The Accusative case in Serbian is used to indicate the direct object of a sentence—the person or thing directly receiving the action of the verb. In the Accusative case, nouns change their forms, and the way they change depends on their gender and whether they are animate (living) or inanimate (non-living).

Before learning the Accusative case, it’s important to understand Serbian gender rules. If you’re not familiar with them yet, you can check out the Serbian Gender post.

Inanimate Masculine Nouns

Inanimate nouns refer to non-living things, such as objects or places—for example, computers, phones, parks, cities, etc.

For singular inanimate masculine nouns, the Accusative form is identical to the Nominative. In the plural, the ending changes.

Rules for Inanimate Masculine Nouns in the Accusative Case:

• Singular: No change (same as Nominative)
• Plural: Change the ending -i to -e

Examples:

English	Singular		Plural
	Nominative	Accusative	Nominative	Accusative
phone	telefon	telefon	telefoni	telefone
computer	kompjuter	kompjuter	kompjuteri	kompjutere
television	televizor	televizor	televizori	televizore

Example Sentences:

1. I bought a phone.
   • Kupila sam telefon.
2. I bought phones.
   • Kupila sam telefone.

As you can see, in the singular, the Accusative form remains the same as the Nominative. In the plural, the ending -i changes to –e because the noun is the direct object.

Possessive and Demonstrative Pronouns, and Adjectives

For possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and adjectives modifying inanimate masculine nouns, the rules are similar:

• Singular: No change (same as Nominative)
• Plural: Change the ending -i to –e

Examples:

English	Singular		Plural
	Nominative	Accusative	Nominative	Accusative
my	moj	moj	moji	moje
your	tvoj	tvoj	tvoji	tvoje
his	njegov	njegov	njegovi	njegove
our	naš	naš	naši	naše
this	ovaj	ovaj	ovi	ove
that	taj	taj	ti	te
old	star	star	stari	stare

Example Sentences:

1. I bought his phone.
   • Kupila sam njegov telefon.
2. I bought an old phone.
   • Kupila sam star telefon.
3. I bought his phones.
   • Kupila sam njegove telefone.
4. I bought old phones.
   • Kupila sam stare telefone.

In these examples, the singular forms remain the same, while in the plural, the endings change to –e to match the Accusative plural form of the noun.

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Animate Masculine Nouns

Animate nouns refer to living beings, such as people or animals—for example, man, teacher, elephant, etc.

In the Accusative case, animate masculine nouns undergo different changes than inanimate nouns.

Rules for Animate Masculine Nouns in the Accusative Case:

• Singular: Add –a to the end of the Nominative form
• Plural: Change the ending -i to –e (same as inanimate nouns)

Examples:

English	Singular		Plural
	Nominative	Accusative	Nominative	Accusative
male teacher	učitelj	učitelja	učitelji	učitelje
male doctor	lekar	lekara	lekari	lekare
male friend	prijatelj	prijatelja	prijatelji	prijatelje

Example Sentences:

1. I saw a doctor.
   • Videla sam lekara.
2. I saw doctors.
   • Videla sam lekare.

Since “doctor” is an animate masculine noun and is the direct object of the sentence, we:

• Singular: Add -a to “lekar” → “lekara“
• Plural: Change “lekari” to “lekare“

Possessive and Demonstrative Pronouns, and Adjectives

For possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and adjectives modifying animate masculine nouns in the Accusative singular, the endings change to agree with the noun.

• Singular: Change the ending to –og or –eg
• Plural: Change the ending -i to -e

Examples:

English	Singular		Plural
	Nominative	Accusative	Nominative	Accusative
my	moj	mog	moji	moje
your	tvoj	tvog	tvoji	tvoje
his	njegov	njegovog	njegovi	njegove
our	naš	našeg	naši	naše
this	ovaj	ovog	ovi	ove
that	taj	tog	ti	te
old	star	starog	stari	stare

Example Sentences:

1. I saw my doctor.
   • Videla sam mog lekara.
2. I saw an old doctor.
   • Videla sam starog lekara.
3. I saw my doctors.
   • Videla sam moje lekare.
4. I saw old doctors.
   • Videla sam stare lekare.

In these examples:

• Singular:
  • The possessive pronoun “moj” changes to “mog” to agree with the animate masculine noun “lekara“.
  • The adjective “star” changes to “starog“.
• Plural:
  • The possessive pronoun “moji” changes to “moje“.
  • The adjective “stari” changes to “stare“.

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Comparing Inanimate and Animate Examples

Inanimate Noun Example:

• I found my phone.
  • Našla sam moj telefon.

Animate Noun Example:

• I found my doctor.
  • Našla sam mog lekara.

Notice the difference:

• For the inanimate noun “telefon”, the possessive pronoun remains “moj”.
• For the animate noun “lekar”, the possessive pronoun changes to “mog”.

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Practice Makes Perfect

Practicing is essential when learning Serbian grammar, especially cases and noun declensions. The more you practice using these forms in sentences, the more natural they will become.

Tips for Practice:

• Create your own sentences using both animate and inanimate masculine nouns.
• Pay attention to singular and plural forms, and how endings change.
• Practice with adjectives and pronouns to see how they agree with the nouns.

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Additional Resources:

• Serbian Personal Pronouns
• Serbian Gender
• Serbian Possessive & Demonstrative Pronouns
• Serbian Adjectives
• Serbian Nominative

Practicing is important in learning anything, whether it’s a language, a profession, or a hobby. The more you practice, the more familiar you become with the material, making it more natural over time.