Sećam se intervjua.

Because sećati se is a reflexive verb in Serbian. The little word se is part of the verb, not an optional extra.

So the basic dictionary form is:

• sećati se = to remember

That means:

• sećam se = I remember
• sećaš se = you remember
• seća se = he/she remembers

If you leave out se, the sentence sounds incomplete or wrong for this meaning.

Sećam is the 1st person singular present tense form of sećati se.

So:

• sećam se = I remember

The ending -am tells you the subject is I.

Some other present-tense forms are:

• (ja) sećam se = I remember
• (ti) sećaš se = you remember
• (on/ona/ono) seća se = he/she/it remembers
• (mi) sećamo se = we remember
• (vi) sećate se = you remember
• (oni/one/ona) sećaju se = they remember

Because sećati se requires the genitive case, and the noun intervju changes form in the genitive.

So:

• intervju = nominative
• intervjua = genitive

In this sentence:

• Sećam se intervjua.
• literally: I remember of the interview
• natural English: I remember the interview.

Even though English uses no special case here, Serbian does.

That is simply the pattern this verb uses. In Serbian, some verbs regularly require a particular case, and sećati se is one of the verbs that takes genitive.

So you say:

• Sećam se detinjstva. = I remember my childhood.
• Sećaš se mene? = Do you remember me?
• Sećamo se tog dana. = We remember that day.

This is something learners usually need to memorize as part of the verb:

• sećati se + genitive

Yes, intervju is generally treated as a masculine noun in Serbian, even though it is a loanword.

Its forms include:

• intervju = nominative
• intervjua = genitive
• intervjuu = dative/locative
• intervju = accusative
• intervjuom = instrumental

Loanwords do not always behave exactly like older native nouns, but intervju is commonly declined this way.

You normally would not say Ja sećam se intervjua.

In Serbian, subject pronouns such as ja are often omitted because the verb already shows the person. So the normal sentence is:

• Sećam se intervjua.

If you want to emphasize I, you can add ja, but the usual position is:

• Ja se sećam intervjua.

Notice that se usually comes early in the sentence, often in the second position.

So:

• normal: Sećam se intervjua.
• emphatic: Ja se sećam intervjua.

This is because se is a clitic in Serbian. Clitics are short unstressed words that usually appear in a special position, often near the beginning of the sentence.

So:

• Sećam se intervjua.
• Ja se sećam intervjua.

Both are normal, because the placement follows Serbian clitic rules.

A useful beginner rule is:

• if the sentence starts directly with the verb, se often follows it
• if another word comes first, se often goes right after that first word

Yes. Sećam se is present tense.

In Serbian, the present tense is also used for a current mental state, just like in English:

• I remember
• Sećam se

So there is nothing unusual here. It means that right now, in the present, the memory exists.

The dictionary form is:

• sećati se = to remember

This is the imperfective verb.

Its perfective partner is:

• setiti se = to remember, to recall, to come to remember

Very roughly:

• sećati se focuses on the state of remembering
• setiti se focuses more on the moment of recalling something

For example:

• Sećam se intervjua. = I remember the interview.
• Odjednom sam se setio intervjua. = Suddenly I remembered the interview.

Both can relate to memory, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• sećati se = to remember, to have a memory of something
• pamtiti = to remember, memorize, retain in memory

In many contexts, sećati se is the more natural choice for remembering past events or experiences.

So:

• Sećam se intervjua. = I remember the interview.

But pamtiti can suggest keeping something in memory, learning it, or remembering it over time:

• Pamtim njegovo ime. = I remember his name.
• Moram da pamtim brojeve. = I have to memorize numbers.

It can mean either, depending on context.

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

• intervjua could mean the interview
• or an interview

The exact meaning depends on the situation and the wider context.

In many learning translations, it is rendered as the interview, but Serbian itself does not explicitly mark that.

It is in Latin script:

• Sećam se intervjua.

The same sentence in Cyrillic is:

• Сећам се интервјуа.

Both scripts are used in Serbian.

The letter ć represents a soft sound that does not match English perfectly.

A rough guide:

• ć is softer than č
• it sounds somewhat like a very soft ch/t sound

So:

• ć in sećam is not the same as English k or s
• it is also not the same as Serbian č

Learners often need practice hearing the difference between:

• č
• ć

The word sećam is pronounced approximately like SEH-chyam, but that is only a rough English-style approximation.

The main difference is usually the vowel spelling:

• Sećam se intervjua. = Ekavian Serbian
• Sjećam se intervjua. = Ijekavian form

So a learner may also see:

• Sjećam se intervjua.

The grammar is the same; only the pronunciation/spelling pattern changes.