Many Serbian verbs select a fixed preposition, and that preposition selects a particular case within the verb’s frame: зависити од + genitive, размишљати о + locative, рачунати на + accusative. The combination must be learned as a unit.
English is an unreliable guide. English depend on maps to Serbian зависити од, while believe in does use веровати у. Even when the preposition looks familiar, the Serbian case still has to be supplied.
If the case system itself is new, review Prepositions and Case; this page concentrates on the lexical frames selected by verbs.
A Working Inventory
| Frame | Case | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| зависити од нечега | од + genitive | depend on something |
| одустати од нечега | од + genitive | give up / abandon something |
| патити од нечега | од + genitive | suffer from something |
| размишљати о нечему | о + locative | think about something |
| бринути о некоме/нечему | о + locative | look after / care for |
| учествовати у нечему | у + locative | participate in something |
| веровати у некога/нешто | у + accusative | believe in someone/something |
| рачунати на некога/нешто | на + accusative | count on someone/something |
| утицати на некога/нешто | на + accusative | influence someone/something |
| инсистирати на нечему | на + locative | insist on something |
| слагати се с неким/нечим | с/са + instrumental | agree with someone/something |
| борити се против нечега | против + genitive | fight against something |
| борити се за некога/нешто | за + accusative | fight for someone/something |
Успех пројекта зависи од добре припреме.
The project’s success depends on good preparation.
Већ месецима размишљам о промени посла.
I have been thinking about changing jobs for months.
Можемо да рачунамо на помоћ суседа.
We can count on our neighbors’ help.
The noun forms are not optional decoration: припреме is genitive, промени locative, and помоћ accusative. A correct preposition with the wrong case is still incorrect government.
The Same Preposition Can Take Different Cases
The two-case prepositions у and на do not mechanically choose locative or accusative. With spatial expressions, location favors locative and direction favors accusative. With abstract verb government, the lexical frame decides.
Compare two verbs with у:
Учествујемо у програму стручне праксе.
We are participating in the professional internship program.
Верујемо у овај програм и његове циљеве.
We believe in this program and its goals.
Учествовати у selects locative програму. Веровати у selects accusative програм. Neither phrase describes literal location or motion; its case is part of the verb’s lexical pattern.
Now compare на:
Директор инсистира на писаном одговору.
The director insists on a written response.
Директор рачуна на писани одговор до петка.
The director is counting on a written response by Friday.
Инсистирати на takes locative писаном одговору; рачунати на takes accusative писани одговор. English uses on for both and therefore gives no useful clue.
Similar Meanings, Different Frames
Closely related English meanings may divide into different Serbian constructions.
Believing a person versus believing in someone
Веровати некоме takes a bare dative and means accepting what that person says. Веровати у некога takes у + accusative and means having faith in that person or their ability.
Верујем лекарки кад каже да опоравак добро напредује.
I believe the doctor when she says the recovery is progressing well.
Верујем у лекарку која води моје лечење.
I believe in the doctor who is overseeing my treatment.
Thinking of versus thinking about
Мислити на + accusative means have someone or something in mind. Мислити о + locative commonly asks or states an opinion. Размишљати о + locative means reflect on or consider.
Мислим на тебе кад год чујем ту песму.
I think of you whenever I hear that song.
Шта мислите о новом систему резервација?
What do you think of the new booking system?
Размишљамо о пресељењу у мањи стан.
We are considering moving to a smaller apartment.
Caring for versus worrying about
Бринути о + locative often means care for or be responsible for. Бринути се за + accusative foregrounds worry or concern.
Док смо на путу, комшиница брине о мачки.
While we are away, our neighbor looks after the cat.
Бринем се за брата јер се не јавља.
I am worried about my brother because he is not getting in touch.
These meanings overlap in some contexts, but the contrast is productive enough to learn explicitly.
Pronouns After Prepositions
A preposition requires a full stressed pronoun: од њега, о њој, на њих, с нама. Object clitics such as га, јој, их, нам cannot stand immediately after a preposition.
Не зависи све од мене; разговарај и с њом.
Not everything depends on me; talk to her too.
Рачунамо на вас и после завршетка пројекта.
We are counting on you even after the project ends.
The forms мене, њом, вас are full forms because the prepositions carry them. This is different from bare dative верујем јој, where јој can be a clitic.
