Serbian speakers guide a listener through stages with прво/најпре, затим, потом, онда, на крају, and signal a change of subject with frames such as што се тиче + genitive and када је реч о + locative. These expressions do more than translate English first, then, and as for: their position, punctuation, and intonation show whether a speaker is advancing a sequence, opening a side topic, or returning to the main line.
These markers work with reference and omission to create cohesion across sentences. This page concentrates on the overt route through a text; topic and focus explains how constituent order identifies what the utterance is about.
Opening a sequence: прво and најпре
Both прво and најпре can introduce the first stage. Прво is the ordinary choice across speech and writing. Најпре is neutral but somewhat more planned and is frequent in instructions, reports, and careful narratives.
Прво провери адресу, па тек онда пошаљи пакет.
First check the address, and only then send the package. (informal singular)
Најпре су узети узорци воде, а затим су послати у лабораторију.
First the water samples were collected, and then they were sent to the laboratory. (formal procedure)
When прво/најпре is integrated as an ordinary adverb, no comma separates it from the verb: Прво ћемо разговарати, not Прво, ћемо разговарати. A comma may follow a longer detached framing phrase, but it is the structure, not the English equivalent firstly, that licenses it.
Пре свега usually means “above all” or “first and foremost,” ranking importance rather than time. It cannot automatically replace sequential прво.
Пре свега, важно је да сви разумеју циљ; прво ћемо зато објаснити поступак.
Above all, everyone needs to understand the goal; so first we will explain the procedure.
The comma after detached пре свега reflects its sentence-level evaluative scope. The following прво orders an actual step.
Moving forward: затим, потом, онда, након тога
These markers overlap, but not perfectly.
| Marker | Core value | Register |
|---|---|---|
| затим | next in an ordered sequence | neutral; common in speech and writing |
| потом | afterward/then | neutral; often narrative |
| онда | then, at that time, or in that case | especially common in speech |
| након тога | after that, explicitly referring back to an event | neutral to formal |
Исецкајте поврће, затим га кратко пропржите на уљу.
Chop the vegetables, then sauté them briefly in oil. (formal or plural instruction)
Састанак се завршио око шест; потом смо још дуго разговарали у ходнику.
The meeting ended around six; afterward we talked in the hallway for quite a while.
Ако данас не стигнемо, онда ћемо наставити сутра.
If we don't finish today, then we'll continue tomorrow.
The last онда is not merely chronological: it marks the consequence paired with ако. In conversation, strong stress can make ОНДА contrast one option with another. Након тога contains demonstrative genitive тога and explicitly packages a preceding event as the reference point.
Комисија ће прво саслушати кандидате. Након тога ће објавити ужи избор.
The committee will first interview the candidates. After that, it will announce the shortlist.
Closing the sequence: на крају and коначно
На крају locates the last stage of a sequence or the eventual outcome. Коначно can mean “finally” after delay or difficulty and may express relief or impatience. In formal argument, it can also introduce a final point.
На крају додајте першун и оставите супу да одстоји пет минута.
Finally, add the parsley and let the soup rest for five minutes.
Коначно су поправили лифт после три недеље чекања.
They finally repaired the lift after three weeks of waiting.
The second sentence carries stance: the wait was long. Replacing на крају mechanically with коначно can add an emotional judgment the writer did not intend.
For numbered points, прво, друго, треће are adverbial enumerators. In polished prose, each usually introduces a syntactically parallel point. Као прво is conversational; repeated као before every item can sound mannered.
Opening or shifting a topic
The most productive topic frame is што се тиче + genitive. It means “as for/concerning” and places a noun phrase under discussion.
Што се тиче буџета, коначну одлуку донећемо следеће недеље.
As for the budget, we will make the final decision next week.
А што се тиче превоза, организатори ће послати посебно обавештење.
And as for transportation, the organizers will send a separate notice.
The fronted topic frame is detached by a comma. The а in the second example signals a shift from the previous topic; it need not mean adversative English but.
Када је реч о + locative is slightly more explicit and common in informative and formal language. Говорећи о + locative literally presents “speaking of” and can introduce a related association, while узгред flags an aside.
Када је реч о роковима, нема простора за још једно одлагање.
When it comes to deadlines, there is no room for another postponement.
Говорећи о путовањима, јеси ли већ резервисала смештај за јул?
Speaking of travel, have you already booked accommodation for July? (female addressee)
Узгред, твоја књига је још код мене; донећу је сутра.
By the way, I still have your book; I'll bring it tomorrow.
With falling intonation and commas, узгред is a parenthetical aside. Without a clear relation to the conversation, frequent узгред makes discourse feel fragmented rather than naturally spontaneous.
