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Learn Hardcore Serbian: Porodica je zajedno za Božić. - The family is together for Christmas.

Hardcore Serbian
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/Porodica je zajedno za Božić.

Porodica je zajedno za Božić.

Porodica je zajedno za Božić.

The family is together for Christmas.

Breakdown of Porodica je zajedno za Božić.

Questions & Answers about Porodica je zajedno za Božić.

What does each word in Porodica je zajedno za Božić. mean?

Porodica = family
je = is
zajedno = together
za = for / at / during (depending on context)
Božić = Christmas

So grammatically it is:

Porodica — subject
je — the verb to be
zajedno — an adverb describing the situation
za Božić — a time expression meaning for/at Christmas

Why is je used here?

Je is the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be).

Because porodica is singular, Serbian uses singular je:

Porodica je zajedno. = The family is together.

In standard Serbian, you normally do not omit this verb in a sentence like this. So:

Porodica je zajedno = correct
Porodica zajedno = not a normal full sentence in standard speech, except maybe in headlines or very stylized language

Why is porodica singular if a family contains several people?

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Because porodica is grammatically a singular noun, even though it refers to a group.

This is similar to English family when you say:

The family is together.

In Serbian, the verb agrees with the noun porodica, not with the number of people inside the family. So:

Porodica je... = singular

Why is there no word for the?

Serbian does not have articles like English a and the.

So porodica can mean different things depending on context:

a family
the family
sometimes just family in a general sense

In this sentence, English would most naturally translate it as the family or possibly the family is together at Christmas.

If Serbian speakers want to be more specific, they usually do it through context or with extra words, for example:

moja porodica = my family
ta porodica = that family

What kind of word is zajedno?

Zajedno is an adverb, and it means together.

It does not change for gender, number, or case. Its form stays the same.

Compare:

Mi smo zajedno. = We are together.
Porodica je zajedno. = The family is together.

It describes the state of being united or in one place.

Why does the sentence use za Božić?

Here za Božić means something like:

for Christmas
at Christmas
during Christmas time

With holidays, Serbian often uses za to place something in the context of that holiday.

Examples:

Dolazimo za Božić. = We’re coming for Christmas.
Porodica je zajedno za Božić. = The family is together for/at Christmas.

So za Božić is functioning as a time expression.

What case is Božić in after za?

After za in this kind of expression, Serbian uses the accusative.

So grammatically this is:

za + accusative

Here the noun is Božić. Because Božić is a masculine inanimate noun, its nominative and accusative singular look the same:

nominative: Božić
accusative: Božić

So the form does not visibly change, but the case is still accusative because of za.

What is the difference between za Božić and na Božić?

This is a very common question.

A useful basic distinction is:

za Božić = for Christmas / at Christmas / during the Christmas period
na Božić = on Christmas Day

So:

Porodica je zajedno za Božić. suggests the family is together for the holiday
Vidimo se na Božić. often means See you on Christmas Day

In real life, usage can overlap a bit depending on speaker and region, but this distinction is a good one for learners.

Can the word order change?

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence as given is natural and neutral:

Porodica je zajedno za Božić.

But you can move things around to change emphasis:

Za Božić je porodica zajedno. — emphasizes at Christmas
Zajedno je porodica za Božić. — possible, but less neutral and more marked

So the original version is a good standard choice.

Is this sentence natural Serbian?

Yes, it is natural and understandable.

It clearly means that the family is together at Christmas time.

A speaker might also say something a bit more idiomatic depending on the exact meaning, for example:

Porodica je na okupu za Božić. = The family is all together for Christmas.

But Porodica je zajedno za Božić. is perfectly good Serbian.

How do you pronounce Božić and the special letters in the sentence?

A few important sounds:

j is pronounced like English y in yes
ž sounds like the s in measure
ć is a soft ch-like sound, softer than English ch

So:

Božić sounds approximately like BO-zheech, but with a softer final sound than regular English ch
zajedno is roughly za-YED-no
je is roughly ye

A rough pronunciation of the whole sentence is:

po-RO-di-tsa ye za-YED-no za BO-zheech

Not exact IPA, but close enough to help an English speaker get started.

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