Serbian бојати се is an inherently se-marked verb meaning “be afraid.” The source of fear normally appears in the bare genitive: бојати се пса, висине, грешке. English gives no warning about either feature, so the useful dictionary entry is not merely бојати but бојати се + genitive.
Principal forms
| Form | бојати се |
|---|---|
| present | бојим се, бојиш се, боји се, бојимо се, бојите се, боје се |
| l-participle | бојао се, бојала се, бојало се; бојали се, бојале се, бојала се |
| imperative | бој се, бојмо се, бојте се |
| future, 1st singular | бојаћу се |
| conditional, 1st singular | бојао бих се / бојала бих се |
The present stem is бој-, but the l-participle returns to боја-: бојао/бојала. The clitic се never changes for person or gender.
Бојим се великих паса откако ме је један ујео као дете.
I've been afraid of large dogs since one bit me as a child.
Као мала, бојала сам се грмљавине и спавала са упаљеним светлом.
As a little girl, I was afraid of thunder and slept with the light on.
The feared source is genitive
The entire noun phrase goes into the genitive, including adjectives, demonstratives, and possessives.
| Base phrase | After бојати се |
|---|---|
| мрачна соба | бојати се мрачне собе |
| ова промена | бојати се ове промене |
| неочекивани трошкови | бојати се неочекиваних трошкова |
| он | бојати га се / бојати се њега |
Запослени се боје наглог смањења броја радних места.
The employees are afraid of a sudden reduction in the number of jobs.
Не бојимо се саме промене, већ начина на који се она спроводи.
We aren't afraid of the change itself, but of the way it is being implemented.
Do not insert од after the verb in neutral standard Serbian. The related noun uses a different frame: страх од висине, but бојати се висине. Government belongs to the head word, not to the English preposition of.
The genitive-government guide compares this pattern with сећати се, стидети се, and other verbs.
Pronoun clitics come before се
An unstressed genitive pronoun precedes lexical се in the clitic cluster: бојим га се, бојиш је се, бојимо их се. Full forms follow ordinary emphasis patterns: Не бојим се њега, него његовог пса.
Нови директор делује строго, али га се запослени више не боје.
The new director seems strict, but the employees are no longer afraid of him.
Не бојим се ње; бојим се онога што би могла да уради.
I'm not afraid of her; I'm afraid of what she might do.
English places him/her after the verb. Serbian weak pronouns form an early cluster, and га/је/их precedes се. Full њега/ње/њих is used for contrast or emphasis.
Fear that something may happen: да + finite clause
A whole feared possibility is expressed with бојати се да + finite verb. The subordinate verb carries its own tense and person.
Бојим се да ће због снега последњи аутобус каснити.
I'm afraid the last bus will be late because of the snow.
Бојао се да је оставио укључен шпорет, па се вратио да провери.
He was afraid he had left the stove on, so he went back to check.
The first clause presents an anticipated event; the second presents uncertainty about an earlier event. Serbian retains да, unlike English, where that can disappear.
Serbian also uses бојати се да не + present for an unwanted possibility—roughly “fear lest” or “be afraid that something might happen.” The не belongs inside the feared scenario; it does not mean that the speaker lacks fear.
Бојим се да не пропустимо последњи воз за Нови Сад.
I'm afraid we might miss the last train to Novi Sad.
Compare Бојим се да не закаснимо “I fear we may be late” with Бојим се да нећемо стићи “I fear we will not arrive.” The first uses the conventional да не + present apprehension frame; the second directly negates a future result.
Afraid of someone versus afraid for someone
Bare genitive marks the source or object of fear. За + accusative marks a person or thing whose safety or outcome worries the speaker.
Не бојим се брата; бојим се за брата јер се још није вратио.
I'm not afraid of my brother; I'm worried about him because he hasn't returned yet.
This compact contrast is crucial: бојим се брата means the brother causes fear, while бојим се за брата expresses concern for him. English afraid for maps well here, but the Serbian cases still differ.
Aspect and the fear network
Бојати се is imperfective and stative. A state of fear has no neutral perfective meaning “be afraid once.” Related perfectives select a new boundary or nuance.
| Verb | Core meaning |
|---|---|
| уплашити се | become frightened, get a fright |
| преплашити се | become very frightened |
| побојати се | feel a moment of fear/apprehension; often cautious or momentary |
| плашити се | be afraid; common imperfective near-synonym |
Уплашила сам се кад је нешто јако ударило у прозор.
