Prodavac stavlja luk u kesu.

to put

Breakdown of Prodavac stavlja luk u kesu.

• u: into
• luk: onion
• kesa: shopping bag

Questions & Answers about Prodavac stavlja luk u kesu.

Why is it u kesu and not u kesa or u kesi?

Because u can take different cases depending on meaning:

• u + accusative = movement into something
• u + locative = location in something

Here, the onion is being put into the bag, so kesa changes to the accusative singular: kesa → kesu.

Compare:

• stavlja luk u kesu = he is putting the onion into the bag
• luk je u kesi = the onion is in the bag

So kesu is required because there is motion toward the inside of the bag.

Why does luk stay luk? Shouldn’t the object change case too?

It is changing case, but for this kind of noun, the form happens to stay the same.

Luk is a masculine inanimate noun. In Serbian, masculine inanimate nouns usually have:

• nominative singular = luk
• accusative singular = luk

So the direct object is in the accusative, but the form does not visibly change.

This is different from masculine animate nouns. For example:

• prodavac = nominative
• vidim prodavca = accusative

So luk is accusative here, but it just looks identical to the nominative.