Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Serbian: Pas je iza vrata. - The dog is behind the door.

Hardcore Serbian
/Lesson 9
/Pas je iza vrata.

Pas je iza vrata.

Pas je iza vrata.

The dog is behind the door.

Breakdown of Pas je iza vrata.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

Questions & Answers about Pas je iza vrata.

What is the grammatical role of each word in Pas je iza vrata?

Pas = the subject, in the nominative singular
je = is, the 3rd person singular present of biti (to be)
iza = the preposition behind
vrata = door, used after iza in the required case

So the structure is basically:

subject + is + prepositional phrase

Why is je used here?

Because Serbian normally uses the verb biti (to be) in sentences like this.

So just as English says The dog is behind the door, Serbian says Pas je iza vrata.

Unlike some other Slavic languages, Serbian does not normally drop is in the present tense in standard speech. So Pas iza vrata would sound incomplete in ordinary Serbian.

Why is je in the second position?

Je is a clitic, which means it usually goes in second position in the clause.

In Pas je iza vrata, the first element is Pas, so je comes right after it.

You can also change the word order, but je still tends to stay in second position:

We have an entire course teaching Serbian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Serbian now

Pas je iza vrata.
Iza vrata je pas.

Both are possible, but the emphasis changes a little.

What case is vrata in?

It is in the genitive.

The preposition iza requires the genitive case in standard Serbian:

iza kuće = behind the house
iza škole = behind the school
iza vrata = behind the door

So after iza, you should expect a genitive form.

Why does vrata look plural if English says door?

Because vrata is a plural-only noun in Serbian.

That means Serbian uses a grammatically plural form for something that English usually treats as singular:

vrata = door / doors, depending on context

This is very common for learners to notice. Even when it means one door, Serbian still says vrata.

If you add adjectives, they also agree in the plural:

otvorena vrata = an open door / open doors

So grammatically it behaves like a plural noun.

Why is the form vrata the same as the dictionary form?

Because with vrata, the genitive plural looks the same as the basic form:

nominative plural: vrata
genitive plural: vrata

So after iza, the case changes, but the spelling stays the same.

That can be confusing at first, because you do not see an obvious ending change.

Why isn’t there a word for the or a?

Serbian has no articles.

So Pas je iza vrata can mean:

The dog is behind the door
A dog is behind a/the door

The exact meaning depends on context.

If Serbian speakers want to be more specific, they can add other words, for example:

taj pas = that dog
neki pas = some/a certain dog

But very often no article-like word is used at all.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible.

For example:

Pas je iza vrata. = neutral statement
Iza vrata je pas. = puts more focus on behind the door
Iza vrata pas je... = generally not natural in ordinary speech because of clitic placement

So the sentence can move around more than in English, but je still has to follow the normal clitic rules.

Could I say iza vratima instead?

No. After iza, standard Serbian uses the genitive, not dative/instrumental/locative.

So:

correct: iza vrata
not correct here: iza vratima

Vratima is a different case form, but it is not the one required by iza.

Is vrata the same word as vrat?

No.

vrata = door
vrat = neck

They look similar, but they are different words.

That is another common beginner confusion, so it is worth memorizing them separately.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io