Palatalization of velars
In short
| stem | before -i | before -e / -ica / -ić |
|---|---|---|
| k | c (junaci, ruci) | č (junače, ručica, pečem) |
| g | z (nozi, knjizi) | ž (Bože, nožica, možeš) |
| h | s (dusi) | š (duše, siromaše) |
Before -i the k becomes c; before -e it becomes č. Present: pečem, pečeš, peče, pečemo, pečete, peku; mogu, možeš, može, možemo, možete, mogu. Imperative peci is the -i change. Comparative: jači, draži, tiši. Also c, z → č, ž: oče, striče, kneže.
B1 · Lesson 6 · Palatalizacija: k, g, h → č, ž, š
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
In lesson 5 you saw k, g, h turn into c, z, s before the ending -i: junak → junaci, ruka → ruci. The same three consonants have a second set of partners. Before the ending -e of the vocative, before the -e- of certain present-tense endings, and before the little-word suffixes -ica and -ić, they turn into č, ž, š. You hear this every time someone calls out Čoveče! ("Man!") or Bože! ("God!"). Linguists call this change palatalization.
| Stem ends in | before -i (lesson 5) | before -e, -ica, -ić (this lesson) |
|---|---|---|
| k | c: junaci | č: junače |
| g | z: nozi | ž: nožica |
| h | s: dusi | š: duše |
1. The vocative: calling someone
Masculine nouns take -e in the vocative (lesson A2.19). When the stem ends in k, g or h, that consonant changes in front of the -e. A fleeting a disappears first, as usual (momak → momk- → momče).
| Nominative | Vocative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| junak (hero) | junače! | k → č |
| đak (pupil) | đače! | k → č |
| momak (young man) | momče! | k → č |
| čovek (man) | čoveče! | k → č |
| Vuk (a name) | Vuče! | k → č |
| drug (comrade, friend) | druže! | g → ž |
| Bog (God) | Bože! | g → ž |
| duh (spirit) | duše! | h → š |
| siromah (poor man) | siromaše! | h → š |
The same -e also turns c into č and z into ž: otac → oče, stric → striče (uncle), knez → kneže (prince).
2. The present tense of peći and moći
Some e-verbs have a stem ending in k or g: peći (to bake, stem pek-), seći (to cut, sek-), vući (to pull, vuk-), teći (to flow, tek-), moći (can, mog-). Wherever the ending starts with -e-, the consonant changes. Where the ending is -u, it stays.
| Person | peći | moći |
|---|---|---|
| ja | pečem | mogu |
| ti | pečeš | možeš |
| on / ona | peče | može |
| mi | pečemo | možemo |
| vi | pečete | možete |
| oni | peku | mogu |
Watch the two ends of the table: mogu and peku keep g and k because -u is not -e. And the imperative peci! (bake!) or pomozi! (help!) has c and z, not č and ž: that is the lesson 5 change before -i, not this one.
3. Diminutives: little things
Serbian makes a word "small" or affectionate with the suffix -ica (feminine) or -ić (masculine). The consonant before it changes to č, ž, š.
| Word | Diminutive | Change |
|---|---|---|
| ruka (hand) | ručica | k → č |
| devojka (girl) | devojčica | k → č |
| noga (leg, foot) | nožica | g → ž |
| knjiga (book) | knjižica | g → ž |
| vuk (wolf) | vučić | k → č |
4. Comparatives: the same three sounds
In some comparatives (lesson A2.14) you meet the same č, ž, š: jak → jači (stronger), drag → draži (dearer), tih → tiši (quieter). The adverbs follow: jače! (harder, louder), tiše! (quieter!). Historically this is a different change, but the result is the same, and it helps you recognise the word.
5. Telling the two changes apart
Look at the ending. Before -i the k becomes c; before -e it becomes č. In the same way g becomes z or ž, and h becomes s or š, and a suffix like -ica or -ić counts with the -e group.
| Word | before -i | before -e / suffix |
|---|---|---|
| junak | junaci (heroes) | junače! (hero!) |
| momak | momci (young men) | momče! (young man!) |
| ruka | ruci (to the hand) | ručica (little hand) |
| noga | nozi (to the leg) | nožica (little leg) |
| knjiga | knjizi (to the book) | knjižica (little book) |
| duh | dusi (spirits) | duše! (spirit!) |
When you meet an unfamiliar word with č, ž or š, try swapping back to k, g, h: druže is drug, nožica is noga, možeš is moći.
Check what you read
6 of the 16 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Hvala ti,! (junak)
Hej,, dođi ovamo! (momak)
, čekaj me ispred kafane! (drug)
___, kako je lepo ovde!
A masculine noun ends in -h. What does the h become in the vocative in -e?
Oni ___ hleb svako jutro.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Đače, zašto opet kasniš?
Pupil, why are you late again?
Siromaše moj, sve si izgubio!
My poor fellow, you have lost everything!
Čoveče, pa gde si ti?
Man, where have you been?
Vuče, čekaj me ispred škole!
Vuk, wait for me in front of the school!
Bože, kako je hladno jutros!
God, how cold it is this morning!
Druže, možeš li mi pomoći?
Friend, can you help me?
Siromaše moj, šta ti se desilo?
My poor fellow, what happened to you?
Baka nam peče pitu od jabuka.
Grandma is baking us an apple pie.
Seljače, sečeš li to drvo sam?
Farmer, are you cutting that tree down by yourself?
Momče, znaš li gde je pošta?
Young man, do you know where the post office is?
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 41
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
Pupil, why are you late again?