Ja danas idem u školu brže nego moja sestra.

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Breakdown of Ja danas idem u školu brže nego moja sestra.

• ići: to go
• u: to
• škola: school

Questions & Answers about Ja danas idem u školu brže nego moja sestra.

Why is ja used here? I thought Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns.

That is true: Serbian usually does not need the subject pronoun, because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action.

• idem = I go / I am going

So a very neutral version would simply be:

• Danas idem u školu brže nego moja sestra.

Adding ja gives extra emphasis or contrast, for example:

• I am going faster, not someone else.
• I am the one going today.

So ja is grammatically optional here.

Why is idem translated as I am going and not just I go?

Serbian does not have a separate continuous form like English I am going. The present tense idem can cover several English meanings depending on context:

• I go
• I am going
• sometimes even I’m going today / I’m going later

Because the sentence has danas (today), English usually prefers I am going or I’m going today, while Serbian still just uses the normal present tense idem.

What form is idem exactly?

Idem is the 1st person singular present tense of ().