I got frightened when something hit the window hard. (female speaker)
На тренутак сам се побојао да смо промашили скретање.
For a moment I feared that we had missed the turn. (male speaker)
Уплашити се presents entry into fear, while бојати се presents the state. Побојати се is common in careful narration and can sound more restrained than уплашити се; it is not a mechanical perfective usable in every context.
Perfect-tense је and the required се
In affirmative third-person singular perfect, auxiliary је is omitted beside се:
Ивана се бојала да ће закаснити, али је стигла прва.
Ivana was afraid she would be late, but she arrived first.
Not Ивана се је бојала. With negated није, the auxiliary is present: Ивана се није бојала. Other persons retain their auxiliaries: Бојао сам се, Бојали смо се, Они су се бојали.
The general se-verb guide explains why lexical се is not a pronoun meaning “oneself” here.
Imperative and reassurance
The most frequent imperative use is negative reassurance: Не бој се or polite/plural Не бојте се. Affirmative Бој се! is possible as a warning or threat but is much less common in ordinary supportive conversation.
Не бојте се, преглед траје само неколико минута.
Don't be afraid; the examination lasts only a few minutes. (plural or polite)
Бој се човека који никада не признаје грешку.
Beware the person who never admits a mistake. (proverb-like, elevated warning)
The affirmative example is (literary/proverb-like), not a routine command to experience fear.
Micro-dialogue
„Чега се највише бојиш пред разговор?“ — „Бојим се да ћу заборавити важан пример.“ — „Не бој се; понеси белешке.“ — „У праву си, тако ћу бити мирнија.“
‘What are you most afraid of before the interview?’ — ‘I'm afraid I'll forget an important example.’ — ‘Don't worry; take notes with you.’ — ‘You're right; I'll be calmer that way.’
The question word чега is genitive because the verb governs genitive.
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Source or concern?
Translate She is afraid of her neighbor and She is worried about her neighbor. Use bare genitive for the source of fear and за + accusative for concern about the person's welfare.
Task 2: Build the clitic cluster
Replace новог директора with a weak pronoun in Запослени се боје новог директора. Then put the sentence into the past and explain why plural auxiliary су remains.
Common Mistakes
❌ Бојим се ову одлуку.
Incorrect — бојати се governs genitive, not accusative.
✅ Бојим се ове одлуке.
I'm afraid of this decision.
❌ Дете се боји од мрака.
Incorrect in neutral standard Serbian — use the bare genitive after бојати се.
✅ Дете се боји мрака, али не и тишине.
The child is afraid of the dark, but not of silence.
❌ Бојим тог човека кад повиси глас.
Incorrect — the verb inherently requires се.
✅ Бојим се тог човека кад повиси глас.
I'm afraid of that man when he raises his voice.
❌ Бојим се га још од школе.
Incorrect clitic order — unstressed га precedes се.
✅ Бојим га се још од школе.
I've been afraid of him since school.
❌ Марија се је бојала да остане сама.
Incorrect — affirmative third-person singular је is omitted beside lexical се.
✅ Марија се бојала да остане сама.
Marija was afraid to stay alone.
Key Takeaways
- Learn бојати се + genitive as one lexical frame.
- Genitive pronoun clitics precede се: бојим га се.
- Бојати се да + clause presents a feared possibility; бојати се за + accusative expresses concern for someone's welfare.
- The verb is an imperfective state; уплашити се and побојати се add onset or momentary apprehension rather than neutral completion.
- Affirmative third-person singular perfect omits је beside се: она се бојала.
Now practice Serbian
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Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- Reflexive Verbs (se-verbs)A2 — The many functions of the clitic se on verbs.
- Genitive with Certain Verbs and AdjectivesB1 — Verbs and adjectives that govern the genitive.
- The Order Within the Clitic ClusterB1 — The fixed sequence: li > aux > dat > acc/gen > se > je.
- Aspectual Pairs versus Related VerbsB1 — A focused guide to aspectual pairs versus related verbs in Serbian.
- Perfect Tense Word Order and the Dropped jeB1 — Placing the auxiliary clitic and the je-deletion rule.