Existential Sentences (there is/are) | Serbian Grammar

English introduces a new entity with dummy there: there is a pharmacy, there are buses. Serbian has no equivalent dummy subject. In the present it commonly uses impersonal има/нема; in the past and future it normally uses било је / није било and биће / неће бити. These predicates stay singular even when English chooses are or were.

Existential sentences answer whether any X is present or available. They differ from sentences that locate an already identified X. Compare У фиоци има батерија There are some batteries in the drawer with Батерије су у фиоци The batteries are in the drawer.

Present existence with има

Existential има is invariant third-person singular. With substances, indefinite amounts, and indefinite plurals, the entity introduced commonly appears in the genitive.

У остави има брашна, пиринча и неколико конзерви.

There is flour, rice, and a few cans in the pantry.

У овој области има искусних преводилаца за мађарски.

There are experienced translators for Hungarian in this region.

После ручка има довољно времена за кратку шетњу.

There is enough time for a short walk after lunch.

The genitives брашна, пиринча, преводилаца, времена present a substance, set, or quantity rather than an individuated nominative subject. Има therefore does not change to имају.

Numerals bring their own government:

У јутарњој групи има још два места.

There are two more places in the morning group.

Два места is the small-number phrase required after два; it still does not control plural agreement on impersonal има. See Partitive and Quantity Genitive for the full case system.

A single countable entity: један or неки

Presentational има also occurs with nominative један/једна/једно or неки/нека/неко plus a singular count noun. This introduces an individuated new referent.

На тргу има један киоск који ради целе ноћи.

There is a kiosk in the square that stays open all night.

У записнику има једна напомена коју секретарка жели да провери.

There is a note in the minutes that the secretary wants to check.

Do not turn this useful pattern into the claim that има simply takes nominative. The nominative singular is especially natural with an overt presentational determiner such as један or неки. Genitive remains central for masses, quantities, and indefinite plurals.

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Use има + genitive as the reliable core for some/any amount or members are present. Use има један/неки + nominative singular to introduce one individuated countable entity.

Negative existence with нема

Existential нема is a fused negative form and takes genitive content in the standard core pattern.

У архиви нема оригиналног уговора из те године.

The archive does not contain the original contract from that year.

На овом делу стазе нема чесама ни клупа.

There are no drinking fountains or benches on this part of the trail.

Вечерас нема директног воза за Суботицу.

There is no direct train to Subotica tonight.

The negative construction does not use nominative оригинални уговор, чесме, or директни воз. Nor does it use plural немају, because no plural possessor is present.

Existence can be general, without an overt location:

Има наде да ће се квар отклонити до вечери.

There is hope that the fault will be fixed by evening.

Нема разлога да отказујемо цео програм.

There is no reason for us to cancel the entire program.

The location is semantically recoverable as the relevant situation or world, not syntactically supplied by an English-style there.

Past and future: било је and биће

Neutral standard Serbian normally switches away from present има/нема in past and future existential clauses.

Time	Affirmative	Negative
present	има места	нема места
past	било је места	није било места
future	биће места / сутра ће бити места	неће бити места

Past existential било is neuter singular, and future биће is third-person singular. The existential phrase commonly remains genitive.

Пре реновирања је у приземљу било више малих канцеларија.

Before the renovation, there were more small offices on the ground floor.

На јучерашњој радионици није било довољно материјала за све групе.

There was not enough material for all the groups at yesterday's workshop.

Следећег месеца биће још бесплатних термина за саветовање.

Next month there will be more free consultation appointments.

Током радова неће бити приступа задњем улазу.

There will be no access to the rear entrance during the construction work.

English plural offices, appointments does not trigger Serbian биле су or any plural form in these impersonal clauses.

A nominative presentational subject is a different structure

Serbian can also present a new nominative subject after a place or verb. In that pattern, бити agrees normally.

На крају улице је мала пијаца са локалним производима.

There is a small market with local produce at the end of the street.

Јуче је био један квар на главном серверу.

There was a fault on the main server yesterday.

Feminine пијаца controls је in the present; masculine један квар controls past био. This presentational order resembles an existential in meaning, but it is not the subjectless било је кварова pattern.

