Questions & Answers about Ja pijem kafu sa mlekom.
Why is there no word for a or the in this sentence?
Serbian does not have articles. So kafu can mean coffee, a coffee, or the coffee, depending on context.
In Ja pijem kafu sa mlekom, the sentence is naturally understood as I drink coffee with milk or I am drinking coffee with milk.
Why is it kafu and not kafa?
Because kafu is the accusative singular form of kafa.
The verb pijem means I drink / I am drinking, and the thing being drunk is the direct object, so it goes into the accusative case.
- nominative: kafa = coffee
- accusative: kafu = coffee as the object of the verb
This is a very common pattern with feminine nouns ending in -a:
- kafa → kafu
- voda → vodu
- supa → supu
Why is it mlekom and not mleko?
Because the preposition sa meaning with requires the instrumental case here.
The noun mleko is neuter, and its instrumental singular form is mlekom.