Serbian divides English like between two grammatical viewpoints. With свиђати се, the appealing person or thing is the nominative subject and the experiencer is dative: филм ми се свиђа. With волети, the experiencer is the nominative subject and what is loved or habitually enjoyed is accusative: волим тај филм.
Two sentence frames
| Meaning | Subject | Verb | Other participant |
|---|---|---|---|
| It appeals to me | филм | свиђа се | ми — dative experiencer |
| I love / like it | ја | волим | га — accusative object |
The present forms of свиђати се agree with the appealing subject: свиђам се, свиђаш се, свиђа се, свиђамо се, свиђате се, свиђају се. In most “I like X” sentences, X is third person, so the crucial choice is singular свиђа versus plural свиђају. The dative experiencer is ми, ти, му/јој, нам, вам, им.
Свиђа ми се овај кафић јер није бучан.
I like this café because it isn't noisy.
Свиђају нам се станови у овој улици, али су прескупи.
We like the apartments on this street, but they're too expensive.
In ја ти се свиђам, first-person ја is the subject, so the verb becomes свиђам; ти remains dative.
Мислим да му се свиђаш, али је сувише стидљив да ти то каже.
I think he likes you, but he's too shy to tell you.
What свиђати се presents
Imperfective свиђати се describes an ongoing favorable impression, appeal, or attraction. It is natural for a design, proposal, place, person, or feature that strikes the experiencer positively.
Не свиђа ми се начин на који је разговарао с конобаром.
I don't like the way he spoke to the waiter.
Да ли ти се свиђа идеја да отпутујемо у мају?
Do you like the idea of our traveling in May?
With a person, свиђати се can express attraction. English I like her may sound deliberately mild; Serbian она ми се свиђа is often heard as “I am attracted to her,” depending on context.
Она ми се свиђа, али се још нисмо добро упознали.
I like her, but we haven't gotten to know each other well yet.
The reflexive particle се belongs to the verb. It is not the subject and cannot be omitted. In an ordinary clitic cluster, the dative pronoun precedes се: Филм ми се свиђа.
Волети: love and stable preference
Волети is transitive. Its experiencer is the subject; its object takes the accusative. Present forms are волим, волиш, воли, волимо, волите, воле.
Волим своју породицу, али ми понекад треба мало тишине.
I love my family, but sometimes I need a little quiet.
Она воли јаку кафу, а ја више волим чај.
She likes strong coffee, while I prefer tea.
With people, волети normally expresses love or deep affection. With foods, activities, places, and recurring experiences, it can correspond to English like or enjoy: the sense is an established preference, not necessarily intense love.
Волимо да шетамо поред реке кад није превише хладно.
We like walking by the river when it isn't too cold.
Волети takes either да + present or an infinitive for an activity. Both are standard; да + present is especially common in everyday Serbian.
Не волим чекати до последњег тренутка.
I don't like waiting until the last moment. (standard infinitive; more concise)
Impression, reaction, and established feeling
The contrast is not merely weak versus strong. Свиђати се frames the stimulus's appeal; волети frames the experiencer's feeling or regular preference. Either can translate like, but the situation differs.
Свиђа ми се ова песма; први пут је чујем.
I like this song; I'm hearing it for the first time.
Волим ову песму; слушам је годинама.
I love this song; I've listened to it for years.
Perfective свидети се often evaluates one completed encounter: свидео ми се филм means the film made a favorable impression when viewed. Its l-participle agrees with the liked subject, not the experiencer.
| Subject | Past reaction |
|---|---|
| филм (masculine singular) | свидео ми се |
| представа (feminine singular) | свидела ми се |
| место (neuter singular) | свидело ми се |
| глумци (masculine plural) | свидели су ми се |
Представа ми се свидела, иако је трајала скоро три сата.
I liked the play, although it lasted almost three hours.
Imperfective past свиђао/свиђала... се describes an ongoing or repeated state. Compare као детету ми се свиђао (“I used to like it as a child”) with bounded свидео ми се (“I liked it when I experienced it”).
Тај цртани филм ми се свиђао кад сам била мала.
I used to like that cartoon when I was little. (female speaker)
Negation, questions, and clitic order
Negation precedes the finite verb: не свиђа ми се, не волим га. In a question, clitics still form their normal cluster.
Зашто ти се не свиђа нови распоред?
Why don't you like the new schedule?
Да ли волиш љуту храну или ти смета?
Do you like spicy food, or does it bother you?
When a past auxiliary other than third-person singular is present, it precedes the dative clitic and се: Филмови су ми се свидели. Third-person singular је is omitted with reflexive се, giving Филм ми се свидео, not Филм ми се је свидео. This special behavior is part of Serbian clitic syntax, not a change in tense.
For a wider choice guide, see voleti vs sviđati se.
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Reverse the viewpoint
Translate “I like this jacket,” “We like these shoes,” and “She likes me” with свиђати се. Mark the nominative subject, dative experiencer, verb agreement, and се in each sentence.
Task 2: First impression or established preference?
Write one sentence about liking a restaurant after tonight's visit using свидети се, then one about regularly liking to eat there using волети. Put both in the past and explain the l-participle agreement.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ја свиђам овај капут.
Incorrect — свиђати се does not take the English liker as subject or the liked thing as an accusative object.
✅ Овај капут ми се свиђа.
I like this coat.
❌ Свиђа ми се ове ципеле.
Incorrect — plural ципеле controls plural свиђају.
✅ Свиђају ми се ове ципеле.
I like these shoes.
❌ Мене се свиђа нова колегиница.
Incorrect — the experiencer is dative мени/ми, not accusative мене.
✅ Мени се свиђа нова колегиница, а њему њена сестра.
I like the new colleague, while he likes her sister.
❌ Свидела сам се филм синоћ.
Incorrect — филм is the subject, so the participle must be masculine; the experiencer is dative.
✅ Свидео ми се филм синоћ.
I liked the film last night.
❌ Волим се овај крај града.
Incorrect — волети is transitive and does not take reflexive се here.
✅ Волим овај крај града јер је миран.
I like this part of town because it's quiet.
Key Takeaways
- X ми се свиђа makes X the agreeing subject and ми the dative experiencer.
- Волим X makes the experiencer the subject and X the accusative object.
- Свидети се commonly presents a bounded favorable reaction; свиђати се presents an ongoing or repeated state.
- With activities, волети accepts both да + present and the infinitive.
Related Topics
- voleti vs sviđati se (to like/love)B1 — Choosing the transitive 'love' vs the dative 'be pleasing'.
- sviđati se / svideti se (to be pleasing / like)B1 — The dative-experiencer 'like' verb.
- voleti (to love/like)A2 — Reference for 'to love/like'.
- Dative: The Indirect ObjectA2 — The recipient/beneficiary role — 'to/for someone'.
- Mistake: The Experiencer Inversion (sviđati se, trebati, boleti)B1 — Getting the subject/object backwards in 'like/need/hurt' verbs.