When you're ready to describe more nuanced actions related to 'taking' something, Serbian uses prefixes to modify the verb uzeti (to take).
For example, oduzeti means 'to take away' or 'to confiscate'. You might hear this in a sentence like 'Policija je oduzela njegovu vozačku dozvolu' (The police confiscated his driver's license).
Another common one is preuzeti, meaning 'to take over' or 'to assume responsibility'. An example could be 'On je preuzeo vođstvo tima' (He took over the leadership of the team).
Understanding these prefixes will significantly expand your ability to use 'uzeti' in various contexts.
When using the verb "uzeti" (to take) with a direct object that is a noun, the noun will be in the accusative case. For example, "Uzeo sam knjigu" (I took the book). The ending of the noun changes depending on its gender and number. If the direct object is a pronoun, it will also be in the accusative case. For instance, "Uzeo sam je" (I took her/it).
When "uzeti" is used with an indirect object, the indirect object will typically be in the dative case, often introduced by a preposition like "od" (from). For example, "Uzeo sam cveće od nje" (I took flowers from her). In such constructions, the direct object remains in the accusative case.
The verb "uzeti" is perfective, meaning it describes a completed action. Its imperfective counterpart is "uzimati," which describes an ongoing or repeated action. The choice between "uzeti" and "uzimati" depends on whether the action of taking is viewed as a single, completed event or an ongoing/repeated process.
Finally, "uzeti" can be used reflexively as "uzeti se," though this is less common and usually appears in idiomatic expressions. One such example is "uzeti se u pamet" (to come to one's senses), where the reflexive pronoun adds a nuanced meaning beyond a simple act of taking.
uzeti in 30 Sekunden
- Use 'uzeti' to say 'to take' in many contexts.
- It's a perfective verb, meaning the action is completed.
- Commonly used for physical objects, but also for concepts like time or a decision.
§ Understanding uzeti (to take) in Serbian
The verb 'uzeti' (to take) is super common in Serbian. You'll hear it a lot, and it has many uses. Let's break down how to use it correctly.
§ Basic Meanings of uzeti
- To physically take something
- This is the most straightforward use. You take an object.
Molim te, uzmi
- To take a bus/train/taxi
- When talking about transportation, 'uzeti' is your verb.
Moram da uzmem
- To take medicine
- This applies to pills, syrups, etc.
Zaboravio sam da uzmem
- To take a break/rest
- Like in English, you 'take' a rest.
Hajde da uzmemo
- To take a photo
- Another common collocation.
Mogu li da uzmem
§ Grammar Notes for uzeti
'Uzeti' is a perfective verb. This means it refers to a completed action. Its imperfective pair is 'uzimati'. You'll use 'uzimati' when talking about repeated or ongoing actions of taking.
§ Conjugation of uzeti (Present Tense)
- Ja uzmem (I take)
- Ti uzmeš (You take - singular informal)
- On/Ona/Ono uzme (He/She/It takes)
- Mi uzmemo (We take)
- Vi uzmete (You take - plural or singular formal)
- Oni/One/Ona uzmu (They take)
Notice the stem changes. It's important to learn these.
§ Prepositions with uzeti
Often, 'uzeti' will be followed by nouns in the accusative case, usually without a preposition when directly taking an object.
Hoću da uzmem
However, when you take something *from* somewhere or someone, you'll use prepositions like 'sa' (from, off of) with the genitive case, or 'od' (from, away from) also with the genitive.
Uzeo je ključeve sa
Uzeo sam novac od
§ Common Phrases with uzeti
- Uzeti u obzir - To take into consideration
- Uzeti maha - To take hold, spread
- Uzeti reč - To take the floor (speak)
By getting familiar with 'uzeti' and its variations, you'll be able to express yourself much more naturally in Serbian. Keep practicing, and you'll master it in no time.
Alright, let's talk about 'uzeti' and other words that can sometimes mean 'to take' in Serbian. This is important because while 'uzeti' is very common, you don't always use it. Choosing the right word makes your Serbian sound natural.
