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

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Serbian: On mrzi ovaj posao. - He hates this job.

Hardcore Serbian
/Applying for a job
/On mrzi ovaj posao.

On mrzi ovaj posao.

Word

On mrzi ovaj posao.

Meaning

He hates this job.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Serbian

Lesson

Applying for a job

Breakdown of On mrzi ovaj posao.

Questions & Answers about On mrzi ovaj posao.

What does each word in On mrzi ovaj posao mean?

On = he
mrzi = hates
ovaj = this
posao = job / work

So the sentence means He hates this job.

Why is on used here? Can Serbian leave it out?

Yes. Serbian often drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the verb form or context.

So both of these are possible:

On mrzi ovaj posao.
Mrzi ovaj posao.

The version with on sounds more explicit. It can help:

clarify who is being talked about
add emphasis, like He hates this job

Without on, the sentence can still mean he hates this job, but depending on context it could also mean she hates this job or it hates this job, since mrzi is the same for on / ona / ono.

What is the base form of mrzi?

The dictionary form is mrzeti, meaning to hate.

mrzi is the 3rd person singular present tense form:

ja mrzim = I hate
= you hate

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Serbian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Serbian now

ti mrziš

on/ona/ono mrzi = he/she/it hates

So in this sentence, mrzi matches on.

How strong is mrzeti? Is it really hate?

Yes, mrzeti is strong and usually really does mean to hate.

If you want something softer, Serbian often uses:

ne voleti = to not like
ne podnositi = to not stand / can’t stand

So:

On mrzi ovaj posao. = He hates this job.
On ne voli ovaj posao. = He doesn’t like this job.

The first is stronger and more emotional.

Why is it ovaj and not ova or ovo?

Because posao is a masculine singular noun.

The Serbian word for this changes to match the noun’s:

gender
number
case

For singular nominative forms:

ovaj = masculine
ova = feminine
ovo = neuter

Since posao is masculine, you use ovaj:

ovaj posao = this job

Why is posao not changed, even though it is the object?

Because posao is a masculine inanimate noun, and in Serbian the accusative singular of masculine inanimate nouns is usually the same as the nominative singular.

Here, ovaj posao is the direct object of mrzi, so it is in the accusative. But it looks the same as the nominative:

nominative: ovaj posao
accusative: ovaj posao

So even though it is the object, the form does not visibly change here.

How do we know ovaj posao is accusative if it looks the same as nominative?

We know from the sentence structure and the verb.

The verb mrzeti takes a direct object, so the thing being hated must be in the accusative.

In On mrzi ovaj posao:

On is the subject
mrzi is the verb
ovaj posao is the direct object

Even though the form looks the same as nominative, its function in the sentence shows that it is accusative.

You can see the case more clearly with some other masculine nouns, especially animate ones, where accusative changes form.

Why is there no word for the or a?

Because Serbian does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So posao can mean:

a job
the job

The exact meaning comes from context.

Here, ovaj posao already means this job, so no article is needed.

Can the word order change?

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English because case endings help show grammatical roles.

The neutral, straightforward order is:

On mrzi ovaj posao.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

Ovaj posao on mrzi. = It’s this job that he hates.
Mrzi on ovaj posao. = possible, often more marked or expressive

Even though word order can change, the basic learner-friendly version is On mrzi ovaj posao.

How is mrzi pronounced? That beginning looks difficult.

The tricky part is the cluster mr- at the start. Serbian allows consonant clusters that may feel unusual to English speakers.

A rough pronunciation guide:

mrzi ≈ mr-zee

The r is pronounced clearly, not swallowed. Try saying:

a short m
then a tapped/trilled r
then zi

Also:

z sounds like the z in zoo
i sounds like ee in see

Is posao a masculine noun even though it ends in -o?

Yes. Posao is masculine.

In Serbian, many masculine nouns end in a consonant, but some masculine nouns can end in -o as well. So you cannot rely only on the final letter every time.

You can tell it is masculine here because it takes:

ovaj and not ova or ovo

So:

ovaj posao = this job

That agreement tells you the noun is masculine.

Can ovaj posao also mean this work instead of this job?

Sometimes, depending on context, but posao most often means:

job
work
task
business / matter

In this sentence, the most natural English translation is usually this job.

If Serbian specifically wants to talk about work in a more general sense, another common noun is rad. But posao is extremely common for a job or one’s work situation.

Would this sentence sound natural in everyday Serbian?

Yes, it is completely natural.

On mrzi ovaj posao is a normal, idiomatic way to say He hates this job.

In conversation, a Serbian speaker might also say:

Mrzi ovaj posao. if the subject is already known
On ne voli ovaj posao. if they want a milder meaning

But your sentence is standard and natural.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io