Descriptive genitive
In short
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| noun + adj-GEN + noun-GEN (quality) | čovek dobrog srca, devojka duge kose, dečak plavih očiju |
| age / build | žena srednjih godina, momak visokog rasta |
| od + amount (exact age, size, value) | dete od pet godina, novčanica od sto evra |
| material od + GEN / content bare GEN | prsten od belog zlata, čaša hladne vode |
| quantity word + GEN | mnogo strpljenja, malo više hrabrosti |
The adjective is obligatory: čovek srca is not Serbian. Anin muž = whose; muž blage naravi = what like.
B2 · Lesson 15 · Genitiv osobine i mere
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
In English you describe a person with an adjective (a kind man) or with a with-phrase (a girl with long hair). Serbian has a third way, and for looks, age and character it is often the most natural one: the quality itself is put in the genitive, together with an adjective, right after the noun it describes. Devojka duge kose is literally "a girl of long hair" — and that is simply how Serbian says "a girl with long hair".
Adjective + noun, both in the genitive
The describing phrase comes after the noun and does not agree with it: whatever case the head noun is in, the describing phrase stays in the genitive. You already know the genitive endings: -og for a masculine or neuter adjective, -e for a feminine one, -ih in the plural (zelenih očiju, širokih ramena, dugih trepavica).
| Quality (nominative) | Describing phrase (genitive) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dobro srce | čovek dobrog srca | a good-hearted man |
| duga kosa | devojka duge kose | a girl with long hair |
| plave oči | dečak plavih očiju | a blue-eyed boy |
| široka ramena | muškarac širokih ramena | a broad-shouldered man |
| jak karakter | žena jakog karaktera | a woman of strong character |
| srednje godine | muškarac srednjih godina | a middle-aged man |
| visok rast | momak visokog rasta | a tall young man |
The adjective is not optional. Čovek dobrog srca describes; čovek srca says nothing at all, and devojka kose is not Serbian. If you have no adjective to put in, use an ordinary adjective or sa + instrumental instead: visok čovek, devojka sa naočarima.
Age, height and build
Age, height and build work the same way: žena srednjih godina (a middle-aged woman), žena zrelih godina (a mature woman), čovek prosečne visine (a man of average height), momak snažne građe (a strongly built young man). Here rast means a person's height or stature. The question word goes into the genitive too: Kakve je boje kosa? — What colour is the hair? Kakvog je karaktera? — What is his character like?
od + a number: exact age, size and value
When the description is an exact amount — a number of years, metres, pages, euros — Serbian uses od followed by the amount. The counted noun takes the form the number requires, exactly as you learnt for numbers.
| Amount | With od | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pet godina | devojčica od pet godina | a five-year-old girl |
| dva metra | čovek od dva metra | a two-metre-tall man |
| sto evra | novčanica od sto evra | a hundred-euro note |
| četiri stotine strana | knjiga od četiri stotine strana | a four-hundred-page book |
Material and content
What something is made of takes od + genitive (prsten od belog zlata, a white-gold ring). What a container holds takes the bare genitive: čaša hladne vode (a glass of cold water), šolja jake kafe (a cup of strong coffee).
A bridge: quantity words
You already know that mnogo, malo, više and dosta take the genitive. With qualities of character this is very common: Treba mu malo više hrabrosti — He needs a bit more courage. Za to treba mnogo strpljenja — That takes a lot of patience.
Not the same as Markov, Anin
Markova sestra says WHOSE sister she is — Marko's. Sestra duge kose says WHAT SHE IS LIKE. These are two different relations, not two styles: the possessive adjective comes before the noun and agrees with it, the describing genitive comes after and stays in the genitive.
| Possessive adjective (whose?) | Descriptive genitive (what like?) |
|---|---|
| Anin muž — Ana's husband | muž blage naravi — a mild-tempered husband |
| Markova sestra — Marko's sister | sestra duge crne kose — a sister with long black hair |
Both can sit around one noun: Markova sestra je devojka duge crne kose — Marko's sister is a girl with long black hair. Never turn a quality into a possessive: "a man of strong character" is čovek jakog karaktera, not a form of karakter placed before the noun.
Check what you read
6 of the 17 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Tražim jednu devojku(zelen) očiju.
Njen brat je visok momak(crn) kose.
Juče sam upoznala čoveka(širok) ramena.
Ona je žena ___ i nikad ne odustaje.
Which is correct Serbian for 'a good-hearted man'?
Tvoj otac je čovek visokog ___.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Ona je žena srednjih godina.
She is a middle-aged woman.
Moj komšija je čovek dobrog srca.
My neighbour is a good-hearted man.
Kakve je boje kose tvoja nova koleginica?
What colour is your new colleague's hair?
Platio je račun novčanicom od sto evra.
He paid the bill with a hundred-euro note.
Napisala je roman od četiri stotine strana.
She wrote a four-hundred-page novel.
Markova sestra je devojka duge crne kose.
Marko's sister is a girl with long black hair.
Ona je osoba jakog karaktera i nikad ne odustaje.
She is a person of strong character and never gives up.
Bio je to čovek tihe naravi, ali prgave ćudi.
He was a man of quiet nature, but with a quick temper.
Moj deda je bio čovek od skoro dva metra.
My grandfather was a man of almost two metres.
Devojčica od pet godina sama je našla put kući.
A five-year-old girl found her way home on her own.
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
She is a middle-aged woman.
(descriptive genitive)