ići (to go) | Serbian Grammar

Ићи is the basic Serbian verb for going, whether a trip is happening now, occurs habitually, or is already arranged. Its infinitive does not reveal its present идем or past ишао, and it has no single neutral perfective meaning simply “go once.” To use it well, learn its irregular forms together with destination, route, transport, purpose, and motion-family patterns.

Principal forms

Person	Present
ја	идем
ти	идеш
он / она / оно	иде
ми	идемо
ви / Ви	идете
они / оне / она	иду

Form	ићи
l-participle	ишао, ишла, ишло; ишли, ишле, ишла
imperative	иди, идимо, идите
Future I	ићи ћу, ићи ћеш, ићи ће, ићи ћемо, ићи ћете, ићи ће
conditional	ишао бих / ишла бих

The three forms worth memorizing first are ићи — идем — иду. Past ишао/ишла and imperative иди come from still different-looking stems. Because the infinitive ends in -ћи, future auxiliary remains a separate word: ићи ћу, not a fused form.

Идем до апотеке; враћам се за десет минута.

I'm going to the pharmacy; I'll be back in ten minutes.

Прошле недеље сам ишла пешке на посао јер ми је бицикл био на поправци.

Last week I walked to work because my bicycle was being repaired. (female speaker)

One present for current, habitual, and arranged motion

Imperfective ићи can describe a trip in progress, a regular route, or a planned future trip. Time expressions and context supply the English tense distinction.

Куда идеш с тим великим кофером?

Where are you going with that big suitcase?

Током семестра идемо у библиотеку два пута недељно.

During the semester we go to the library twice a week.

У петак идем у Ниш на разговор за посао.

On Friday I'm going to Niš for a job interview.

Serbian does not need an auxiliary corresponding to English am in “I am going.” Nor does it require a separate habitual counterpart like the Russian unidirectional–multidirectional system. Идем works in all three examples.

No single perfective counterpart

Different verbs select different boundaries in a journey:

Verb	Viewpoint	Typical translation
ићи (imperfective)	journey, habit, motion underway	go, be going
поћи / кренути (perfective)	set out, begin moving	leave, set off
отићи (perfective)	departure from a place	go away, leave
доћи (perfective)	successful arrival	come, arrive

Кренули смо пре свитања, али смо због магле ишли веома споро.

We set off before dawn, but because of the fog we traveled very slowly.

Она је отишла из канцеларије у три, али још није дошла кући.

She left the office at three, but she still hasn't arrived home.

Поћи and кренути do not merely perfectivize the whole journey; they foreground its beginning. Отићи looks back at the point left, while доћи looks toward the attained goal. The broader go/come decision guide develops those perspectives.

💡

Choose the boundary before the verb: route or habit → ићи; setting off → поћи/кренути; departure → отићи; arrival → доћи.

Destinations: у, на, код, до

Movement into a place normally takes у + accusative; movement to many activities, events, institutions, and open destinations takes на + accusative. Going to a person, their home, or a professional takes код + genitive.

После предавања идем у читаоницу, а увече на концерт.

After the lecture I'm going to the reading room, and in the evening to a concert.

Сутра водим дете код педијатра, па нећу доћи на први састанак.

Tomorrow I'm taking my child to the pediatrician, so I won't come to the first meeting.

До + genitive marks movement as far as a point, often a short trip there and back: идем до продавнице, до угла, до центра. It does not necessarily mean entering the place.

Идемо до реке да проверимо да ли је стаза проходна.

We're going as far as the river to check whether the path is passable.

Directional кући means “homeward.” Static “at home” is код куће.

Већ је касно; идемо кући.

It's already late; we're going home.

Route, company, and transport

A route can use кроз + accusative, преко + genitive, or поред + genitive. A companion follows с(а) + instrumental.

До тврђаве идемо кроз парк, па поред старе железничке станице.

We're going to the fortress through the park and then past the old railway station.

Идеш ли са мном на пијацу после доручка?

Are you coming with me to the market after breakfast?

