Breakdown of Svako veče gledam vesti na televizoru.
Questions & Answers about Svako veče gledam vesti na televizoru.
Why is it svako veče and not svaki veče?
Because veče is a neuter noun in Serbian, and svako must agree with it in gender.
- svaki = masculine
- svaka = feminine
- svako = neuter
So:
- svaki dan = every day
- svaka noć = every night
- svako veče = every evening
What case is veče in here?
It is in the accusative singular, but for this noun the form looks the same as the nominative.
In expressions of repeated time, Serbian often uses the accusative:
- svaki dan = every day
- svaku noć = every night
- svako veče = every evening
So even though veče looks unchanged, it is functioning as a time expression in the accusative.
Why is there no word for I in the sentence?
Because Serbian usually drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.
gledam means I watch / I am watching, so the I is already built into the verb form.
You could say Ja gledam vesti na televizoru, but ja is usually added only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.
What does gledam literally mean, and what form is it?
Gledam is the 1st person singular present tense of gledati.
So it means:
- I watch
- I am watching
depending on context.
In this sentence, because of svako veče, it has a habitual meaning:
- I watch the news every evening
Why is it vesti and not vest?
Because vesti means news in the sense of news reports / the news as a program or collection of information.
The singular vest means a piece of news or a news item.
Compare:
- Čuo sam jednu vest. = I heard one piece of news.
- Gledam vesti. = I watch the news.
So in this sentence, vesti is the natural word.
Is vesti plural here, even though English uses singular news?
Yes. In Serbian, vesti is grammatically plural.
That is one of the differences from English:
- English: news looks singular in meaning
- Serbian: vesti is a plural noun
That is why you will also see plural agreement with it in other contexts.
Why is it na televizoru? I thought Serbian often says na televiziji.
Both can be used, but they are not exactly the same.
- na televizoru literally means on the television set
- na televiziji usually means on television / on TV in a broader sense, often referring to the medium, channel, or broadcast world
So:
- Gledam vesti na televizoru = I watch the news on the TV set
- Gledam vesti na televiziji = I watch the news on TV
In everyday speech, many speakers would more naturally say na televiziji, but na televizoru is also understandable and correct.
What case is televizoru, and why?
Televizoru is in the locative singular.
The preposition na can take different cases depending on meaning:
- na + accusative for movement toward something
- na + locative for location or position
Here there is no movement; it means on the television, so Serbian uses na televizoru.
Why is the word order Svako veče gledam vesti na televizoru? Could it be different?
Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible.
This version is natural because it starts with the time expression:
- Svako veče = every evening
Then comes the verb and the rest:
- gledam vesti na televizoru
Other possible orders include:
- Gledam vesti na televizoru svako veče.
- Vesti gledam na televizoru svako veče.
These alternatives may shift emphasis slightly, but the basic meaning stays the same.
Does gledam here imply a repeated action rather than something happening right now?
Yes. The phrase svako veče makes it clear that this is a habitual or repeated action.
So here gledam is best understood as:
- I watch the news every evening
not
- I am watching the news right now
The Serbian present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous meanings, and context tells you which one is intended.
Why is the verb gledati used instead of some other verb like slušati?
Because with television, Serbian normally uses gledati = to watch / look at.
Compare:
- gledati televiziju = to watch television
- slušati radio = to listen to the radio
Since the sentence is about watching the news on TV, gledam is the expected choice.
Can svako veče also be said as svake večeri?
Yes. Both are possible, and both mean every evening.
- svako veče is very common and straightforward
- svake večeri is also natural and may sound slightly more literary or stylistically different depending on context
So you may hear both:
- Svako veče gledam vesti.
- Svake večeri gledam vesti.
Both are correct.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SerbianMaster Serbian — from Svako veče gledam vesti na televizoru 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