Mariniram meso u marinadi.

in

Breakdown of Mariniram meso u marinadi.

• meso: meat
• marinada: a marinade
• marinirati: to marinate

Questions & Answers about Mariniram meso u marinadi.

What does mariniram mean exactly, and which verb does it come from?

Mariniram is the 1st person singular present tense form of marinirati, which means to marinate.

So:

• marinirati = to marinate
• mariniram = I marinate / I am marinating

In Serbian, the present tense often covers both the simple present and the present continuous, so the exact English translation depends on context.

Why is there no separate word for I in the sentence?

Because Serbian usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Here, mariniram clearly means I am marinating, so ja (I) is optional.

You could say:

• Ja mariniram meso u marinadi.

But that sounds more emphatic, like:

• I’m the one marinating the meat.

In neutral speech, Mariniram meso u marinadi. is perfectly normal.

Why is meso in that form?

Meso is the direct object of the verb mariniram, so it is in the accusative case.

However, meso is a neuter singular noun, and for many neuter nouns, the accusative looks exactly the same as the nominative.