§ Uzeti: The general "to take"
'Uzeti' (perfective) and 'uzimati' (imperfective) are your go-to words for most situations when you mean 'to take' something physically or abstractly. Think of it as picking something up, grabbing it, or acquiring it.
Mogu li uzeti
Can I take your book? (Asking for permission to take an object)
On je uzeo
He took the bus to the city. (Using a form of transport)
Moramo uzeti
We must take all options into consideration. (Abstract idea - 'take into consideration')
§ Nositi: To carry/to wear
When you're talking about taking something with you, especially over a distance, or wearing clothes, 'nositi' (imperfective) and 'poneti' (perfective) are usually better choices.
- DEFINITION
- To carry; to wear
Hoćeš li poneti
Will you take (carry) an umbrella? (You are taking it with you for later use)
Ona uvek nosi
She always wears beautiful dresses. (Wearing clothes)
§ Odneti/Doneti: To take away/To bring
These verbs specify direction. 'Odneti' (perfective) / ' odnositi' (imperfective) means to take something away, from here to there. 'Doneti' (perfective) / 'donositi' (imperfective) means to bring something, from there to here.
- DEFINITION
- To take away (odneti); to bring (doneti)
Molim te, odnesi
Please take out the trash. (Take it away from here)
Možeš li mi doneti
Can you bring me a glass of water? (Bring it here)
§ Skinuti: To take off (clothes, objects from a surface)
When you're removing something, especially clothes or something from a wall/shelf, 'skinuti' (perfective) and 'skidati' (imperfective) are your verbs.
- DEFINITION
- To take off, remove
Molim te, skini
Please take off your shoes.
Skinuo
He took the picture off the wall.
§ Držati: To hold/to keep
Sometimes 'to take' implies 'to hold' or 'to keep'. In these cases, 'držati' (imperfective) and 'zadržati' (perfective) might be more appropriate.
- DEFINITION
- To hold; to keep
Molim te, drži
Please hold this for me. (You wouldn't typically say 'uzeti ovo za mene'.)
Možeš li zadržati
Can you keep the change?
§ Important things to remember
This is where Serbian often differs from English, so pay attention to the context. Always ask yourself:
- Am I simply acquiring something? (Uzeti)
- Am I carrying it with me somewhere? (Nositi/Poneti)
- Am I taking it away from somewhere or bringing it here? (Odneti/Doneti)
- Am I removing something? (Skinuti)
- Am I holding onto something or keeping it? (Držati/Zadržati)
Wusstest du?
Many Slavic languages share a similar root for 'to take', showing their common linguistic heritage.
Aussprachehilfe
- Pronouncing 'z' as 's'
- Not rolling the 'r' if it appears in other forms
Schwierigkeitsgrad
Short, common verb.
Simple spelling.
Common pronunciation, no tricky sounds.
High frequency, easy to recognize.
Was du als Nächstes lernen solltest
Voraussetzungen
Als Nächstes lernen
Fortgeschritten
Beispiele nach Niveau
Hoću da uzmem kafu.
I want to take a coffee.
Literally 'I want to take coffee.'
Možeš li da uzmeš knjigu?
Can you take the book?
Možeš li = Can you (informal singular)
Uzeću autobus.
I will take the bus.
Future tense, common for 'to take a mode of transport.'
Uzeo sam hleb.
I took bread.
Past tense, masculine singular.
Uzela sam čašu.
I took a glass.
Past tense, feminine singular.
Treba da uzmemo kišobran.
We need to take an umbrella.
Treba = it is necessary, used with 'da' + verb.
On želi da uzme stolicu.
He wants to take a chair.
Želi = wants.
Oni su uzeli ključeve.
They took the keys.
Past tense, plural.
Wortherkunft
Proto-Slavic
Ursprüngliche Bedeutung: *jǫti (to take, to begin)
Indo-EuropeanKultureller Kontext
When offering something, Serbians often say 'Izvoli!' (Here you go!), and the polite response when taking it is 'Hvala!' (Thank you!). 'Uzeti' is a very common verb used in everyday situations, from 'uzeti kafu' (to take coffee) to 'uzeti taksi' (to take a taxi).
Teste dich selbst 60 Fragen
Choose the correct translation for 'to take a book'.
