Autobus stiže za pet minuta.

The bus arrives in five minutes.

Breakdown of Autobus stiže za pet minuta.

• autobus: bus
• stizati: to arrive
• za: in
• minut: minute

Questions & Answers about Autobus stiže za pet minuta.

Why is stiže in the present tense if the bus arrives in the future?

Because Serbian often uses the present tense for something that is scheduled, expected, or about to happen, especially with travel and timetables.

So Autobus stiže za pet minuta is very natural, like English The bus arrives in five minutes or The bus is coming in five minutes.

If you want a more explicit future form, you can also say:

Autobus će stići za pet minuta.

That also means The bus will arrive in five minutes.

What verb is stiže from?

Stiže is the 3rd person singular present form of stizati.

• stizati = to be arriving / to arrive (imperfective)
• stići = to arrive / to get there (perfective)

In this sentence, stiže fits well because it describes an expected arrival that is near or already in progress from the speaker’s point of view.

What does za pet minuta mean exactly?

Here za pet minuta means in five minutes — that is, five minutes from now.

It does not mean for five minutes.

So:

• Autobus stiže za pet minuta. = The bus arrives in five minutes.

This is a very common Serbian pattern: