Equative comparison with kao
In short
kao = like / as. Never inflects.
The phrase after kao copies the case of the phrase before it.
| Left side | kao + phrase | Case |
|---|---|---|
| Ana peva | kao ptica. | nom + nom |
| Volim ga | kao brata. | acc + acc |
| Moj deda je | kao stari lav. | nom, adjective agrees |
| Volim ovaj grad | kao drugu kuću. | acc fem, adjective agrees |
| Gledam ga | kao dobrog prijatelja. | acc anim masc |
Two uses: role (radi kao trener) and likeness (pliva kao riba).
kao = equally alike, never more than (that is od / nego).
A1 · Lesson 41 · Saying one thing is like another: kao
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
When you want to say that someone or something is like someone or something else, Serbian uses one little word: kao. It means like, as, or the way that.
The good news first: kao never changes. It has no endings, no gender, no plural. You write it the same way in every sentence you will ever build.
The one thing you have to get right
kao stands between the two things you are comparing, and the phrase after it copies the case of the phrase before it. Think of kao as an equals sign: whatever case is on the left, put the same case on the right.
Watch the same noun, brat, on the two sides of two different sentences:
| Sentence | Case on both sides | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ana peva kao ptica. | nominative + nominative | Ana is the subject, so ptica stays in its dictionary form. |
| Volim ga kao brata. | accusative + accusative | ga is the object, so brat becomes brata too. |
Nobody says Volim ga kao brat. Once the left side is an object, the right side has to look like an object as well.
Two jobs kao does
The first job is a role or capacity — what someone works as, comes as, lives as. Here English usually says as.
- On radi kao trener. — He works as a coach.
- Ovde sam kao gost. — I am here as a guest.
The second job is a plain likeness — a comparison, often a little picture. Here English says like.
- Pliva kao riba. — He swims like a fish.
- Ova zima je hladna kao led. — This winter is cold as ice.
Adding an adjective
The noun after kao can carry an adjective, exactly as any noun can. The adjective agrees with that noun in gender, number and case — the agreement you already know — and the whole phrase still copies the case from the left side.
| Left side | kao + phrase | Case of the phrase after kao |
|---|---|---|
| Moj deda je | kao stari lav. | nominative, masculine |
| Volim ovaj grad | kao drugu kuću. | accusative, feminine |
| Gledam ga | kao dobrog prijatelja. | accusative, animate masculine |
| Uzmi ovu knjigu | kao mali poklon. | accusative, masculine — same shape as the nominative |
kao is about being alike, not about being more. Brz je kao vuk says he is as fast as a wolf — the two are equal. Serbian has other ways to say that one thing beats another (brži od vuka), and those belong to a different lesson. If the meaning is equally, reach for kao.
A comma before kao appears in long sentences, but the short comparisons in this lesson are written without one: Jak je kao medved.
Check what you read
3 of the 13 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
On radi ___ trener u školi.
Ana peva ___ ptica.
Volim ga ___ brata.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Pliva kao riba.
He swims like a fish.
On radi kao trener.
He works as a coach.
Brz je kao vuk.
He is as fast as a wolf.
Ana peva kao ptica.
Ana sings like a bird.
Volim ga kao brata.
I love him like a brother.
Ovde sam kao gost.
I am here as a guest.
Zašto me gledaš kao stranca?
Why are you looking at me like a stranger?
On govori kao pravi profesor.
He speaks like a real professor.
Primili su ga kao heroja.
They welcomed him as a hero.
Pamtim ga kao dobrog čoveka.
I remember him as a good man.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 26
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 love him like a brother.