The verb 'uzeti' means 'to take'. 'Knjigu' is the accusative case of 'knjiga' (book).
Which sentence means 'I take a pen'?
'Uzimam' is the first person singular present tense of 'uzeti'. 'Olovku' is the accusative case of 'olovka' (pen).
What is the correct form of 'uzeti' for 'she takes'?
'Uzima' is the third person singular present tense of 'uzeti'.
The sentence 'On uzima jabuku' means 'He takes an apple'.
'On' means 'he', 'uzima' is 'takes', and 'jabuku' is 'apple' (accusative case).
The word 'uzeti' is only used for physical objects.
'Uzeti' can also be used for abstract concepts, like 'uzeti taksi' (to take a taxi) or 'uzeti odmor' (to take a vacation).
If you want to say 'We take water', you would say 'Mi uzimamo vodu'.
'Mi' means 'we', 'uzimamo' is the first person plural present tense of 'uzeti', and 'vodu' is the accusative case of 'voda' (water).
This sentence means 'I want to take the book.' The verb 'uzeti' (to take) is used here in its infinitive form following another verb like 'želim' (I want).
This sentence means 'They must take the bus.' Similar to the previous example, 'uzeti' is in the infinitive form after 'moraju' (they must).
This sentence means 'Can you take this apple?' Here, 'uzeti' is again in the infinitive after the auxiliary verb 'možeš' (can you).
Write a sentence using 'uzeti' to say 'I will take a book.'
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Uzeću knjigu.
Form a question asking 'Can you take my keys?' using 'uzeti'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Možeš li uzeti moje ključeve?
Describe a situation where someone 'took a bus' using 'uzeti'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
On je uzeo autobus da dođe kući.
Šta Marko želi da uzme?
Read this passage:
Marko želi da uzme kafu, ali nema dovoljno novca. Zamolio je prijatelja da mu pozajmi. Prijatelj mu je rekao: 'Uzmi koliko ti treba.'
Šta Marko želi da uzme?
Marko želi da uzme kafu, to je jasno navedeno u prvoj rečenici.
Marko želi da uzme kafu, to je jasno navedeno u prvoj rečenici.
Šta Ana treba da uradi?
Read this passage:
Ana mora da uzme paket iz pošte. Radno vreme pošte je do pet popodne. Ako ne stigne na vreme, neće moći da uzme paket danas.
Šta Ana treba da uradi?
U tekstu piše da Ana mora da uzme paket iz pošte.
U tekstu piše da Ana mora da uzme paket iz pošte.
Koliko je hleba autor uzeo?
Read this passage:
U prodavnici su bila poslednja dva komada hleba. Ja sam uzeo jedan, a moja sestra drugi. Sada imamo dovoljno hleba za večeru.
Koliko je hleba autor uzeo?
Autor je uzeo 'jedan' komad hleba, dok je sestra uzela drugi.
Autor je uzeo 'jedan' komad hleba, dok je sestra uzela drugi.
Molim te, možeš li ___ ovu knjigu sa stola?
Here, 'uzeti' (to take) is used as an infinitive after 'možeš li' (can you).
Juče sam ___ taksi da stignem na aerodrom.
Since the subject is 'ja' (I, masculine), the masculine past participle 'uzeo' is used.
Ako ne ___ kišobran, pokisnućeš.
The verb 'uzeti' is in the second person singular perfective aspect, present tense, to match 'ti' (you).
Mislim da bih trebao ___ odmor uskoro.
After 'trebao' (should), the infinitive form 'uzeti' is required.
Ona je ___ ključeve i izašla iz kuće.
Since the subject is 'ona' (she), the feminine past participle 'uzela' is used.
Hoćemo li ___ kafu pre sastanka?
After 'hoćemo li' (shall we), the infinitive 'uzeti' is the correct form.
Choose the correct form of 'uzeti' to complete the sentence: 'On je ____ ključeve sa stola.' (He took the keys from the table.)
'Uzeo' is the correct masculine singular past tense form of 'uzeti' to agree with 'On' (He).
Which sentence correctly uses a form of 'uzeti' in the future tense?
