Pažljivo pređi ulicu kod semafora.

Pređi is the imperative form of the verb preći, meaning to cross.

In this sentence, it is:

• 2nd person singular
• used for one person
• in an informal command

So pređi means something like cross!

Related forms:

• pređi = cross! (to one person, informal)
• pređite = cross! (to several people, or to one person formally)

Because Serbian often uses the imperative without a subject pronoun, the you is understood.

This is mainly about verb aspect, which is very important in Serbian.

Serbian often has two related verbs:

• prelaziti = imperfective, ongoing/repeated crossing
• preći = perfective, a completed crossing

Here, pređi comes from preći and suggests:

• one complete action
• cross the street successfully / all the way across

That makes it very natural in a command like this.

Compare:

• Pažljivo pređi ulicu. = Carefully cross the street.
  → focus on completing the act
• Pažljivo prelazi ulicu. = Cross the street carefully / Be crossing the street carefully.
  → can sound more general, habitual, or process-focused

In short: pređi is used because the speaker wants one complete action.

Because ulicu is the accusative singular form of ulica.

The verb preći takes a direct object: you cross something.
Here, the thing being crossed is the street, so Serbian uses the accusative.

Forms:

• ulica = street (nominative, dictionary form)
• ulicu = street (accusative singular)

So:

• pređi ulicu = cross the street

This is very common in Serbian: direct objects often go in the accusative case.

Because the preposition kod requires the genitive case.

Here:

• kod = at / by / near
• semafor = traffic light
• semafora = genitive singular of semafor

So:

• kod semafora = at/by the traffic light

This phrase tells you where to cross.

A useful rule:

• after kod, the following noun is normally in the genitive

Examples:

• kod škole = by the school
• kod kuće = at home
• kod semafora = by the traffic light

Not always exactly on the spot. Kod often means:

• by
• near
• around
• at the area of

So kod semafora suggests crossing where the traffic light is, not just anywhere.

In natural English, it may be translated as:

• at the traffic light
• by the traffic light
• near the traffic light

The exact English wording depends on context, but the Serbian idea is location near that reference point.

Because Serbian usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb form already shows who the subject is.

In pređi, it is already clear that the speaker is talking to:

• you singular
• informally

So Serbian normally just says:

• Pažljivo pređi ulicu...

Adding ti would usually be unnecessary unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Ti pažljivo pređi ulicu, a on neka sačeka.
  = You cross the street carefully, and let him wait.

So in everyday Serbian, leaving out you is normal.

Pažljivo is an adverb meaning carefully. It describes how the action should be done.

Putting it first is very natural and gives it a bit of emphasis:

• Pažljivo pređi ulicu... = Carefully cross the street...

But Serbian word order is flexible, so other versions are also possible:

• Pređi ulicu pažljivo.
• Pređi pažljivo ulicu kod semafora.

The original sentence sounds very natural because the speaker highlights carefulness right away.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence:

• Pažljivo pređi ulicu kod semafora.

could also appear as:

• Pređi ulicu pažljivo kod semafora.
• Ulicu pređi pažljivo kod semafora.

However, not all versions sound equally natural in all contexts. The original order is good because it is clear and natural for a simple instruction.

In Serbian, changing word order often changes:

• emphasis
• style
• rhythm rather than the core meaning

You would use pređite instead of pređi.

So:

• Pažljivo pređi ulicu kod semafora.
  = to one person, informal
• Pažljivo pređite ulicu kod semafora.
  = to several people, or to one person formally/politely

This is the normal Serbian distinction:

• -i form for informal singular
• -ite form for plural/formal

Here are the dictionary forms:

• pažljivo → adverb; dictionary form is the same
• pređi → from preći = to cross
• ulicu → from ulica = street
• kod → preposition = at/by/near
• semafora → from semafor = traffic light

This is useful because learners often need to recognize an inflected form and connect it to the dictionary entry.

The letter đ represents a soft sound that does not exist exactly the same way in standard English.

A rough approximation is:

• like the j sound in duke or during in some English accents
• or a very soft dj

So pređi sounds approximately like:

• PREH-dyee, but softer than that spelling suggests

A few pronunciation notes:

• ž in pažljivo sounds like the s in measure
• lj in pažljivo is a single soft consonant, not just plain l + j

Approximate pronunciations:

• pažljivo ≈ PAZH-lee-vo
• pređi ≈ PREH-dyee
• ulicu ≈ OO-lee-tsoo
• semafora ≈ seh-mah-FOH-rah

These are only approximations, but they can help at the beginning.

It can function as any of those, depending on context.

Grammatically, it is an imperative, so it is a command form. But in real life, the tone could make it sound like:

• a direct instruction
• protective advice
• a safety warning

For example, a parent might say it as gentle advice, while a teacher or police officer might use it as a straightforward instruction.

So the grammar is imperative, but the practical meaning depends on who says it and how.