Questions & Answers about Važno je da uvek nosiš svoj pasoš sa sobom.
Why is it važno and not važan or važna?
Because Važno je... is an impersonal structure meaning It is important....
In Serbian, adjectives in this kind of sentence usually appear in the neuter singular form, so:
- važan = masculine
- važna = feminine
- važno = neuter
So Važno je da... is the normal way to say It is important that...
Also, je is a clitic, so Važno je is the natural order, not Je važno.
Why do we get da nosiš instead of an infinitive like nositi?
Serbian very often uses da + present tense where English would use an infinitive.
So:
- Važno je da uvek nosiš... = literally It is important that you always carry...
- natural English: It is important to always carry...
A version with the infinitive, such as Važno je uvek nositi..., can also exist, but da + present is very common and natural in Serbian.
What form is nosiš?
Nosiš is the 2nd person singular present tense of nositi, meaning to carry / to wear / to take with you depending on context.
Here it means you carry or you should carry.
It matches an implied ti:
- (ti) nosiš = you carry
It is also a good choice because uvek suggests a repeated or habitual action, and nositi is imperfective, which fits that meaning well.
Why is it svoj pasoš and not tvoj pasoš?
Because Serbian normally uses the reflexive possessive svoj when the possessor is the same as the subject of the clause.
Here the subject is the implied ti in nosiš, so:
- nosiš svoj pasoš = you carry your own passport
Using tvoj pasoš is possible, but it usually sounds more contrastive or emphatic, as if you are stressing your passport, not someone else’s.
So in neutral Serbian, svoj is the most natural choice.
What case is pasoš in here?
It is in the accusative singular because it is the direct object of nosiš.
- nosiš šta? → pasoš
The reason it looks the same as the dictionary form is that pasoš is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular its accusative often has the same form as the nominative:
- nominative: pasoš
- accusative: pasoš
So the case is different grammatically, even though the form does not change.
What does sa sobom mean here?
Literally, sa sobom means with yourself. In natural English here, it means with you or on you.
This is a very common Serbian expression:
- nositi sa sobom = to carry with you
The word sobom is the instrumental form of the reflexive pronoun sebe.
Because the person carrying the passport is the same person being referred to, Serbian uses the reflexive form sobom, not tobom.
Why is it sa sobom and not just s sobom?
The preposition is basically s / sa.
Serbian often uses sa instead of the shorter s when it is easier to pronounce, especially before certain consonants. Sa sobom is the normal form.
So:
- sa sobom = natural
- s sobom = not the normal choice here
Can I leave out svoj?
Yes. You can say:
- Važno je da uvek nosiš pasoš sa sobom.
That is still natural and understandable.
Adding svoj makes the meaning a bit more explicit: your own passport. In many contexts, though, the ownership is already obvious, so omitting svoj is perfectly possible.
Is the word order fixed, especially the position of uvek?
No, Serbian word order is fairly flexible.
The original sentence is neutral and natural:
- Važno je da uvek nosiš svoj pasoš sa sobom.
But you could also hear:
- Važno je da svoj pasoš uvek nosiš sa sobom.
- Važno je da uvek svoj pasoš nosiš sa sobom.
These all mean basically the same thing, though the emphasis shifts a little. The given version is a very straightforward default order.
How would I say this to more than one person, or to one person formally?
Change nosiš to nosite.
For one person formally:
- Važno je da uvek nosite svoj pasoš sa sobom.
For several people, you will often use the plural object as well:
- Važno je da uvek nosite svoje pasoše sa sobom.
That means It is important that you always carry your passports with you.
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