'Ja ću uzeti' is the correct construction for the future tense in Serbian (I will take).
Complete the sentence with the appropriate form of 'uzeti': 'Mi smo ____ taksi do aerodroma.' (We took a taxi to the airport.)
'Uzeli' is the correct plural past tense form of 'uzeti' to agree with 'Mi' (We).
The sentence 'Ona je uzeti šal' (She is to take the scarf) is grammatically correct.
The correct sentence would be 'Ona je uzela šal' (She took the scarf) or 'Ona će uzeti šal' (She will take the scarf). 'Uzeti' is an infinitive here, which isn't used this way with 'je'.
You can use 'uzeti' when talking about taking a break: 'Uzeo sam pauzu.' (I took a break.)
'Uzeti pauzu' is a common and correct expression in Serbian for 'to take a break'.
The word 'uzeti' can be used to mean 'to make a decision' in some contexts.
While 'doneti odluku' is 'to make a decision', 'uzeti' primarily means 'to take' and is not typically used for 'to make a decision'.
What does the speaker want to take?
What should be considered before making a decision?
Why did the speaker take an umbrella?
Read this aloud:
Molim vas, uzmite ove dokumente sa stola.
Focus: uzmite
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Read this aloud:
Želim da uzmem pauzu.
Focus: uzmem
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Da li ste uzeli ključeve?
Focus: uzeli
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The speaker wants to take a day off.
The speaker is asking someone to take keys.
The speaker took something to buy a car.
Read this aloud:
Uzeću taksi do aerodroma.
Focus: Uzeću
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Read this aloud:
Nisam siguran da li da uzmem ovu ponudu.
Focus: uzmem
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Trebalo bi da uzmemo u obzir sve opcije.
Focus: uzmemo u obzir
Du hast gesagt:
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This sentence means 'He decided to take all risks upon himself.' The word order follows standard Serbian sentence structure: Subject-Verb-Object-Prepositional Phrase.
This sentence translates to 'We must take all facts into consideration before we make a final decision.' The phrase 'uzeti u obzir' means 'to take into consideration'.
This means 'After long consideration, she decided to take a break from work.' The structure is straightforward, with the introductory phrase followed by the main clause.
Nije hteo da ___ rizik, iako je znao da bi se isplatilo.
Infinitiv 'uzeti' se koristi uz modalni glagol 'hteo da'.
Ona je morala da ___ odgovornost za svoje postupke.
Nakon 'morala da' uvek ide infinitiv. 'Uzeti' je infinitiv glagola 'to take'.
Nakon dugog razmišljanja, odlučio je da ___ stvar u svoje ruke.
Imperativ 'uzme' se koristi nakon 'odlučio je da' kada se govori o nameri.
Bilo je neophodno ___ u obzir sve faktore pre donošenja odluke.
Infinitiv 'uzeti' se koristi kao deo konstrukcije 'neophodno je (nešto) uraditi'.
Ako želiš da se projekat završi na vreme, moraš ___ inicijativu.
Nakon 'moraš' se koristi infinitiv 'uzeti'.
Pokušao je da ___ prednost iz situacije, ali bez uspeha.
Kondicional 'uzme' je ispravan jer izražava nameru ili pokušaj. ('Pokušao je da' followed by subjunctive).
Consider all factors.
He took full responsibility.
Take my comments constructively.
Read this aloud:
Uzeću ovo u obzir prilikom planiranja strategije.
Focus: uzeću, obzir, planiranja, strategije
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Molim vas da uzmete učešće u diskusiji, vaši uvidi su dragoceni.
Focus: uzmete, učešće, diskusiji, uvidi, dragoceni
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Ne smemo uzeti zdravo za gotovo važnost ovog momenta.
Focus: uzeti, zdravo, gotovo, važnost, momenta
Du hast gesagt:
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/ 60 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Remember 'uzeti' for 'to take' and its many applications in Serbian, similar to English.
- Use 'uzeti' to say 'to take' in many contexts.
- It's a perfective verb, meaning the action is completed.
- Commonly used for physical objects, but also for concepts like time or a decision.
