Kod semafora uvek čekamo pre nego što pređemo ulicu.

Kod means by / near / at in the sense of being in the area of something. So kod semafora means at the traffic light(s) or by the traffic light(s).

• kod + genitive is very common for location near a person or thing:
  • kod škole = by the school
  • kod lekara = at the doctor’s

Na semaforu would usually sound more like on the traffic light or, in some contexts, at the light itself, but kod semafora is the natural everyday phrasing here for waiting near the traffic signal/crossing.

Because kod requires the genitive case.

The noun is:

• nominative: semafor = traffic light
• genitive singular: semafora

So:

• kod semafora = by the traffic light

This is a standard case pattern:

• kod auta
• kod mosta
• kod semafora

Serbian often uses first person plural to express a general rule or shared human behavior, especially in instructions, habits, or polite general statements.

So čekamo literally means we wait, but it can also feel like:

• we (people) wait
• we’re supposed to wait
• one waits

This is very natural in Serbian. It can sound more inclusive and less direct than giving a command.

Pre nego što means before when it introduces a whole clause.

So:

• pre nego što pređemo ulicu = before we cross the street

It works like this:

• pre nego što + verb clause

Examples:

• Operi ruke pre nego što jedeš.
• Razmisli pre nego što odgovoriš.

If you are comparing it to English, think of it as the equivalent of before + subject + verb.

This is mainly about aspect.

• preći / pređemo = perfective
• prelaziti / prelazimo = imperfective

In this sentence, pređemo is used because the crossing is viewed as a completed action that happens after the waiting. The idea is: first we wait, then we cross.

So:

• čekamo = ongoing / habitual action
• pređemo = completed crossing event

This combination is very natural in Serbian:

• čekamo pre nego što pređemo
• stanemo pre nego što uđemo
• pogledamo levo i desno pre nego što pređemo

Because the sentence combines two different kinds of action:

1. čekamo describes a habitual or ongoing action
   → we wait, as a regular behavior

2. pređemo describes the single completed action that follows
   → we cross the street

This is a very common aspect pairing in Serbian:

• imperfective for the general process/habit
• perfective for the completed next action

So the sentence sounds like:

• We always wait first, and then we complete the crossing.

Because preći takes a direct object, and direct objects are usually in the accusative case.

The noun is:

• nominative: ulica = street
• accusative singular: ulicu

So:

• preći ulicu = to cross the street

Compare:

• Vidim ulicu.
• Prelazimo ulicu.
• Pređemo ulicu.

Grammatically possible in some contexts, but it changes the feel and is less natural here.

• pre nego što pređemo = before we actually cross it
• pre nego što prelazimo = before we are in the process of crossing

Since crossing the street is usually seen as one whole completed event, pređemo is the better choice.

A native speaker would strongly prefer:

• pre nego što pređemo ulicu

Yes, Serbian word order is flexible, and uvek can move around depending on emphasis.

The given sentence:

• Kod semafora uvek čekamo pre nego što pređemo ulicu.

Other possible versions:

• Uvek čekamo kod semafora pre nego što pređemo ulicu.
• Kod semafora čekamo uvek pre nego što pređemo ulicu.
  This one is less natural in neutral speech.

The original version sounds natural and balanced. Putting uvek after the location phrase gives a smooth, neutral rhythm.

Formally, semafora here is genitive singular of semafor. So literally it is by the traffic light.

But in real usage, Serbian often uses the singular in a general sense. In context, it can easily mean:

• at the traffic light
• at traffic lights
• when we’re at a crossing with lights

So even though the form is singular, the meaning can be general.

Yes. Serbian has several natural ways to express the same idea, with slightly different tones.

For example:

• Kod semafora treba da čekamo pre nego što pređemo ulicu.
  = we should wait

• Kod semafora se uvek čeka pre nego što se pređe ulica.
  = impersonal, rule-like style

• Kod semafora uvek sačekamo pre nego što pređemo ulicu.
  = with sačekamo, emphasizing waiting until the right moment

The original sentence is simple, natural, and very good for a learner.

Both relate to waiting, but the nuance is different.

• čekamo = we wait
• sačekamo = we wait until something happens / we wait for the right moment

So:

• uvek čekamo = general statement of behavior
• uvek sačekamo = we make sure to wait before acting

In a safety context, both can work, but:

• čekamo is more neutral
• sačekamo can sound a bit more like we wait first / we make a point of waiting

In standard Serbian, with a full clause, pre nego što is the normal form.

So you should say:

• pre nego što pređemo

not:

• pre nego pređemo

Think of pre nego što as a fixed connector meaning before when another verb clause follows.