Means of transport normally appears in the instrumental without a preposition: аутобусом, возом, трамвајем, бициклом, колима. Пешке is an adverb.

До Земуна идемо аутобусом, а одатле настављамо пешке.

We're going to Zemun by bus, and from there we're continuing on foot.

English take a bus should not automatically produce узети аутобус. Neutral Serbian describes the journey with ићи аутобусом.

Purpose: да + present and the infinitive

Everyday Serbian commonly uses ићи да + present to name the purpose of a trip. The embedded present agrees with the person who will perform the action.

Идем да подигнем пакет пре него што се пошта затвори.

I'm going to pick up a parcel before the post office closes.

The same-subject infinitive is also standard: идем подићи пакет. It is more frequent in concise writing and western Serbian usage, while да + present is the productive conversational baseline in much of Serbia. Do not combine them as да подићи.

Another useful construction is ићи по + accusative, “go to fetch/get.”

Остаћу с децом док ти идеш по хлеб и млеко.

I'll stay with the children while you go to get bread and milk.

Clitics and impersonal иде ми се

Basic motion ићи is intransitive: it does not take a direct-object clitic. Pronouns belong to selected phrases such as са мном or код ње and must be full forms after their prepositions.

The construction иде ми се means “I feel like going.” The experiencer is dative and се belongs to an impersonal pattern, not to a reflexive verb go oneself.

Не иде ми се колима по овој киши; радије бих ишао возом.

I don't feel like going by car in this rain; I'd rather go by train. (male speaker)

Деци се иде напоље, иако још пада снег.

The children feel like going outside, even though it is still snowing.

The verb remains third-person singular иде; dative ми/деци does not control agreement.

Imperatives and a micro-dialogue

Imperative иди/идите directs someone to go. Хајдемо and conversational хајде да идемо invite joint action rather than simply ordering another person.

Идите право до другог семафора, па скрените лево.

Go straight to the second traffic light, then turn left. (plural or polite)

„Како идеш на аеродром?“ — „Возом до Новог Београда, па аутобусом. Хоћеш ли да идемо заједно?“ — „Не могу; идем по сестру.“

‘How are you getting to the airport?’ — ‘By train to New Belgrade, then by bus. Do you want us to go together?’ — ‘I can't; I'm going to pick up my sister.’

Practice Tasks

Task 1: Build the principal parts

Give first-person singular, third-person plural, masculine and feminine l-participles, singular imperative, and first-person future of ићи. Then use each in one short travel context.

Task 2: Choose the whole route frame

Translate “We are going to Ana's by tram through the center to pick up a package.” Mark код + genitive, instrumental transport, кроз + accusative, and a purpose clause.

Common Mistakes

❌ Тренутно ићем до банке.

Incorrect — first-person present is идем, not ићем.

✅ Тренутно идем до банке.

I'm on my way to the bank right now.

❌ Следећег месеца ићићу у Крагујевац.

Incorrect spelling — the future of an infinitive ending in -ћи is written as two words.

✅ Следећег месеца ићи ћу у Крагујевац.

Next month I'll go to Kragujevac.

❌ Вечерас идемо на концерту.

Incorrect — movement toward the event requires на + accusative, not locative.

✅ Вечерас идемо на концерт.

We're going to a concert tonight.

❌ До центра сваког дана узимам трамвај.

Unnatural English-based framing for the regular journey — use ићи plus instrumental transport.

✅ До центра сваког дана идем трамвајем.

I take the tram downtown every day.

❌ После посла идем се кући.

Incorrect — ordinary ићи is not reflexive; directional кући needs no preposition or се.

✅ После посла идем право кући.

After work I'm going straight home.

Key Takeaways

Memorize ићи — идем — иду — ишао/ишла — иди — ићи ћу.
The present covers current, habitual, and arranged motion.
There is no single perfective “go”: поћи/кренути, отићи, and доћи select different path boundaries.
Destinations use у/на + accusative, код + genitive, directional кући, or до + genitive.
Transport is normally instrumental, and иде ми се is an impersonal dative-experiencer construction.

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