Ja čitam knjigu svako veče.

I

Breakdown of Ja čitam knjigu svako veče.

• knjiga: book
• čitati: to read
• svaki: every

Questions & Answers about Ja čitam knjigu svako veče.

Why is ja included? Doesn’t čitam already mean I read / I am reading?

Yes. In Serbian, the verb ending in čitam already tells you the subject is I.

• čitam = I read / I am reading

So ja is often optional. You can say just:

• Čitam knjigu svako veče.

Adding ja can make the subject clearer or more emphatic, like:

• I read a book every evening.
• As for me, I read a book every evening.

So in this sentence, ja is not required, but it is perfectly correct.

What form is čitam?

Čitam is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb čitati, meaning to read.

So:

• čitati = to read
• čitam = I read / I am reading

Serbian present tense often covers both English meanings:

• I read
• I am reading

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, because of svako veče, it is understood as a habitual action: I read every evening.

Why is it knjigu and not knjiga?