Umesto da okrenem ćevape, okrenuću pljeskavice.

instead of doing

Breakdown of Umesto da okrenem ćevape, okrenuću pljeskavice.

• pljeskavica: a grilled meat patty
• ćevap: a grilled minced-meat roll; ćevap
• okrenuti: to turn over

Questions & Answers about Umesto da okrenem ćevape, okrenuću pljeskavice.

What does umesto da mean here?

Umesto da means instead of (doing something).

In this sentence, Umesto da okrenem ćevape means Instead of flipping/turning the ćevapi.

A useful pattern is:

• umesto da + present-tense verb

Even though English often uses instead of + -ing, Serbian commonly uses umesto da plus a finite verb.

Examples:

• Umesto da učim, gledam TV. — Instead of studying, I’m watching TV.
• Umesto da izađem, ostaću kod kuće. — Instead of going out, I’ll stay home.

Why is it da okrenem and not an infinitive?

Because Serbian very often uses da + present tense where English uses an infinitive or an -ing form.

So English:

• instead of flipping

Serbian:

• umesto da okrenem

This is completely normal Serbian syntax.

A more noun-like alternative is possible, for example:

• Umesto okretanja ćevapa, okrenuću pljeskavice.

But that sounds more formal or abstract. The version with umesto da is very natural in everyday speech.

Why is okrenem in the present tense if the sentence is talking about a choice about the future?

Okrenem is formally a present-tense form, but after it does not always translate as a real present in English.