force.
Dialogue: exact words versus report
— Шта је лекарка тачно рекла? — Рекла је: „Налаз је уредан, али поновите анализу за шест месеци.“ — Значи, није рекла да морам одмах на нови преглед? — Не. Према њеним речима, довољна је контрола за шест месеци.
— What exactly did the doctor say? — She said, ‘The results are normal, but repeat the test in six months.’ — So she didn't say I have to have another examination immediately? — No. According to her, a follow-up in six months is sufficient.
The direct quotation answers тачно with exact words. The last turn paraphrases their practical content and attributes it with dative према њеним речима.
Practice
Task 1: Change the reporting layer
Write one complete direct quotation with „…“, turn it into каже да, and then summarize it with према + dative source. Keep exact wording only in the first version.
Task 2: Calibrate certainty
Report one confirmed fact, one source's contested claim with тврди да, and one unconfirmed report with наводно. State the source wherever it is known.
Common Mistakes
Importing an English-style comma before a full quotation
❌ Ана је рекла, „Стижем после ручка.“
Incorrect Serbian quotation convention—a complete quote after a reporting clause normally follows a colon, not a comma.
✅ Ана је рекла: „Стижем после ручка.“
Ana said, ‘I'm arriving after lunch.’
Using the wrong case after према
❌ Према нови извештај, трошкови су мањи.
Incorrect—према meaning ‘according to’ governs dative: новом извештају.
✅ Према новом извештају, трошкови су мањи него прошле године.
According to the new report, costs are lower than last year.
Putting quotation marks around indirect speech
❌ Марко је рекао да „неће доћи на састанак“.
Incorrect mixed construction—ordinary indirect speech after да is not enclosed as a complete direct quotation.
✅ Марко је рекао да неће доћи на састанак.
Marko said that he would not come to the meeting.
Presenting наводно as proof of a source
❌ Наводно је рок продужен, дакле то је потврђено.
Contradictory evidential logic—наводно marks the claim as unconfirmed, while потврђено calls it confirmed.
✅ Наводно је рок продужен, али још чекамо званичну потврду.
The deadline has reportedly been extended, but we are still waiting for official confirmation.
Key Takeaways
- Direct quotation preserves exact wording and uses „…“; indirect да reports content without quotation marks.
- Према + dative identifies the source: према извештају, према речима сведока.
- Reporting verbs encode stance: тврди is not neutral каже, and истиче highlights emphasis.
- Наводно signals unconfirmed or distanced information; its position controls whether it scopes over the proposition or one constituent.
- Punctuation and attribution should make the boundary between the current writer and the source unmistakable.
Now practice Serbian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- Reported (Indirect) SpeechB1 — Reporting statements/questions with no tense backshift.
- Punctuation and Quotation MarksB1 — A focused guide to punctuation and quotation marks in Serbian.
- Building Cohesion Across SentencesC1 — Reference, ellipsis, and connectives in extended text.
- Reformulation and EmphasisB2 — Rephrasing and stressing with naime, zapravo, upravo, bas.
- Indirect and Rhetorical QuestionsB1 — Embedded questions with li/da li and rhetorical zar.
- Journalistic SerbianB2 — A focused guide to journalistic serbian in Serbian.