Reflexive се and Clitic Order
In слагати се, борити се, бринути се, се belongs to the verb. It occupies the clitic cluster; the prepositional complement remains outside that cluster.
Нисам се сложила с њиховим предлогом.
I did not agree with their proposal. (female speaker)
Јуче смо се борили против јаког ветра читавим путем.
Yesterday we battled a strong wind the entire way.
Fused negative auxiliary нисам precedes се; in смо се, auxiliary precedes reflexive. The l-participles сложила and борили agree with their subjects, while the governed cases remain instrumental and genitive.
Aspect, Tense, and Complement Choice
An aspectual partner commonly preserves the prepositional frame: разговарати/поразговарати о нечему, одустајати/одустати од нечега. Aspect changes how the event is viewed, not which preposition the lexical relation needs.
На паузама разговарамо о текућим задацима.
During breaks we talk about current tasks.
Кад поразговарамо о буџету, донећемо одлуку.
When we have a talk about the budget, we will make a decision.
Imperfective разговарамо describes a recurring activity. Perfective поразговарамо marks a bounded future discussion after кад; both select о + locative.
After a modal, the modal’s complement may be да + present or an infinitive, while the embedded verb keeps its own preposition.
Морамо да разговарамо о роковима пре потписивања.
We must discuss the deadlines before signing.
Морамо разговарати о роковима пре потписивања.
We must discuss the deadlines before signing.
Affirmative, Negative, and Question
Бринемо о старијим станарима у згради.
We look after the elderly residents in the building.
Не бринемо о одржавању суседне зграде.
We are not responsible for maintaining the neighboring building.
Да ли бринете о деци током распуста?
Do you look after the children during the school break?
All three clauses preserve о + locative. Negation and question formation do not replace the governed preposition.
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Supply Preposition and Case
Complete frames for depend on the weather, insist on a written reply, and count on a written reply.
Зависити од времена; инсистирати на писаном одговору; рачунати на писани одговор.
Depend on the weather; insist on a written reply; count on a written reply. Answer: од + genitive, на + locative, then на + accusative.
Task 2: Replace the Person with a Pronoun
Replace Милица after слагати се са and веровати у.
Слажем се с њом. — Верујем у њу.
I agree with her. — I believe in her. Answer: prepositions require full instrumental њом and full accusative њу.
Common Mistakes
Copying English on after зависити
❌ Све зависи на времену.
Incorrect—зависити selects од + genitive, not на + locative.
✅ Све зависи од времена.
Everything depends on the weather.
Giving рачунати на the locative
❌ Рачунамо на вашој подршци.
Incorrect—рачунати на takes the accusative.
✅ Рачунамо на вашу подршку.
We are counting on your support.
Using a clitic after a preposition
❌ Дуго смо разговарали о њој, али нисмо разговарали с је.
Incorrect—the preposition с requires a full instrumental pronoun.
✅ Дуго смо разговарали о њој, али нисмо разговарали с њом.
We talked about her for a long time, but we did not talk with her.
Omitting reflexive се
❌ Не слажем с тим објашњењем.
Incorrect—се is part of the verb слагати се.
✅ Не слажем се с тим објашњењем.
I do not agree with that explanation.
Treating веровати некоме and веровати у некога as identical
❌ Верујем у њему кад каже да није каснио.
Incorrect form and meaning—believing what he says takes bare dative њему.
✅ Верујем му кад каже да није каснио.
I believe him when he says he was not late.
Key Takeaways
- Learn verb + preposition + case as one frame.
- Abstract у and на government can select either locative or accusative; the individual verb decides.
- Similar meanings may use different frames: веровати некоме versus веровати у некога.
- Prepositions require full pronouns: од њега, о њој, с њима.
- Aspect, tense, negation, and modal complementation normally leave the fixed prepositional frame intact.
Now practice Serbian
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Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- Verb Government: Which Case After Which VerbB1 — How verbs demand specific cases and prepositions for their objects.
- Prepositions Govern CaseA2 — How each preposition demands a specific case (or two).
- The Two-Case Prepositions (motion vs rest)A2 — u, na, pod, nad, pred, za, među and their case-driven meaning shift.
- Abstract and Causal PrepositionsB1 — zbog, radi, o, po, prema and their abstract uses.
- Emphatic Pronouns in PracticeA2 — Using mene/tebe/njega for stress and contrast.
- Mistake: Subtle Preposition and Case MismatchesB2 — Advanced preposition/case errors in real usage.