Adjective agreement in the dative-locative singular
In short
| Gender | Dat/Loc sg | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masc | -om | u novom gradu · novom profesoru |
| fem | -oj | u novoj školi · novoj profesorki |
| neut | -om | u novom selu · novom detetu |
One form for both cases. Soft stems (loš, treći): -em for masc/neut, still -oj for fem.
A2 · Lesson 9 · Adjectives in the dative and locative singular
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
You already know two things about the noun: u and na put it in the locative to say where something is (u školi — at school), and the person you give or explain something to stands in the dative (profesoru — to the teacher). You also know that for nouns those two cases look exactly the same in the singular: u školi and dajem školi share one ending. Now we put an adjective in front of that noun.
The good news is that the adjective does the same thing: one set of endings serves both the dative and the locative. Whether you are saying in the new school or to the new teacher, the adjective takes the same ending — and, as always, it agrees with its noun in gender.
The endings
| Gender | Ending | Locative (where?) | Dative (to whom?) |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | -om | u novom gradu — in the new town | novom profesoru — to the new teacher |
| feminine | -oj | u novoj školi — in the new school | novoj profesorki — to the new teacher (woman) |
| neuter | -om | u novom selu — in the new village | novom detetu — to the new child |
So there are really only two endings to learn: -om for masculine and neuter together, -oj for feminine. Masculine and neuter travel as a pair here just as they did in the genitive (novog).
The same form, two jobs
After u, na and o (about) the noun phrase is in the locative: Učim u velikoj biblioteci (I study in the big library), Pričamo o novom profesoru (We are talking about the new teacher). With no preposition, marking the person who receives or benefits, it is the dative: Dajem knjigu mladoj studentkinji (I am giving the book to the young student). The adjective looks identical in both, so you never have to stop and ask which of the two cases you are in — you only have to know the gender of the noun.
- Look at the noun and find its gender (nominative: -a is feminine, a consonant is masculine, -o/-e is neuter).
- Masculine or neuter noun: adjective ends in -om.
- Feminine noun: adjective ends in -oj.
- The noun itself takes its own dative-locative ending (-u for masculine and neuter, -i for feminine), which you already know.
The same ending on any adjective
| Nominative | Gender of noun | Dative-locative |
|---|---|---|
| težak ispit (a hard exam) | masculine | o teškom ispitu — about the hard exam |
| mlađi brat (a younger brother) | masculine | mlađem bratu — to the younger brother |
| topla učionica (a warm classroom) | feminine | u toploj učionici — in the warm classroom |
| stara drugarica (an old friend) | feminine | staroj drugarici — to the old friend |
| školsko dvorište (a school yard) | neuter | u školskom dvorištu — in the school yard |
| malo dete (a small child) | neuter | malom detetu — to the small child |
The trap is the feminine. After learning -om, it is tempting to say u novom školi — but the noun ends in -i and its adjective must end in -oj: u novoj školi, staroj učiteljici, teškoj lekciji. Whenever the noun is feminine, the adjective is -oj, no exceptions.
Adjectives whose stem ends in a soft consonant (j, lj, nj, ć, đ, č, š, ž) write -em instead of -om for masculine and neuter: u lošem raspoloženju, trećem razredu, mlađem bratu, najboljem đaku. The feminine is always -oj either way: u lošoj školi. You met the same swap in the genitive (novog but lošeg).
Possessive adjectives such as moj, tvoj and naš follow the same pattern: u mojoj školi, našem profesoru, tvom bratu. The demonstratives too: u ovom razredu, u toj učionici.
Check what you read
6 of the 14 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Učim u ___ školi.
Dajem svesku ___ profesoru.
Škola je u ___ selu.
Deca sede u(topao) učionici.
Profesor objašnjava zadatak(nov) učeniku.
Učiteljica čita priču(mali) detetu.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Dajem svesku novom profesoru.
I am giving the notebook to the new teacher (man).
Učim u novoj školi.
I study at the new school.
Nosim knjigu novoj profesorki.
I am taking the book to the new teacher (woman).
Živim u novom gradu.
I live in the new town.
Direktor daje nagradu najboljem đaku.
The headmaster gives a prize to the best pupil.
Na velikom odmoru igramo fudbal.
During the long break we play football.
Deca sede u toploj učionici.
The children are sitting in the warm classroom.
Profesor objašnjava zadatak novom učeniku.
The teacher (man) explains the task to the new pupil (boy).
Zašto ne odgovaraš mladoj profesorki?
Why aren't you answering the young teacher (woman)?
Učiteljica čita priču malom detetu.
The teacher (woman) reads a story to the small child.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 46
Try it yourself
Translate a sentence that uses this rule. The check marks the word that went wrong and names the rule behind it, as in the app.
Sentences
Write it in Serbian
I am giving the notebook to the new teacher (man).
verb + direct object + recipient