When you're just starting out with Serbian, one of the most useful words to learn is juče. It means "yesterday" and it's a key word for talking about the past. You'll use it all the time to say when something happened. For example, you can use it with verbs like "bio sam" (I was) or "jela sam" (I ate).
juče en 30 secondes
- Use 'juče' to talk about the day before today.
- It's an adverb, so it describes when something happened.
- Very common word in daily conversations.
§ Don't Confuse 'Juče' with 'Sutra' or 'Danas'
This might seem obvious, but especially when you're starting out, it's easy to mix up time adverbs. 'Juče' means yesterday. 'Danas' means today. 'Sutra' means tomorrow. Make sure you're using the right one for the right day. This is a common beginner mistake, and it's best to get it right early.
- DEFINITION
- Sutra: Tomorrow
- DEFINITION
- Danas: Today
Juče sam učio srpski. (I studied Serbian yesterday.)
Danas učim srpski. (I am studying Serbian today.)
Sutra ću učiti srpski. (I will study Serbian tomorrow.)
§ Not Using the Past Tense with 'Juče'
When you use 'juče', you are talking about an action that happened in the past. Therefore, you must use a past tense verb. In Serbian, the most common past tense for completed actions is the perfect tense (perfekat). You can't say 'juče ja idem' (yesterday I go) because that's mixing a past adverb with a present tense verb. It should be 'juče sam išao/išla' (yesterday I went).
Pravilno: Juče sam video Petra. (Correct: I saw Petar yesterday.)
Pogrešno: Juče vidim Petra. (Incorrect: Yesterday I see Petar.)
§ Redundancy with 'Prošli dan'
Sometimes learners, trying to be descriptive, might say something like 'juče, prošli dan' (yesterday, last day). This is redundant. 'Juče' already clearly indicates yesterday. You don't need to add 'prošli dan' or 'prethodni dan' when using 'juče'. It's like saying 'yesterday, the previous day' in English – it's just extra words that aren't needed.
'Prošli dan' means 'last day' or 'the day before', but is generally used when 'yesterday' is not the precise meaning, or in a more general sense.
'Prethodni dan' also means 'previous day'.
Pravilno: Juče je bilo sunčano. (Correct: Yesterday it was sunny.)
Pogrešno: Juče, prošli dan, je bilo sunčano. (Incorrect: Yesterday, the last day, it was sunny.)
Collocations courantes
Phrases Courantes
Juče sam bio u Beogradu.
Yesterday I was in Belgrade.
Šta si radio juče?
What did you do yesterday?
Video sam je juče.
I saw her yesterday.
Juče je padala kiša.
It rained yesterday.
Došao je juče.
He came yesterday.
Završio sam posao juče.
I finished the work yesterday.
Da li si učio juče?
Did you study yesterday?
Nisam jeo juče.
I didn't eat yesterday.
Juče je bio lep dan.
Yesterday was a nice day.
Probudila sam se rano juče.
I woke up early yesterday.
Comment l'utiliser
Juče is an adverb, so it doesn't change form. It's used just like 'yesterday' in English. It's a key word for talking about the past.
English speakers sometimes try to make juče agree with a noun or verb, but it's an adverb and stays the same. Don't add endings to it.
Teste-toi 36 questions
Write a short sentence about something you did yesterday, using the word 'juče'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Juče sam išao u prodavnicu. (Yesterday I went to the store.)
Imagine you are talking about what happened yesterday. Complete the sentence: 'Juče je bilo sunčano, ali ___.' (Yesterday it was sunny, but ___.)
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Juče je bilo sunčano, ali je danas oblačno. (Yesterday it was sunny, but today it is cloudy.)
Use 'juče' to describe a past event in a full sentence.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Juče smo gledali film. (Yesterday we watched a movie.)
Šta je Marko radio juče?
Read this passage:
Marko je juče posetio baku. Popili su kafu i razgovarali. Marko je rekao da je baka spremila ukusan kolač. Bili su veoma srećni što su zajedno.
Šta je Marko radio juče?
The passage states: 'Marko je juče posetio baku.' (Marko visited his grandmother yesterday.)
The passage states: 'Marko je juče posetio baku.' (Marko visited his grandmother yesterday.)
Kada je Ana završila domaći zadatak?
