Biram svežu ribu.

Biram is the 1st person singular present tense form of birati, which means to choose / to select.

So biram = I choose or I am choosing, depending on context.

Serbian present tense often covers both:

• I choose
• I’m choosing

Because Serbian verbs change their endings depending on the subject.

For birati in the present tense:

• ja biram = I choose
• ti biraš = you choose
• on/ona/ono bira = he/she/it chooses
• mi biramo = we choose
• vi birate = you choose
• oni/one/ona biraju = they choose

So the ending -am tells you the subject is I.

Because ribu is in the accusative case, which is used for the direct object of the verb.

Here, the thing being chosen is the fish, so riba has to become ribu.

• riba = nominative singular
• ribu = accusative singular

This is very common in Serbian:

• Vidim ženu. = I see the woman.
• Kupujem knjigu. = I’m buying a book.
• Biram ribu. = I’m choosing fish.

Because adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here, ribu is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So the adjective must also be feminine singular accusative:

• sveža riba = fresh fish (nominative)
• svežu ribu = fresh fish (accusative)

That is why sveža becomes svežu.

Because svežu describes ribu, so they belong together as a noun phrase: fresh fish.

You can think of it as:

• biram = I choose
• svežu ribu = fresh fish

Since Serbian uses case endings, the adjective and noun match each other and clearly form one unit.

Grammatically, ribu is singular accusative.

But in real usage, it can mean either:

• one fish
• fish as food, depending on context

So Serbian often uses singular where English might use either a fish or just fish.

For example, in a market context, Biram svežu ribu can naturally mean I’m choosing fresh fish.

No. Serbian usually drops the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb ending.

So:

• Biram svežu ribu. = perfectly normal
• Ja biram svežu ribu. = also correct, but ja adds emphasis

You would include ja if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Ja biram svežu ribu, a on bira meso. = I choose fresh fish, and he chooses meat.

No, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, though Biram svežu ribu is the most neutral order here.

Possible variations include:

• Biram svežu ribu. = neutral
• Svežu ribu biram. = emphasizes fresh fish
• Ribu biram svežu. = possible in a special context, but less neutral

Because Serbian uses case endings, the grammar is still clear even when the order changes.

Birati is usually imperfective.

That means it can describe:

• an ongoing action
• a repeated action
• a general process

So Biram svežu ribu can mean:

• I’m choosing fresh fish
• I choose fresh fish

The perfective partner is usually izabrati:

• birati = to be choosing / to choose in process
• izabrati = to choose, to make the choice, to pick out completely

For example:

• Biram ribu. = I’m choosing fish.
• Izabrao sam ribu. = I chose / I have chosen the fish.

A simple approximation is:

SVE-zhu

More exactly:

• sv as in sve- (both consonants pronounced)
• e like e in bed
• ž sounds like the s in measure or vision
• u like oo in food, but shorter

So:

• svežu ≈ SVE-zhu
• ribu ≈ REE-boo
• biram ≈ BEE-ram

Yes. Svež usually means fresh, but exactly how it is understood depends on context.

It can describe:

• fresh food
• fresh air
• someone looking refreshed
• something recent or new in feeling

In Biram svežu ribu, the meaning is clearly fresh in the food sense.

Birati normally takes a direct object in the accusative case.

That is why you get:

• biram ribu
• biram knjigu
• biram haljinu

So in this sentence:

• verb: biram
• direct object: svežu ribu in the accusative

That pattern is very important to remember: verb + accusative object.