Raspakovala sam pošiljku; ambalaža je oštećena.

I unpacked the shipment; the packaging is damaged.

Breakdown of Raspakovala sam pošiljku; ambalaža je oštećena.

• biti: to be
• pošiljka: a shipment; consignment
• ambalaža: packaging
• oštećen: damaged

Questions & Answers about Raspakovala sam pošiljku; ambalaža je oštećena.

Why is it raspakovala sam, and not sam raspakovala?

In Serbian past tense, the auxiliary sam is a clitic, and clitics usually go in the second position of the clause.

So in Raspakovala sam pošiljku, the first element is raspakovala, and sam comes right after it.

This is very normal Serbian word order. You can also hear other orders if something else is placed first for emphasis, for example:

• Ja sam raspakovala pošiljku.
• Pošiljku sam raspakovala.

But raspakovala sam is a standard, natural pattern.

Why does raspakovala end in -la?

That ending shows the gender and number of the speaker in the past tense.

In Serbian, the past tense is made with:

• a past participle
• plus the auxiliary biti (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su)

Here, raspakovala is feminine singular, so the speaker is female.

Compare:

• raspakovao sam = I unpacked (male speaker)
• raspakovala sam = I unpacked (female speaker)

This is one of the things English speakers often notice right away: in Serbian, past-tense forms often show the speaker’s gender.

What case is pošiljku, and why is it not pošiljka?