Breakdown of Podnosilac koristi vozačku dozvolu dok god je važeća.
Questions & Answers about Podnosilac koristi vozačku dozvolu dok god je važeća.
What does podnosilac mean here?
Podnosilac means applicant, submitter, or person filing something, depending on context.
In administrative or legal Serbian, it often refers to someone who submits an application, request, or document.
Grammatically, it is:
- masculine
- singular
- in the nominative case here, because it is the subject of the sentence
Even when it refers to a woman, official language sometimes still uses this kind of masculine form generically.
Why is it vozačku dozvolu and not vozačka dozvola?
Because vozačku dozvolu is the direct object of the verb koristi (uses), so it must be in the accusative case.
The basic dictionary form is:
- vozačka dozvola = a driver’s license / driving licence
In the accusative singular, it becomes:
- vozačku dozvolu
Both words change because:
- vozačka → vozačku
- dozvola → dozvolu
So this is a good example of adjective + noun agreement in case, gender, and number.
What does koristi mean exactly?
Koristi is the 3rd person singular present tense of koristiti.
Here it means:
- uses
- is using
depending on context
So:
- Podnosilac koristi vozačku dozvolu = The applicant uses the driver’s license
The verb koristiti is imperfective, which fits a general or ongoing action.
What does dok god mean?
Dok god means as long as, for as long as, or so long as.
It introduces a clause that sets the time span during which something is true.
So:
- dok god je važeća = as long as it is valid
Compared with plain dok, dok god often sounds a little more emphatic or explicit:
- dok = while / until / as long as
- dok god = as long as, for however long
Why is it je važeća and not je važeću?
Because važeća is a predicate adjective, not a direct object.
It refers back to dozvola, which is the subject of the clause dok god je važeća, even though that subject is omitted.
In other words, the full idea is:
- dok god je dozvola važeća
Since dozvola is:
- feminine
- singular
- nominative
the adjective must also be:
- feminine singular nominative → važeća
So:
- važeća = valid
- not važeću, because važeću would be accusative
Why is there no word for it in dok god je važeća?
Because Serbian often omits subject pronouns when the meaning is clear from context.
English needs it:
- as long as it is valid
Serbian usually does not:
- dok god je važeća
The listener understands that važeća refers back to vozačka dozvola.
You could add ona in some contexts, but here it would usually be unnecessary:
- dok god je ona važeća
This is possible, but more marked and less natural in a neutral administrative sentence.
What does važeća mean? Is it related to važiti?
Yes. Važeća comes from the verb važiti, which means:
- to be valid
- to be in force
- to apply
So važeća means:
- valid
- currently in force
For documents like licenses, permits, IDs, or rules, this is a very common word.
Examples:
- Lična karta je važeća. = The ID card is valid.
- Ugovor više ne važi. = The contract is no longer valid.
Why is the present tense used in dok god je važeća?
Serbian often uses the present tense for:
- general truths
- rules
- legal statements
- situations that are valid whenever the condition holds
So this sentence is not just about one specific moment. It expresses a general rule:
- The applicant uses the driver’s license as long as it is valid.
That is why je (is) sounds natural here.
Is this a natural everyday sentence, or does it sound official?
It sounds official, administrative, or legal.
Clues include:
- podnosilac
- the formal structure
- the focus on document validity
In everyday conversation, a person might say something simpler, depending on context, but this sentence is perfectly natural in bureaucratic or legal language.
Could the word order be different?
Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although some versions sound more neutral than others.
The given sentence:
- Podnosilac koristi vozačku dozvolu dok god je važeća.
is normal and clear.
You might also see:
- Podnosilac koristi vozačku dozvolu sve dok je važeća.
But the original word order is very natural for a formal statement.
Does vozačka dozvola literally mean driver’s permit?
More or less, yes.
- vozačka relates to driving / driver
- dozvola means permit, authorization, or license
In real usage, vozačka dozvola is the standard term for:
- driver’s license
or in British English: - driving licence
So even if the literal pieces can be analyzed, you should learn vozačka dozvola as a fixed expression.
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