Read this passage:
Ana je juče završila sav domaći zadatak. Zatim je išla u šetnju sa psom. Kasnije je čitala svoju omiljenu knjigu pre spavanja. Imala je miran dan.
Kada je Ana završila domaći zadatak?
The passage says: 'Ana je juče završila sav domaći zadatak.' (Ana finished all her homework yesterday.)
The passage says: 'Ana je juče završila sav domaći zadatak.' (Ana finished all her homework yesterday.)
Zašto Petar nije večerao sa porodicom juče?
Read this passage:
Petar je juče bio na poslu do kasno. Bio je veoma umoran kada je došao kući. Zbog toga nije stigao da večera sa porodicom. Morao je da se odmori.
Zašto Petar nije večerao sa porodicom juče?
The passage explains: 'Bio je veoma umoran kada je došao kući. Zbog toga nije stigao da večera sa porodicom.' (He was very tired when he came home. Because of that, he didn't manage to have dinner with his family.)
The passage explains: 'Bio je veoma umoran kada je došao kući. Zbog toga nije stigao da večera sa porodicom.' (He was very tired when he came home. Because of that, he didn't manage to have dinner with his family.)
The correct order is 'Bio sam juče u Beogradu.' (I was in Belgrade yesterday.)
The correct order is 'Šta je ona juče radila?' (What did she do yesterday?)
The correct order is 'Mi juče nismo imali vremena.' (We didn't have time yesterday.)
Choose the correct translation for 'Yesterday, I went to the market.'
The Serbian word for 'yesterday' is 'juče'. The past tense of 'ići' (to go) for a male speaker is 'išao'. 'Na pijacu' means 'to the market'.
Which sentence correctly uses 'juče'?
'Juče' refers to the past, so it must be used with a past tense verb. 'Video sam' is the past tense of 'videti' (to see) for a male speaker.
Complete the sentence: 'Oni su ____ gledali film.' (They watched a movie yesterday.)
To convey the meaning 'yesterday', 'juče' is the correct adverb.
The sentence 'Juče ću učiti srpski.' (Yesterday I will learn Serbian.) is grammatically correct.
'Juče' means yesterday, indicating past tense, while 'ću učiti' means 'I will learn', indicating future tense. These do not match.
'Juče sam kupio knjigu.' means 'I bought a book yesterday.'
'Juče' is yesterday, 'sam kupio' is the past tense of 'kupiti' (to buy) for a male speaker, and 'knjigu' means a book.
You can use 'juče' to talk about something that will happen tomorrow.
'Juče' specifically refers to the day before today, not tomorrow.
In Serbian, 'juče' often comes at the beginning of the sentence or after the conjugated verb.
The negation 'nisam' comes before the verb, and 'juče' can be at the start.
The question particle 'da li' starts the question, followed by the verb and then 'juče'.
The speaker read a complex economic analysis yesterday.
Despite market turbulence yesterday, positive investment conclusions were drawn.
Yesterday's debate on AI ethics revealed complex nuances.
Read this aloud:
Možeš li da mi objasniš kako su jučerašnji događaji uticali na geopolitičku stabilnost regiona i koje dugoročne posledice predviđaš?
Focus: juče, uticali, geopolitičku, posledice
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Kako si se nosio sa složenim finansijskim izveštajima koje smo juče analizirali? Da li si uočio neke diskrepancije?
Focus: složenim, finansijskim, izveštajima, diskrepancije
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Opisi mi detaljnije jučerašnju raspravu o kvantnoj fizici i kako si sintetizovao prezentirane informacije za izveštaj.
Focus: raspravu, kvantnoj, fizici, sintetizovao, prezentirane, informacije
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
The speaker mentions feeling too tired for a party.
The weather changed from yesterday to today.
A scheduled event has been rescheduled.
Read this aloud:
Juče sam pročitao izuzetno zanimljivu knjigu o astrofizici.
Focus: Juče, pročitao, izuzetno, zanimljivu
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Da li ste juče uspeli da završite taj komplikovani projekat?
Focus: uspeli, završite, komplikovani, projekat
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Nisam mogao da verujem kakve su se promene desile juče na berzi.
Focus: verujem, kakve, promene, desile, berzi
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Remember 'juče' for 'yesterday' to easily talk about past events.
- Use 'juče' to talk about the day before today.
- It's an adverb, so it describes when something happened.
- Very common word in daily conversations.
