Breakdown of Već imam rezervaciju za mali hotel blizu centra.
Questions & Answers about Već imam rezervaciju za mali hotel blizu centra.
What does već mean in this sentence?
Već means already or by now.
In Već imam rezervaciju..., it tells you that the speaker has the reservation already, not just at some future time.
It is often placed near the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, but Serbian word order is flexible, so you may also hear things like Imam već rezervaciju...
Why is it imam rezervaciju instead of using a verb meaning to reserve?
Imam rezervaciju literally means I have a reservation, which is a very natural way to express this idea in Serbian.
Serbian can also use a verb such as rezervisati:
- Rezervisao sam sobu. = I booked a room.
- Imam rezervaciju. = I have a reservation.
The first focuses on the action of booking. The second focuses on the result: the reservation exists.
Why is rezervaciju ending in -u?
Because it is in the accusative case.
The noun rezervacija is feminine singular:
- nominative: rezervacija
- accusative: rezervaciju
Since imam takes a direct object, Serbian uses the accusative:
- Imam šta? → rezervaciju
So:
- rezervacija = reservation as the subject or dictionary form
- rezervaciju = reservation as the object
Why is there no word for a or the?
Serbian does not have articles like English a and the.
So rezervaciju could mean:
- a reservation
- the reservation
The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, English would usually say a reservation, but Serbian simply leaves that unspecified unless the context makes it clear.
Why is it za mali hotel? What case is hotel in?
Here za is followed by the accusative case, so:
- hotel stays hotel
- mali agrees with it and stays mali
That gives:
- za mali hotel
Literally, this means for a small hotel.
However, this is a useful place to notice a nuance: if you want to say I have a reservation at/in a small hotel, Serbian often sounds more natural with:
- Imam rezervaciju u malom hotelu blizu centra.
So the given sentence is understandable, but za mali hotel can sound a bit more like the reservation is for that hotel, rather than clearly at that hotel.
Why is it mali and not malom?
Because the adjective has to match the noun in gender, number, and case.
Hotel is:
- masculine
- singular
- here in the accusative
For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative:
- mali hotel
That is why you get mali, not malom.
You would get malom in a different case, for example:
- u malom hotelu = in a small hotel
Why is it blizu centra and not blizu centar?
Because blizu normally takes the genitive case.
The noun centar changes like this:
- nominative: centar
- genitive: centra
So:
- blizu centra = near the center
This is a very common pattern in Serbian:
- blizu kuće = near the house
- blizu škole = near the school
- blizu centra = near the center
What does centra mean here exactly?
Here centra usually means the city center or downtown.
So blizu centra is a very common phrase meaning:
- near the center
- more naturally in English, often near downtown or near the city center
If needed, Serbian can make this even more explicit:
- blizu centra grada = near the city center
Is the word order fixed in this sentence?
No. Serbian word order is fairly flexible.
The sentence as given,
- Već imam rezervaciju za mali hotel blizu centra.
is natural and neutral.
But other orders are possible, with slightly different emphasis:
- Imam već rezervaciju za mali hotel blizu centra.
- Rezervaciju za mali hotel blizu centra već imam.
Putting već first gives it a slightly stronger already emphasis.
Is this the most natural way to say I already have a reservation at a small hotel near the center?
It is understandable, but many speakers would find this version more natural:
- Već imam rezervaciju u malom hotelu blizu centra.
Why? Because:
- u malom hotelu clearly means in/at a small hotel
- za mali hotel sounds more literally like for a small hotel
So the original sentence is good for learning several grammar points, but in everyday Serbian, u malom hotelu may be the more idiomatic choice for a hotel booking.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SerbianMaster Serbian — from Već imam rezervaciju za mali hotel blizu centra to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions