Moj otac uvek isključi lampu pre nego što ode u krevet.

Serbian does not have articles like a or the. So nouns appear without them:

• lampu = lamp / the lamp
• krevet = bed / the bed

Whether something is definite or indefinite is usually understood from context. In this sentence, English naturally uses the lamp and bed, but Serbian does not need separate article words.

Moj means my and is a possessive adjective. It agrees with otac in gender, number, and case:

• moj = masculine singular nominative
• otac = masculine singular nominative

Yes, moj can sometimes be omitted if the context already makes it clear whose father is meant. But moj otac is perfectly normal and clear.

Because otac is the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative case.

The basic pattern is:

• otac = nominative singular, father
• oca = genitive/accusative singular in other uses

Since my father is the one doing the action, Serbian uses otac.

Uvek means always.

In this sentence it shows that the action is habitual:

• Moj otac uvek isključi lampu... = My father always turns off the lamp...

Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order, so uvek can move around somewhat, for example:

• Moj otac uvek isključi lampu...
• Moj otac isključi lampu uvek... — possible in some contexts, but less neutral
• Uvek moj otac isključi lampu... — possible, but sounds more emphatic or marked

The version in the original sentence is the most neutral and natural.

This is a question about aspect, which is very important in Serbian.

• isključiti = perfective verb, focusing on a completed action
• isključuje would be from isključivati / isključivati or the imperfective use of isključivati, focusing more on the ongoing/repeated process

Here, isključi presents the action as a single complete act each time: he switches the lamp off, and that act is completed before the next action happens.

With words like uvek and in repeated sequences, Serbian can use a perfective present to describe what regularly happens as a complete event. So the sentence feels like:

• Every time, he does this complete action: he turns off the lamp, then goes to bed.

An imperfective version could also exist in some contexts, but isključi gives a sharper sense of a completed step in a routine.

Because lampu is the accusative singular form of lampa.

• lampa = nominative singular
• lampu = accusative singular

Here, lampu is the direct object of isključi:

• He turns off what? → the lamp

Since lampa is a feminine noun ending in -a, its accusative singular usually changes to -u.

Pre nego što is a fixed expression meaning before.

It introduces a clause:

• pre nego što ode u krevet = before he goes to bed

You can think of it as one unit, not as three separate words you should translate one by one every time.

A rough breakdown is:

• pre = before
• nego što = part of the conjunction pattern

But for learning purposes, it is best to memorize pre nego što as a set phrase meaning before followed by a verb clause.

Ode is the 3rd person singular present form of the perfective verb otići.

• ići = to go, imperfective
• otići = to leave / to go off, perfective

In this sentence, ode fits well because the clause describes a completed event in the sequence:

• first he turns off the lamp
• then he goes to bed

So pre nego što ode u krevet means before he goes to bed, with the action understood as a complete step.

If you used ide, it would sound more process-oriented or less bounded. In sentences like this, many speakers prefer the perfective form because it matches the idea of one finished action happening before another.

This is a very common and important distinction.

• u krevet = into bed / to bed
• u krevetu = in bed

Serbian uses different cases depending on whether there is movement toward something or location inside something:

• u + accusative = movement into
• u + locative = location in

Here the father is going to bed, so Serbian uses u krevet.

Also note that krevet looks the same in nominative and accusative singular because it is a masculine inanimate noun. So even though the form does not change visibly, the case here is accusative.

Serbian word order is quite flexible, although some versions sound more neutral than others.

The original sentence:

• Moj otac uvek isključi lampu pre nego što ode u krevet.

is very natural.

Other possible orders include:

• Moj otac isključi lampu uvek pre nego što ode u krevet.
• Pre nego što ode u krevet, moj otac uvek isključi lampu.

These do not all sound equally neutral. Moving words changes emphasis and rhythm more than core meaning.

As a learner, it is safest to keep the original order until you get a better feel for Serbian emphasis patterns.

Yes. Both mean father/dad, but the tone is different:

• otac = more neutral, standard, sometimes slightly more formal
• tata = dad, warmer and more everyday

So:

• Moj tata uvek isključi lampu pre nego što ode u krevet.

would also be correct, but it sounds more personal and conversational.

It is the same form, što, but here it is not functioning as the question word what.

In this sentence, što is part of the fixed conjunction pre nego što = before.

So you should not read it here as a separate what. It is just part of the structure that introduces the subordinate clause.