Exercises for Case Usage in Serbian: Nominative and Genitive Cases

Mastering the case system is a fundamental aspect of learning the Serbian language, and understanding the nuances of the nominative and genitive cases is crucial for effective communication. The nominative case is predominantly used for the subject of a sentence, while the genitive case often indicates possession, origin, or a partitive sense. By engaging with these exercises, you will develop a deeper comprehension of how these cases function within the structure of Serbian grammar, enabling you to construct more accurate and expressive sentences. These exercises are designed to guide you through various scenarios where the nominative and genitive cases are applied. You will encounter a range of contexts and sentence structures, each crafted to reinforce your understanding and ensure you can identify and use these cases correctly. Whether you are a beginner looking to build a strong grammatical foundation or an advanced learner aiming to refine your skills, these exercises offer valuable practice to help you achieve proficiency in Serbian. Dive in and start honing your case usage abilities today!

Exercise 1

1. *Pas* je najbolji prijatelj čoveka (animal, nominative case).

2. Otišao sam do *prodavnice* da kupim hleb (place, genitive case).

3. *Knjiga* je na stolu (object, nominative case).

4. Boja *automobila* je crvena (object, genitive case).

5. *Grad* je bio veoma lep (place, nominative case).

6. Na kraju *puta* nalazi se jezero (object, genitive case).

7. *Sunce* sija tokom leta (object, nominative case).

8. Ukus *kafe* je bio gorak (object, genitive case).

9. *Kuća* se nalazi na brdu (place, nominative case).

10. Zvuk *vetra* je bio umirujući (object, genitive case).

Exercise 2

1. Mačka je *na stolu* (location of the cat).

2. Knjiga *studentkinje* je na stolu (book ownership, female student).

3. *Pas* trči po dvorištu (subject, animal running).

4. Nemam *novca* u džepu (lack of money).

5. *Sunce* izlazi na istoku (subject, celestial body).

6. Ovo je kuća *moga prijatelja* (house ownership, male friend).

7. *Devojčica* igra u parku (subject, young girl).

8. Cveće je *u vazi* (location of flowers).

9. Kupio sam litru *mleka* (quantity of milk).

10. *Grad* je veoma lep (subject, city).

Exercise 3

1. Mačka je skočila na *sto* (nominative singular of "table").

2. On je kupio knjigu iz *biblioteke* (genitive singular of "library").

3. Pas je uvek pored *kuće* (genitive singular of "house").

4. Ptice lete iznad *drveća* (genitive plural of "trees").

5. Ona je student *medicinskog* fakulteta (genitive singular of "medical").

6. Trg je pun *ljudi* (genitive plural of "people").

7. On je prijatelj mog *brata* (genitive singular of "brother").

8. Učitelj je dao zadatak *učeniku* (nominative singular of "student").

9. Njegova kuća je kraj *reke* (genitive singular of "river").

10. Oni su stanovnici *Beograda* (genitive singular of "Belgrade").