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Learn Hardcore Serbian: Otkad živite ovde? - Since when have you lived here?

Hardcore Serbian
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/Otkad živite ovde?

Otkad živite ovde?

Otkad živite ovde?

Since when have you lived here?

Breakdown of Otkad živite ovde?

since when; since

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Questions & Answers about Otkad živite ovde?

What does otkad literally mean, and is it one word or two?

Otkad means since when or from when in time expressions.

It is very commonly written as one word: otkad.
You may also see od kada written as two words, with the same meaning.

So these are both possible:

Otkad živite ovde?
Od kada živite ovde?

In everyday speech, otkad is very natural and common.

Why is it živite and not živiš?

Živite is the 2nd person plural form of živeti / živjeti = to live.

It is used in two situations:

when speaking to more than one person: you all live
when speaking to one person politely/formally: you live

So Otkad živite ovde? can mean either:

Since when do you live here? / How long have you lived here? when speaking politely to one person
the same question addressed to several people

If you were speaking informally to one person, you would say:

Otkad živiš ovde?

Why is the verb in the present tense if English often uses have lived?

Serbian often uses the present tense where English uses the present perfect for situations that started in the past and still continue now.

So:

Otkad živite ovde?

literally looks like:

Since when do you live here?

but the natural English meaning is:

How long have you lived here?
Since when have you lived here?

This is a very normal difference between Serbian and English.

Is otkad asking for a starting point in time or for a duration?

Grammatically, otkad asks for the starting point:

Since when?
From what time?

For example, a direct answer could be:

Od prošle godine. = Since last year.
Od 2019. = Since 2019.

But in real conversation, it often functions very much like English How long have you lived here?, because asking for the starting point also tells you the duration indirectly.

What is the role of ovde?

Ovde means here.

So the sentence structure is:

Otkad = since when
živite = you live / have you lived
ovde = here

You may also hear ovdje instead of ovde, depending on the regional standard or dialect. Both mean here.

Can the word order change?

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, though some versions sound more neutral than others.

The most neutral order here is:

Otkad živite ovde?

You could also hear:

Otkad ovde živite?

This can sound slightly more marked, with a bit more focus on ovde.

In most basic situations, learners should stick with:

Otkad živite ovde?

Is živite from živeti or živjeti?

It can be analyzed as coming from either infinitive, depending on the standard variety:

živeti is common in Serbian Ekavian
živjeti is the Ijekavian counterpart

In Serbian as usually taught with Ekavian pronunciation, you will most often see:

živeti = to live
živim, živiš, živi, živimo, živite, žive

So živite is the regular present-tense form.

Could I use stanovati instead of živeti here?

Yes, sometimes, but the meaning shifts slightly.

živeti = to live, in a broad sense
stanovati = to reside, to have one’s dwelling somewhere

So you could say:

Otkad živite ovde?
Otkad stanujete ovde?

The first is more common and general.
The second is possible, but sounds a bit more specifically about residence/address.

How would I answer this question in Serbian?

A few common answers are:

Od prošle godine. = Since last year.
Već tri godine. = For three years already.
Od januara. = Since January.
Od detinjstva. = Since childhood.
Tek mesec dana. = Only for a month.

Notice that Serbian may answer either with:

a starting point: od prošle godine
or a length of time: već tri godine

Both are natural.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral?

It is neutral, but živite makes it either:

polite/formal to one person, or
neutral when speaking to several people

If you want the informal singular version, use:

Otkad živiš ovde?

So the difference is mostly in the verb form, not in otkad itself.

Do Serbian speakers really use this exact question, or is there another more common way to ask it?

Yes, Otkad živite ovde? is perfectly natural.

Another very common way is:

Koliko dugo živite ovde? = How long have you lived here?

The difference is:

Otkad focuses on the starting point: since when
Koliko dugo focuses on the duration: how long

In everyday conversation, both are very common and often interchangeable in practical meaning.

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