Umesto da idemo autom, biramo voz.

to go

Breakdown of Umesto da idemo autom, biramo voz.

• auto: car
• voz: train
• birati: to choose

Questions & Answers about Umesto da idemo autom, biramo voz.

Why is da idemo used after umesto, instead of an infinitive?

In Serbian, a very common pattern is umesto da + present tense, literally instead of that we go, but naturally meaning instead of going.

So:

• Umesto da idemo autom = Instead of going by car

Serbian often uses da + present where English might use an -ing form or infinitive. This is completely normal and very common.

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What exactly does umesto da mean here?

Umesto da means instead of when it introduces an action.

Compare:

• umesto voza = instead of the train / instead of a train
• umesto da idemo vozom = instead of going by train

So in your sentence, umesto da idemo autom introduces the action that is not chosen.

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Why is it idemo and not something like a special infinitive form for going?

Because after da, Serbian normally uses a present-tense verb form.

Here:

• idemo = we go / we are going

But after da, it does not have its usual simple present meaning. In this structure, it helps express an idea like to go or .