raditi (to work/do) | Serbian Grammar

Радити is the model Serbian i-class verb: радим, радиш, ради. Its central idea is sustained work or activity, but its grammar changes with the frame: a person works у болници, works као лекар, or works на извештају; a machine simply ради “works.” English do overlaps with радити only partly, so learning whole frames matters more than memorizing one translation.

Principal forms

Form	радити (imperfective)	Bounded verbs
present	радим, радиш, ради, радимо, радите, раде	урадим; одрадим
l-participle	радио / радила / радило; радили / радиле / радила	урадио / урадила; одрадио / одрадила
imperative	ради, радимо, радите	уради, урадимо, урадите; одради, одрадимо, одрадите
future I, 1st singular	радићу / ја ћу радити	урадићу; одрадићу
negative present	не радим, не радиш, не ради…	не урадим; не одрадим

The l-participle agrees with the subject in the perfect and conditional: радио сам / радила сам “I worked” and радио бих / радила бих “I would work.” The present endings contain no gender.

Ове недеље радим од куће, али у понедељак се враћам у канцеларију.

I'm working from home this week, but on Monday I'm going back to the office.

Милица је радила до касно јер ујутру предаје извештај.

Milica worked late because she is submitting the report in the morning.

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Learn the diagnostic pair радим — раде. It exposes the i-class endings -им and third-person plural -е.

Employment: place, employer, profession, and schedule

A workplace normally follows у + locative, while за + accusative identifies an organization or client one works for. Код + genitive is natural with a named employer, person, or small practice. A role after као normally remains nominative.

Мој брат ради у апотеци, а његова супруга ради за страну компанију.

My brother works in a pharmacy, and his wife works for a foreign company.

Радила сам код исте адвокаткиње скоро три године.

I worked for the same lawyer for almost three years. (female speaker)

После факултета желим да радим као преводилац.

After university I want to work as a translator. (male speaker)

Schedules and manner attach directly: радити ноћу, радити од девет до пет, радити пуно радно време.

Да ли сутра радите до четири или до пет?

Are you working until four or until five tomorrow? (plural or polite)

English can say work as a translator and work for a company, but the Serbian cases are not copied from English: као преводилац has nominative, whereas за компанију has accusative.

An activity, a task, or work on something

With an accusative object, радити can mean perform an activity or work through a task: радити домаћи задатак, анализу, вежбе. Радити на + locative presents a larger project or problem as something under development.

Деца раде домаћи задатак, па ће те позвати касније.

The children are doing their homework, so they will call you later.

Наш тим тренутно ради на новој верзији апликације.

Our team is currently working on a new version of the app.

Ту анализу радимо сваког месеца, али овог пута проверавамо и старе податке.

We do that analysis every month, but this time we're also checking the old data.

This does not make радити a universal equivalent of English do. Serbian says донети одлуку “make a decision,” поставити питање “ask a question,” and направити грешку “make a mistake.” The full contrast belongs on направити and English “make/do”.

When a thing works

An appliance, system, organ, or mechanism that functions can be the subject of радити. There is no reflexive marker.

Клима поново ради, али даљински управљач још не ради.

The air conditioner is working again, but the remote control still isn't working.

Срце му ради нормално, па лекар не очекује компликације.

His heart is functioning normally, so the doctor does not expect complications.

For an abstract strategy, English it works often corresponds more precisely to успева “succeeds” or функционише “functions.” Ради is safest with a mechanism or established operating system.

Aspect: no single perfective for an occupation

Because employment is not naturally one bounded event, радити has no single neutral perfective meaning “complete working.” Урадити bounds a task by its achieved result; одрадити packages a stint, required portion, or obligation. The latter often suggests that the allotted work has been got through and may add a pragmatic shade absent from plain радити.

Урадићу исправке после састанка и послаћу ти нову верзију.

I'll make the corrections after the meeting and send you the new version.

Одрадила је ноћну смену, па сада коначно може да се одмори.

She finished her night shift, so now she can finally rest.

Пет година је радио у банци, а онда је отворио своју фирму.

He worked in a bank for five years and then opened his own company.

The last sentence remains imperfective although the five-year period has ended: it describes an occupation over an interval, not one task brought to a result. Prefixes add lexical meaning; they are not automatic past-tense markers.

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Ask what has a natural boundary. A correction can be урађена, a shift can be одрађена, but “work at a bank” normally stays радити у банци even when the employment is over.

Се: impersonal work, passive process, and ради се о

Serbian often suppresses an unspecified worker with impersonal се. The verb stays third-person singular when no nominative patient controls agreement.

Овде се суботом ради само до два.

People work here only until two on Saturdays.

When a patient is foregrounded, се can be passive-like and the verb agrees with it.

Завршни рачуни се раде тек кад стигну сви подаци.

The final accounts are prepared only once all the data arrive.

The fixed construction ради се о + locative means “it is about / the issue is.” It is impersonal: the following phrase is not its nominative subject.

Не ради се о новцу, него о томе да поштујемо договор.

It isn't about money; it's about respecting our agreement.

Do not add се to an ordinary personal sentence such as Радим у школи. There, the omitted subject is simply “I.”

Clitics and a micro-dialogue

Object clitics occupy their normal early position. A direct-object clitic can replace a task, while a dative clitic marks a recipient or beneficiary.

Извештај радим данас, а сутра ујутру ћу му га послати.

I'm preparing the report today, and I'll send it to him tomorrow morning.

„Да ли још радиш на понуди?“ — „Да. Урадићу табеле данас, а текст ћу завршити сутра.“

‘Are you still working on the proposal?’ — ‘Yes. I'll complete the tables today, and I'll finish the text tomorrow.’

The dialogue keeps ongoing радиш на separate from result-focused урадићу.

Common Mistakes

❌ Марко ради као лекаром у дому здравља.

Incorrect — a professional role after као is normally nominative, not instrumental.

✅ Марко ради као лекар у дому здравља.

Marko works as a doctor at a health center.

❌ Урадила сам у тој продавници шест година.

Incorrect — урадити bounds a task; it is not the neutral verb for an occupation lasting six years.

✅ Радила сам у тој продавници шест година.

I worked in that shop for six years. (female speaker)

❌ Овај штампач се не ради од јутрос.

Incorrect — a machine that functions or fails to function is the subject of nonreflexive радити.

✅ Овај штампач не ради од јутрос.

This printer hasn't been working since this morning.

❌ Морамо да радимо одлуку пре петка.

Incorrect — English do/make does not license радити in every collocation.

✅ Морамо да донесемо одлуку пре петка.

We have to make a decision before Friday.

Practice Tasks

Task 1: Choose the frame

Describe someone who works at a hospital, for a private clinic, and as a physiotherapist. Use у + locative, за + accusative, and као + nominative once each.

Task 2: Choose the boundary

Use радити, урадити, or одрадити to describe (a) ongoing work on a project, (b) completing three corrections, and (c) getting through a weekend shift. Explain what supplies the boundary in the last two.

Key Takeaways

Радити follows the i-class: радим, радиш, ради… раде.
Employment uses frames such as у фирми, за клијента, and као инжењер.
Урадити completes a bounded task; одрадити packages a stint or obligation. Neither is a universal perfective for employment.
A machine simply ради; personal employment is not reflexive.
Impersonal се ради suppresses the worker, while ради се о is the fixed expression “it is about.”

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