Sada nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu.

Because the verb here is imati (to have), not biti (to be).

• imam / nemam = I have / I don’t have
• jesam / nisam = I am / I’m not

So:

• Nemam vremena = I don’t have time
• not Nisam vremena, which would be ungrammatical

In Serbian, to have time is expressed with imati, just like in English.

After a negated verb like nemam, Serbian often uses the genitive case instead of the accusative.

So:

• Imam vreme or more naturally Imam vremena = I have time
• Nemam vremena = I don’t have time

Here, vremena is the genitive singular of vreme.

This pattern is very common:

• Imam novac / Nemam novca
• Imam strpljenje / Nemam strpljenja
• Imam vremena / Nemam vremena

Even in positive sentences, imam vremena is extremely common and often sounds more natural than imam vreme when talking about available time in a general sense.

Serbian often uses a da + present tense structure where English uses an infinitive.

So:

• da idem literally looks like that I go
• but it really means to go

In this sentence:

• nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu = I don’t have time to go to the store

This is one of the most important Serbian patterns to learn. After many verbs and expressions, Serbian prefers:

• da + present tense

Examples:

• Hoću da idem = I want to go
• Mogu da dođem = I can come
• Nemam vremena da učim = I don’t have time to study

So although English uses to go, Serbian very naturally uses da idem.

Because after da, Serbian normally uses a conjugated present-tense verb, not the infinitive.

• infinitive: ići = to go
• present 1st person singular: idem = I go / I am going

Since the subject is I, you need:

• da idem = for me to go / to go

Not:

• da ići ❌

So the pattern is:

• da + present-tense form

Examples:

• da radim = to work
• da učim = to study
• da idem = to go

Because u can mean either in or to, depending on the case used.

With u:

• accusative = movement into / to
• locative = location in

So:

• u prodavnicu = to the store / into the store
• u prodavnici = in the store

Since idem expresses motion, Serbian uses the accusative:

• Idem u prodavnicu = I’m going to the store

Compare:

• Ja sam u prodavnici = I am in the store
• Idem u prodavnicu = I am going to the store

Yes. Sada and sad both mean now.

• sada is the full form
• sad is shorter and very common in everyday speech

So these both work:

• Sada nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu.
• Sad nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu.

The shorter sad often sounds a bit more conversational.

No, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more natural than others.

The original sentence:

• Sada nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu.

is very natural.

You could also hear:

• Nemam sada vremena da idem u prodavnicu.
• Nemam vremena sada da idem u prodavnicu.

These all make sense, but they may shift emphasis slightly.

For example:

• Sada nemam vremena... emphasizes now
• Nemam vremena sada... can sound like right now, I don’t have time

So the meaning stays similar, but the focus changes a bit.

Because Serbian usually drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

• nemam already means I don’t have
• idem already means I go / I’m going

So ja is not necessary.

You could say:

• Ja sada nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu.

But that adds emphasis, like:

• I don’t have time now

In neutral speech, leaving out ja is more natural.

Prodavnica is a general word for store or shop.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• a general store
• a small shop
• often a grocery store

Other related words include:

• radnja = shop/store
• samoposluga = self-service grocery store/supermarket type of store
• supermarket = supermarket

So in this sentence, prodavnica is a normal, neutral choice for store.

Because after da, Serbian uses the present-tense form even when English would think of it as an infinitive or future-oriented action.

So da idem does not necessarily mean that I am going right now. In this structure, it simply means to go.

That is why:

• Nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu = I don’t have time to go to the store

The action of going is not happening now; it is just the action being referred to.

In standard modern Serbian, da idem is much more natural here.

So:

• Nemam vremena da idem u prodavnicu. ✅

Using a bare infinitive after nemam vremena is not the normal everyday Serbian pattern.

For learners, the safest rule is:

• after expressions like nemam vremena, use da + present tense

So remember:

• nemam vremena da radim
• nemam vremena da učim
• nemam vremena da idem

It means:

• I don’t have time now to go to the store

The main idea is lack of time, not refusal or a future plan.

The structure is:

• Sada = now
• nemam vremena = I don’t have time
• da idem u prodavnicu = to go to the store

So the sentence is about not having enough time, not about deciding not to go.

If you wanted to say I’m not going to the store now, you would say something more like:

• Sada ne idem u prodavnicu.

That means I’m not going to the store now / I’m not going to the store at the moment, which is different.