Compare the past structures directly:

Јуче је био један кратак прекид у снабдевању.

There was one brief interruption in the supply yesterday. (nominative subject; masculine agreement)

Јуче је било неколико кратких прекида у снабдевању.

There were several brief interruptions in the supply yesterday. (impersonal existential; neuter singular било)

The first individuates one nominative event. The second quantifies a genitive plural set after неколико and uses default neuter singular.

Existence versus location of something known

Use existential има to introduce or quantify. Use је/су or налази се/налазе се to locate a definite, already identified entity.

Поред улаза има неколико поштанских сандучића.

There are several mailboxes beside the entrance. (introducing them)

Наши поштански сандучићи су поред споредног улаза.

Our mailboxes are beside the side entrance. (locating known items)

Инфо-пулт се налази преко пута главног степеништа.

The information desk is opposite the main staircase.

An initial locative phrase is normally not followed by a comma: Поред улаза има... forms one integrated clause. Use a comma only if the opening is genuinely parenthetical or independently framed.

Постоји and постоје

Постојати means exist and takes a nominative subject, so it agrees in number. It is useful for abstract possibilities, rules, problems, and explicit claims about existence.

Постоји једноставније решење које не захтева нову опрему.

A simpler solution exists that does not require new equipment.

Постоје три разлога за одлагање гласања.

There are three reasons to postpone the vote.

Do not make постојати invariant by analogy with има. Nominative singular решење controls постоји; the paucal subject phrase три разлога takes plural постоје in this neutral pattern.

Questions, clitics, and clause order

Existential questions use either има ли or да ли има:

Има ли у близини нека апотека која ради недељом?

Is there a pharmacy nearby that is open on Sundays?

Да ли је било слободних ормарића у свлачионици?

Were there any available lockers in the changing room?

In the past, a preceding location can host clitic је: У свлачионици је било... Clause-initial Било је... is also natural because the l-participle supplies the first host. Bare Је било... is not a neutral declarative opening.

Existential clauses coordinate like other clauses, and each predicate retains its own polarity:

У подруму има влаге, али нема видљиве буђи.

There is damp in the basement, but there is no visible mold.

The comma before adversative али marks the clause boundary. The shared location need not be repeated because it is recoverable.

Common Mistakes

Making existential има agree with a plural

❌ У близини имају три јавне гараже.

Wrong for the intended existential meaning—имају is the personal plural ‘they have’; subjectless existential има stays singular.

✅ У близини има три јавне гараже.

There are three public parking garages nearby.

Using nominative after negative нема

❌ У магацину нема резервни каблови.

Incorrect—negative existential content must be genitive plural резервних каблова, not nominative plural.

✅ У магацину нема резервних каблова.

There are no spare cables in the warehouse.

Keeping present има in a past narrative

❌ Прошле зиме у згради има честих кварова на грејању.

Incorrect in neutral past narration—use impersonal било је.

✅ Прошле зиме је у згради било честих кварова на грејању.

There were frequent heating failures in the building last winter.

Using existence to locate a definite item

❌ На столу има овај уговор.

Incorrect neutral framing for locating the identified document овај уговор; use је.

✅ Овај уговор је на столу поред плаве фасцикле.

This contract is on the table beside the blue folder.

Practice Tasks

Task 1: Choose existence or location

Express (a) There are some umbrellas by the door, (b) Our umbrellas are by the door, and (c) There are no umbrellas here. Choose има, су, or нема, and explain the case of each noun phrase.

Task 2: Change time without changing agreement

Move У граду има добрих биоскопа into past affirmative, past negative, and future affirmative. Keep the existential predicate singular and preserve genitive добрих биоскопа.

Key Takeaways

Serbian has no dummy existential there.
Present има/нема is impersonal and invariant; it never becomes имају for a plural existential phrase.
Genitive is central with masses, quantities, indefinite plurals, and negative нема; један/неки + nominative singular introduces one individuated entity.
Past and future existence normally use било је / није било and биће / неће бити.
A presentational nominative subject instead controls ordinary agreement: био је један квар.
Use је/су or налазити се to locate a definite known entity, and постоји/постоје for agreeing explicit existence.

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