Umesto da idemo autom, biramo voz.

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.

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.

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 going.

So:

• da idemo = to go / going in context

This is one of the most important Serbian patterns to get used to.

Autom is the instrumental singular of auto.

After verbs of travel, Serbian often uses the instrumental to express by means of a vehicle:

• autom = by car
• vozom = by train
• autobusom = by bus
• avionom = by plane

So:

• idemo autom = we go by car

This instrumental use is very common with transport.

Because birati takes a direct object, and that object is in the accusative case.

• biramo voz = we choose the train

Here, voz is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular its accusative looks the same as the nominative:

• nominative: voz
• accusative: voz

If the sentence were we go by train, then you would use instrumental:

• idemo vozom = we go by train

So:

• biramo voz = choosing the train
• idemo vozom = traveling by train

It is the 1st person plural present tense of birati.

• biramo can mean we choose, we are choosing, or sometimes we’re opting for, depending on context.

In this sentence, the most natural English interpretation is something like:

• we choose the train
• we opt for the train
• we’re choosing the train

Serbian present tense is often broader than English present tense.

Yes. Birati is the imperfective verb, and its perfective partner is often izabrati.

• birati = to choose, to be choosing, to choose as a general action
• izabrati = to choose, to select, to make the choice as a completed act

In a sentence like this, biramo voz sounds natural because it presents the choice as the option we are taking. If you used a perfective form, it would sound more like emphasizing the completed act of selection.

For learners, biramo voz is a very normal and useful sentence pattern.

Because Serbian often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here:

• idemo = we go
• biramo = we choose

So the separate pronoun mi is not necessary.

You could say:

• Umesto da mi idemo autom, mi biramo voz.

But that sounds more emphatic, as if you are stressing we.

The version without mi is more neutral and natural.

Because Umesto da idemo autom is a subordinate clause placed before the main clause.

So the structure is:

• subordinate clause: Umesto da idemo autom
• main clause: biramo voz

In Serbian, it is standard to separate these with a comma:

• Umesto da idemo autom, biramo voz.

Yes. Serbian word order is relatively flexible.

The given sentence is neutral and natural:

• Umesto da idemo autom, biramo voz.

But you could also say:

• Biramo voz umesto da idemo autom.

That version is also understandable, but the original sentence sounds clearer and more balanced in many contexts.

Serbian often places the instead of... part first when it sets up the contrast.

Yes. That is also very common.

Both can mean by car:

• autom = by car
• kolima = by car

A small note:

• auto is a noun meaning car
• kola is another common word for car, but it is grammatically plural in this meaning, so:
  • kolima is instrumental plural

So you may hear both:

• idemo autom
• idemo kolima

Both are natural Serbian.

It can be either, depending on context.

By itself, the sentence can mean:

• in this situation, instead of going by car, we choose the train
• more generally, instead of going by car, we choose the train

If you wanted to make it more clearly about a one-time completed decision, Serbian might use a perfective verb in the right context. But as it stands, this sentence is perfectly normal for expressing the choice in a broad, natural way.