Dative experiencer with a predicative adverb
In short
| Person | dat short | dat long |
|---|---|---|
| I | mi | meni |
| you | ti | tebi |
| he | mu | njemu |
| she | joj | njoj |
| we | nam | nama |
| you pl. | vam | vama |
| they | im | njima |
Feeling + dative + je: Hladno mi je · Detetu je dosadno · Nije mi žao · Bilo mi je loše · Biće ti lakše
biti stays 3sg (past: neuter bilo). Ja sam hladan = I'm a cold person, not 'I feel cold'.
B2 · Lesson 44 · Dative experiencer with impersonal predicatives (dosadno mi je)
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
In English you say I am cold, I am bored, I am sorry — the person who feels something is the subject. Serbian usually says it the other way round: it is cold to me, it is boring to me. The feeling is an adverb-like word (hladno, dosadno, žao), the verb biti stays in the neutral 3rd person singular je, and the person who feels it — the experiencer — stands in the dative.
| Serbian | Word for word | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dosadno mi je. | boring to-me is | I'm bored. |
| Hladno ti je? | cold to-you is | Are you cold? |
| Detetu je hladno. | to-the-child is cold | The child is cold. |
| Baki je žao. | to-grandma is sorry | Grandma is sorry. |
The dative forms you need
You already know the dative. With pronouns, the short (clitic) form is the normal choice; the long form is used for emphasis or contrast, and it may start the sentence.
| Person | Short form | Long form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | mi | meni | Dosadno mi je. / Meni je dosadno. |
| you (sg) | ti | tebi | Hladno ti je? / Tebi je hladno? |
| he | mu | njemu | Muka mu je. |
| she | joj | njoj | Žao joj je. |
| we | nam | nama | Nije nam bilo lako. |
| you (pl / polite) | vam | vama | Je li vam vruće? |
| they | im | njima | Smešno im je. |
Nouns take their normal dative ending: detetu, Marku, baki, dedi, komšinici, deci, studentima, mojoj sestri.
Common feeling words
- Body and temperature: hladno (cold), toplo (warm), vruće (hot), loše (unwell), muka (sick, nauseous), mučno (queasy), tesno (cramped), zagušljivo (stuffy)
- Mood: dosadno (bored), žao (sorry), krivo (feeling bad about something), drago (glad), nelagodno (uneasy), tužno (sad), usamljeno (lonely), smešno (funny), jezivo (creepy), čudno (strange)
- Attitude and ease: svejedno (all the same), mrsko (can't be bothered), lako / lakše (easy / easier), teško (hard)
Tense, negation, questions
Only biti changes, and it always stays 3rd person singular — neuter in the past. The dative person never changes the verb.
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| present | … mi je | Hladno mi je. |
| negative | nije mi … | Nije mi hladno. |
| past | … mi je bilo | Bilo mi je hladno. |
| future | biće mi … | Biće mi hladno. |
| question | je li ti …? | Je li ti hladno? |
The trap: Ja sam hladan does not mean I feel cold — it means I am a cold person (or I am cold to the touch). For a feeling, always use the dative: Hladno mi je. Likewise never Ja sam dosadan for I'm bored — that means I am boring!
The verb never agrees with the person: Bilo mi je hladno for a man and for a woman alike, Bilo nam je hladno for a group — never bila or bili here.
Word order: the short pronoun and je sit in second position, so Dosadno mi je, Meni je dosadno, Posle ručka mi je bilo muka. Without a stated person the same words describe the surroundings: Hladno je means It's cold (here/outside).
A few verbs work the same way, with the feeler in the dative: Pozlilo mi je (I suddenly felt ill), Laknulo mi je (I felt relieved), Dosadilo mi je (I've had enough of it).
Check what you read
6 of the 16 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Dosadnoje. (ja)
Zašto jedosadno? (dete)
Je livruće u toj jakni? (vi)
___ je hladno, a meni nije.
Hladno ___ je.
Which sentence means 'I feel cold'?
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Dosadno mi je.
I'm bored.
Detetu je hladno.
The child is cold.
Nije nam bilo lako.
It wasn't easy for us.
Mački je toplo pored peći.
The cat is warm next to the stove.
Meni je vruće, a tebi?
I'm hot, what about you?
Pacijentu je sve gore, zovite lekara!
The patient is getting worse, call a doctor!
Biće ti lakše kad se odmoriš.
You'll feel better once you rest.
Meni nije hladno, ali njoj jeste.
I'm not cold, but she is.
Nije vam vruće u toj jakni?
Aren't you hot in that jacket?
Dedi je usamljeno otkako je baka umrla.
Grandpa has been lonely since Grandma died.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 30
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'm bored.