Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Serbian: Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije. - The candidate has good qualifications.

Hardcore Serbian
/Applying for a job
/Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije.

Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije.

Word

Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije.

Meaning

The candidate has good qualifications.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Serbian

Lesson

Applying for a job

Breakdown of Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije.

the applicant or candidate

a qualification

Questions & Answers about Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije.

Why is it dobre kvalifikacije and not dobri kvalifikacije or dobra kvalifikacije?

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here, kvalifikacije is:

feminine
plural
accusative (because it is the direct object of ima)

So the adjective dobar changes to dobre.

A few matching forms:

dobar kandidat = a good candidate
dobra kvalifikacija = a good qualification
dobre kvalifikacije = good qualifications

So dobre kvalifikacije is the correct agreement.

What case is kvalifikacije here?

It is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb imati in an affirmative sentence.

The basic idea is:

Kandidat = subject
ima = has
dobre kvalifikacije = object

So the sentence structure is: subject + verb + direct object

One useful detail: for many feminine nouns, the plural nominative and plural accusative look the same. So even though this is accusative, the form is still kvalifikacije.

The singular dictionary form is kvalifikacija.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Serbian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Serbian now

Why is kvalifikacije plural? Could Serbian also use the singular?

Yes, Serbian can use the singular kvalifikacija, but in this meaning the plural is much more natural.

In English, we often say qualifications in the plural when talking about someone's background, credentials, or suitability for a job. Serbian works similarly:

ima dobre kvalifikacije = has good qualifications

The singular kvalifikacija would usually mean:

one specific qualification, or
the concept in a more abstract sense

So in this sentence, kvalifikacije is the normal and idiomatic choice.

Why is the verb ima singular if kvalifikacije is plural?

Because the verb agrees with the subject, not with the object.

The subject is kandidat, which is singular:

kandidat ima = the candidate has

The object is dobre kvalifikacije, and its number does not control the verb form here.

Compare:

Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije. = The candidate has good qualifications.
Kandidati imaju dobre kvalifikacije. = The candidates have good qualifications.

So:

kandidat → ima
kandidati → imaju

Is kandidat masculine? What if the candidate is a woman?

Yes, kandidat is a masculine noun.

If you want to refer specifically to a female candidate, Serbian also has:

kandidatkinja = female candidate

So you could say:

Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije.
Kandidatkinja ima dobre kvalifikacije.

In some contexts, the masculine form can be used in a more general or neutral way, but if the person's gender is known and you want to be specific, kandidatkinja is often used.

Can the word order change, or does it have to be Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije?

This is the neutral, standard word order:

subject + verb + object

Serbian word order is more flexible than English, so other orders are possible, but they usually add emphasis or a different tone.

For example:

Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije. = neutral
Dobre kvalifikacije ima kandidat. = emphasizes good qualifications
Ima kandidat dobre kvalifikacije. = possible in certain contexts, but less neutral

So yes, the order can change, but the original sentence is the most natural default form.

How do you pronounce Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije?

A rough English-style pronunciation is:

KAHN-dee-daht EE-mah DOH-breh kval-ee-fee-KAH-tsee-yeh

A few helpful notes:

a is like a in father
e is like e in met, but often a bit clearer and tenser
i is like ee in see
o is like o in for, but shorter and cleaner
cije in kvalifikacije sounds roughly like tsee-yeh

Serbian spelling is quite phonetic, so once you know the sound of each letter, pronunciation becomes much easier than in English.

Does Serbian have a word for the or a in this sentence?

No. Serbian does not use articles like English a/an and the.

So:

Kandidat can mean a candidate or the candidate
dobre kvalifikacije can mean good qualifications or, depending on context, the good qualifications

The exact meaning depends on context rather than an article.

That is why Kandidat ima dobre kvalifikacije is a complete sentence without any word corresponding to the or a.

What is the dictionary form of each word in the sentence?

The dictionary forms are:

kandidat = candidate
imati = to have
dobar = good
kvalifikacija = qualification

In the sentence, some of them appear in changed forms:

ima is the 3rd person singular present of imati
dobre is the agreeing form of dobar
kvalifikacije is the plural form of kvalifikacija

So learning the dictionary form helps you recognize how Serbian words change in real sentences.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io