Ja jedem hranu u kući.

I

Breakdown of Ja jedem hranu u kući.

• kuća: house
• u: in
• jesti: to eat

Questions & Answers about Ja jedem hranu u kući.

Why is ja used here if jedem already means I eat / I am eating?

In Serbian, the verb ending already shows the subject, so jedem by itself already means I eat or I am eating.

That means ja is often optional. You include ja when you want to:

• add emphasis: I am eating
• create contrast: Ja jedem, a on ne jede = I’m eating, but he isn’t
• make the sentence especially clear

So:

• Jedem hranu u kući. = perfectly normal
• Ja jedem hranu u kući. = also correct, with a bit more emphasis on I

What form is jedem?

Jedem is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb jesti = to eat.

The present tense forms are:

• ja jedem = I eat
• ti jedeš = you eat
• on/ona/ono jede = he/she/it eats
• mi jedemo = we eat
• vi jedete = you eat
• oni/one/ona jedu = they eat

So in this sentence, jedem matches ja.

Why is it hranu and not hrana?