voleti

Alright, let's get straight to it. You want to learn how to use the Serbian verb “voleti” (to love or like). It's a pretty essential word, so pay attention. We'll cover its conjugations, how it works with nouns and pronouns, and some common phrases.

§ Basic meaning and conjugation

First off, “voleti” means both “to love” and “to like”. The context usually makes it clear whether you're talking about deep affection or just a general preference. You'll conjugate it like a regular verb, but there's a slight trick with the 'l' changing to 'o' in some forms. Don't worry, it's common.

Present Tense Conjugation of “voleti”

• Ja volim (I love/like)
• Ti voliš (You love/like - singular, informal)
• On/Ona/Ono voli (He/She/It loves/likes)
• Mi volimo (We love/like)
• Vi volite (You love/like - plural or singular, formal)
• Oni/One/Ona vole (They love/like)

§ Using “voleti” with nouns

When you love or like something or someone, the object of your affection goes in the accusative case. If you're not familiar with cases yet, just remember that for most nouns, the accusative form is often the same as the nominative (the basic form you find in a dictionary) or it might have a slight ending change, especially for feminine nouns ending in -a. For masculine animated nouns (people, animals), it will often end in -a.

Hint

I love my family. (porodica -> porodicu is accusative)

Hint

We like to travel / We like travels. (putovanja is plural accusative)

Hint

He loves his dog. (pas -> psa is accusative for masculine animated nouns)

§ Using “voleti” with pronouns

When using “voleti” with personal pronouns (me, you, him, etc.), you'll use the short accusative forms of these pronouns. These usually come before the verb, but sometimes they can come after in questions or emphasis.

Short Accusative Pronouns

• me (me)
• te (you - singular, informal)
• ga (him/it - masculine)
• je (her/it - feminine)
• nas (us)
• vas (you - plural or singular, formal)
• ih (them)

Hint

I love you.

Hint

Do you love me?

Hint

He loves her.

§ “Voleti” with infinitives (to love/like to do something)

You can also use “voleti” to say you love or like to do something. In this case, you simply follow “voleti” with another verb in its infinitive form (the 'to' form of the verb, like 'jesti' - to eat, 'čitati' - to read).

Hint

I like to read. (literally 'I like that I read')

Hold on, though. While you *can* say “Ja volim čitati” (I like to read), it's much more common in everyday spoken Serbian to use the construction “volim da + present tense verb”. The word “da” acts a bit like 'that' in English, but here it indicates purpose or intention.

Hint

They like to eat. (literally 'They like that they eat')

§ Don't confuse it with “sviđati se”

A common mistake for beginners is to use “voleti” when they should use “sviđati se” (to be pleasing to, to like). “Voleti” implies a stronger, more personal affection or a deep-seated liking. “Sviđati se” is for more casual likes, like liking a new song, a shirt, or a particular food that you don't 'love' deeply.

Example of “sviđati se”

Meni se sviđa ova pesma. (I like this song.)

You would not usually say “Ja volim ovu pesmu” unless you have a profound, emotional connection to it. Stick to “sviđati se” for most casual likes. We'll cover “sviđati se” in more detail another time.

§ Summary and practice

So, there you have it. “Voleti” is for loving people, animals, deep passions, or strong preferences. Conjugate it correctly, use the accusative for nouns/pronouns, and use the “da + present tense verb” construction when you like to do something. Don't mix it up with “sviđati se” for light preferences. Practice these sentences and you'll get the hang of it.