Do you enjoy swimming? Do you love singing in the shower? In Serbian, talking about activities you love or hate is surprisingly simple - and today we are going to practise exactly that. This exercise will help you build real, natural sentences using the Serbian gerund, and by the end you will have a whole set of phrases ready to use.
This post is part of our ongoing practice series. Work through the examples, try writing your own sentences in the comments, and remember: every sentence you make is a step forward. You can do this!
What is the gerund in Serbian?
The gerund is the noun form of a verb - it turns an action into a "thing." In English, it is the "-ing" form used as a noun: "swimming," "singing," "cooking." In Serbian, the gerund is formed by adding -nje (or -anje, -enje, -ivanje) to the verb stem. The result is a neuter noun.
For example: pevati (to sing) becomes pevanje (singing). Once you have that noun, you can slot it straight into a sentence - just like in English.
The pattern
The formula is beautifully simple. Take one of these opinion verbs:
- Volim - I love / I like
- Ne volim - I do not like
- Obožavam - I adore / I absolutely love
- Mrzim - I hate
...and follow it with the gerund (the -nje form of the verb). That is it!
Pevati (to sing) → Volim pevanje. (I love singing.)
The gerund here is the direct object of the sentence. No case changes to worry about at this stage - just plug it in and you have a complete, correct Serbian sentence. Simple, right?
The gerund forms to use
Here is your full list of verbs and their gerund forms. Study them, then try building your own sentences below.
| Infinitive | Meaning | Gerund | Gerund meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| voziti se | to drive / to ride | vožnja | driving / riding |
| svirati | to play (an instrument) | sviranje | playing (an instrument) |
| kuglati se | to go bowling | kuglanje | bowling |
| fotografisati | to photograph | fotografisanje | photography / photographing |
| surfovati | to surf | surfovanje | surfing |
| plesati | to dance | plesanje | dancing |
| igrati | to play (a game) | igranje (mini-golfa) | playing (mini-golf) |
| šetati | to walk / to stroll | šetanje | walking / strolling |
| plivati | to swim | plivanje | swimming |
| slikati | to paint / to draw | slikanje | painting / drawing |
| pecati | to fish / to go fishing | pecanje | fishing |
| skupljati | to collect | skupljanje (markica) | collecting (stamps) |
Note on "vožnja": this is a slightly irregular gerund - it does not follow the plain -nje pattern but is the standard noun form used in everyday speech. Use it as-is.
How to build your sentence
Now put it together. Pick an opinion verb, pick a gerund, and you have a sentence. Here are some model sentences to show you how it flows:
- Volim plivanje. - I like swimming.
- Ne volim kuglanje. - I do not like bowling.
- Obožavam plesanje. - I adore dancing.
- Mrzim pecanje. - I hate fishing.
- Volim šetanje. - I like walking.
- Ne volim slikanje. - I do not like painting.
- Obožavam sviranje. - I adore playing music.
- Volim fotografisanje. - I like photography.
- Mrzim surfovanje. - I hate surfing.
- Volim igranje mini-golfa. - I like playing mini-golf.
- Ne volim skupljanje markica. - I do not like collecting stamps.
- Obožavam vožnju. - I adore driving.
More Serbian examples
Here are a few extra sentences to show how naturally these gerunds fit into real conversation. Read them aloud - the rhythm will stick.
- Obožavam plivanje. - I absolutely love swimming. (A warm-weather favourite!)
- Ne volim kuglanje. - I do not like bowling. (Fair enough - it is not for everyone.)
- Mrzim pecanje. - I hate fishing. (All that waiting! Some people love it, though.)
- Volim sviranje gitare. - I like playing the guitar. (Notice you can add the instrument in the genitive after the gerund.)
- Ne volim vožnju po kiši. - I do not like driving in the rain. (A very relatable sentence!)
- Obožavam šetanje po parku. - I adore walking in the park.
- Mrzim skupljanje markica. - I hate collecting stamps.
- Volim fotografisanje prirode. - I like photographing nature.
Your turn - make your own sentences
This is the most important part of the exercise. Look at the list of gerund forms above and write at least five sentences about your own hobbies and preferences. Use all four opinion verbs if you can: volim, ne volim, obožavam, and mrzim.
Drop your sentences in the comments below - I read every single one and will give you friendly feedback. Do not worry about making mistakes; that is exactly how we learn.
A tip to remember this pattern
Think of the Serbian gerund as your "hobby noun" - once you have converted the verb, you can use it after volim exactly the same way you would use a regular noun like muzika (music) or sport (sport): Volim muziku, Volim plivanje. The structure is identical, so if you can say "Volim muziku," you already know how to use the gerund.
Keep a small notebook or phone note with your personal list of gerunds for activities you actually do - that way the vocabulary will be genuinely useful to you, not just words on a page.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Serbian gerunds end in -nje?
Most do - the -anje, -enje, -ivanje, and -ovanje endings all finish with -nje. A small number of verbs have irregular gerund-like nouns (as with vožnja), but the regular pattern will take you very far.
What gender is the gerund?
Serbian gerunds ending in -nje are always neuter nouns. That means when you use adjectives with them, you will use neuter endings. For this exercise, though, you just need the plain gerund as an object after volim / ne volim / obožavam / mrzim, so there is nothing extra to think about right now.
Can I use the gerund with other verbs?
Absolutely. You can use it with any verb that takes a noun object: poceti (to start), prestati (to stop), pokusati (to try), and many others. For example: Poceo sam da ucim plivanje. (I have started learning to swim.) But for now, mastering the volim / ne volim pattern is the perfect foundation.
Is the gerund the same as the infinitive?
No - the infinitive (pevati) is the verb in its base form, while the gerund (pevanje) is a noun. The infinitive cannot be the subject or object of a sentence in the same way. Once you see them side by side you will not mix them up.
What is the difference between "plesanje" and "ples"?
Ples is the plain noun meaning "dance" (as an event or art form), while plesanje is the gerund - the activity of dancing in the moment. In everyday speech Serbians may use both, but plesanje is the gerund form you want here.
Thank you so much for practising with me today! I am Marina, and I truly believe that building real Serbian sentences - even simple ones like "Volim plivanje" - is far more powerful than memorising grammar rules in the abstract. Every sentence you write is a piece of the language becoming yours.
Leave your sentences in the comments, tell me which hobbies you love or hate, and let us keep the conversation going. You are doing wonderfully.
Ready for more verb practice? Head over to More verb practice for plenty more exercises.