Breakdown of Na intervjuu ću se predstaviti poslodavcu.
Questions & Answers about Na intervjuu ću se predstaviti poslodavcu.
Why is it na intervjuu, not just na intervju?
Because na here means at / during an event, so it takes the locative case.
- base form: intervju = interview
- locative singular: intervjuu
So:
- na intervjuu = at the interview / during the interview
The double u is normal here: the noun already ends in -u, and then the locative ending is also -u.
What case is poslodavcu, and why is that case used?
Poslodavcu is in the dative singular.
The verb phrase predstaviti se nekome means to introduce oneself to someone, and that someone goes in the dative.
So:
- poslodavac = employer
- poslodavcu = to the employer
This is one of those verb patterns you simply learn together:
- predstaviti se prijatelju = introduce oneself to a friend
- predstaviti se profesoru = introduce oneself to the professor
What does se mean here?
Se is a reflexive particle/pronoun and is part of the verb expression predstaviti se, which means to introduce oneself.
So:
- predstaviti = to present / introduce
- predstaviti se = to introduce oneself
In English, we often say myself explicitly, but in Serbian the reflexive se does that job.
Compare:
- Predstaviću se. = I will introduce myself.
- Predstaviću Marka. = I will introduce Mark.
(no se, because now you are introducing someone else)
Why is it ću se predstaviti? How does this future tense work?
This is the future tense.
It is built with:
- a form of hteti (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će)
- plus the infinitive or another future structure
Here:
- ću = I will
- predstaviti = introduce
- ću se predstaviti = I will introduce myself
So the sentence means:
- Na intervjuu ću se predstaviti poslodavcu. = At the interview, I will introduce myself to the employer.
Why isn’t it written as one word, like predstaviću se?
Both patterns exist in Serbian.
You can say:
- Predstaviću se poslodavcu.
- Ja ću se predstaviti poslodavcu.
When the auxiliary ću comes after the infinitive, it often joins to it in writing:
- predstaviću
But when another word comes first, ću stays separate:
- Na intervjuu ću se predstaviti...
So your sentence is completely normal.
Why is the word order like this? Could I say it differently?
Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible.
Your sentence:
- Na intervjuu ću se predstaviti poslodavcu.
puts emphasis first on when/where the action happens: at the interview.
Other natural versions are:
- Predstaviću se poslodavcu na intervjuu.
- Poslodavcu ću se predstaviti na intervjuu.
The meaning stays basically the same, but the focus changes a little.
One important thing: ću and se are clitics, so they usually appear near the beginning of the clause, in a fixed position pattern.
Why is the verb predstaviti, not predstavljati?
This is about aspect, which is very important in Serbian.
- predstaviti = perfective
- predstavljati = imperfective
In this sentence, the speaker means a single complete action in the future: they will introduce themselves once, at the interview. That is why predstaviti is used.
So:
- Predstaviću se. = I will introduce myself.
(one completed act)
By contrast, predstavljati would suggest an ongoing, repeated, or habitual action, depending on context.
Could I also say da se predstavim instead of ću se predstaviti?
Yes, Serbian also commonly forms future meaning with ću da + present tense, especially in speech.
So you may hear:
- Na intervjuu ću se predstaviti poslodavcu.
- Na intervjuu ću da se predstavim poslodavcu.
Both mean the same thing.
Very roughly:
- ću + infinitive is often felt as a bit more standard/written
- ću da + present is very common in everyday speech
Is na intervjuu literally on the interview?
Literally, na often corresponds to on / at, but you should not translate it word for word.
In Serbian, na intervjuu is simply the normal way to say:
- at the interview
- during the interview
Many Serbian prepositions do not match English prepositions exactly, so it is best to learn the whole phrase:
- na sastanku = at the meeting
- na času = in class / during class
- na intervjuu = at the interview
How do I know that poslodavcu means to the employer and not something else?
The ending helps you.
The noun is:
- poslodavac = employer
Its dative singular is:
- poslodavcu = to the employer
That -u ending is very common for masculine nouns in the dative singular.
For example:
- student → studentu
- profesor → profesoru
- poslodavac → poslodavcu
So when you see predstaviti se + dative, you can recognize that the person in dative is the one you are introducing yourself to.
How is intervjuu pronounced with those two u’s?
You pronounce both vowels, though in natural speech they flow together smoothly.
A rough guide:
- in-ter-vyoo-oo
In practice, speakers do not make it sound awkward; it just comes naturally as the declined form of intervju.
The spelling looks strange to English speakers, but grammatically it is regular: stem intervju + ending -u = intervjuu.
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