Holding and returning to a topic
To stop a digression, use да се вратимо на + accusative, вратимо се + dative, or у сваком случају when resuming after a side comment. Углавном can summarize the main point, but in speech it can also be a floor-holding marker roughly like “anyway.”
Да се вратимо на главно питање: ко ће преузети дежурство у петак?
Let's return to the main question: who will take the Friday shift?
Углавном, договорили смо место и време; остале детаље ћемо решити касније.
Anyway, we've agreed on the place and time; we'll sort out the remaining details later. (conversation)
Sentence-initial углавном with a pause can manage the conversation. Inside a clause, it usually means “mainly”: Углавном радим од куће “I mainly work from home.” Position and prosody change scope.
Before and after: building a visible route
A list of bare clauses can be grammatical but hard to follow:
Прегледали смо пријаве. Позвали смо кандидате. Разговарали смо о буџету. Одлуку шаљемо у петак.
We reviewed the applications. We called the candidates. We discussed the budget. We are sending the decision on Friday. (grammatical but poorly signposted)
A revised paragraph distinguishes sequence from topic shift:
Најпре смо прегледали пријаве, а затим смо позвали кандидате. Што се тиче буџета, о њему ћемо разговарати на следећем састанку. На крају, одлуку ћемо свима послати у петак.
First we reviewed the applications, and then we invited the candidates. As for the budget, we will discuss it at the next meeting. Finally, we will send the decision to everyone on Friday.
The revision does not simply add connectors. It assigns each relation accurately: first stage, next stage, topic suspension, and final action.
Dialogue: shift, aside, and return
— Прво да утврдимо датум, па ћемо онда тражити салу. — Слажем се. Што се тиче гостију, ко им шаље позиве? — Ана. Узгред, она сутра није ту. — Добро, али да се вратимо на датум. Да ли свима одговара петнаести?
— First let's settle the date, and then we'll look for a room. — Agreed. As for the guests, who is sending them the invitations? — Ana. By the way, she won't be here tomorrow. — All right, but let's get back to the date. Does the fifteenth work for everyone?
The dialogue shows that topic management is interactional: one speaker opens гости, inserts an aside about Ana, and another explicitly restores датум.
Practice
Task 1: Separate time from importance
Write three instructions with прво — затим — на крају. Then add one sentence with пре свега that states the most important principle rather than the first step.
Task 2: Shift and return
Start on travel dates, shift to accommodation with што се тиче + genitive, add an узгред aside, and return with да се вратимо на + accusative.
Common Mistakes
Using the wrong case after a topic frame
❌ Што се тиче о новом уговору, још немамо одговор.
Incorrect—што се тиче directly governs genitive, without о.
✅ Што се тиче новог уговора, још немамо одговор.
As for the new contract, we still don't have an answer.
Inserting an English-style comma after an integrated adverb
❌ Затим, ћемо проверити све износе.
Incorrect—the comma cannot separate integrated затим from the verb phrase.
✅ Затим ћемо проверити све износе у табели.
Next we will check all the amounts in the table.
Confusing priority with chronological order
❌ Пре свега отворите поклопац, а друго притисните дугме.
Incorrect connector for the intended numbered procedure—пре свега ranks importance rather than simply naming step one.
✅ Прво отворите поклопац, а затим притисните дугме.
First open the lid, and then press the button. (formal or plural instruction)
Using an inference marker for mere chronology
❌ У девет смо стигли у архиву. Дакле, у пола десет смо почели преглед.
Incorrect relation—дакле signals inference, not simply the next event in time.
✅ У девет смо стигли у архиву, а затим смо почели преглед грађе.
We arrived at the archive at nine and then began reviewing the material.
Key Takeaways
- Прво/најпре open a sequence; затим/потом/након тога advance it; на крају closes it.
- Онда can mark time or the consequence paired with a condition, especially in speech.
- Што се тиче + genitive and када је реч о + locative explicitly establish a topic.
- Integrated sequence adverbs normally take no comma after them; detached topic frames do.
- Position and prosody can turn углавном or узгред from lexical content into conversation-management signals.
Now practice Serbian
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Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- Building Cohesion Across SentencesC1 — Reference, ellipsis, and connectives in extended text.
- Topic, Focus, and Information StructureB2 — Putting given information first and new/emphasised information late.
- Listing and Coordinating in SentencesA2 — Joining items and clauses naturally.
- Coordinating ConjunctionsA1 — i, a, ali, ili, nego and the comma rules.
- Reformulation and EmphasisB2 — Rephrasing and stressing with naime, zapravo, upravo, bas.