Imagine a Sunday morning. The whole family is in the kitchen. Someone says, "We are waiting for Mum so we can go to the shop." In Serbian that single idea - waiting for someone in order to do something - folds into a neat little structure: cekamo + object + da + verb. Two clauses, one thought, one very human moment.
This pattern is genuinely useful from the very first weeks of learning. You will hear it on the street, in cafes, at bus stops. Today we slow it down and look at it together - gently, without any rush.
What is the basic pattern?
The structure works like this:
čekati + [person or thing in accusative] + da + [verb in present]
to wait for [someone/something] in order to [do something]
The most natural example to start with:
Čekamo mamu da idemo u prodavnicu.
We are waiting for Mum to go to the shop / so that we can go to the shop.
Notice that mama (Mum, nominative) becomes mamu in the accusative - she is the person being waited for, the direct object of čekati. After da, the verb sits in the present tense and carries the sense of purpose or intention. It is a compact and very expressive construction.
Together with MI (we) - six real examples
Here are six lines you might genuinely use. Read them slowly, notice the accusative on the object, and let the da + present feel natural:
| # | Serbian | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Čekamo autobus da idemo u Beograd. | We are waiting for the bus to go to Belgrade. |
| 2 | Čekamo tatu da idemo na pijacu. | We are waiting for Dad to go to the market. |
| 3 | Čekamo prijatelje da idemo na ručak. | We are waiting for friends to go to lunch. |
| 4 | Čekamo rodake da idemo na izlet. | We are waiting for relatives to go on a trip. |
| 5 | Čekamo decu da idemo na sajam. | We are waiting for the children to go to the fair. |
| 6 | Čekamo roditelje da idemo u galeriju. | We are waiting for our parents to go to the gallery. |
A small bonus observation: in line 1 the bus (autobus) is masculine inanimate - it keeps its nominative form as the accusative, exactly as we saw with the sound-nouns in the last lesson. In lines 3-6 you are waiting for people (animate), so the nouns have shifted into accusative forms appropriate to their gender and number. No need to analyse each one right now - just feel the pattern.
Your turn with ONI (they) - can you rebuild these?
Now take the same six sentences and imagine you are talking about a group of friends - oni (they). Two things shift: the verb cekamo becomes cekaju (they wait), and the verb after da - currently idemo (we go) - becomes idu (they go).
The first one is done for you:
Oni cekaju mamu da idu u prodavnicu.
They are waiting for Mum to go to the shop.
Try writing the remaining five in your notebook. Say each one aloud - the rhythm of cekaju ... da idu is actually rather satisfying once it starts to feel familiar. If you get stuck, go back to the table above and simply swap the subject and the verb forms.
An audio note
The original version of this lesson included a pronunciation recording by Ivan, one of our native-speaker contributors, so you could hear the natural rhythm of cekamo ... da idemo spoken at a comfortable pace. If you are working through the archived lesson, the audio player appeared just below this paragraph. For fresh practice, any of the Serbian-language clips on our resources page will give you the same feel for where the stress falls.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Serbian use DA plus the present tense rather than an infinitive?
Serbian, like many Balkan languages, strongly prefers the da + present construction where English would use an infinitive ("to go") or a gerund ("going"). The infinitive does exist in Serbian, but in spoken language and in this kind of purposive clause the da + present form is overwhelmingly more natural. Think of da idemo as a single unit meaning "to go (for us)" and it will feel easier.
What is the accusative doing after CEKATI?
The verb čekati (to wait for) is transitive - it always has a direct object: the person or thing you are waiting for. That direct object goes into the accusative case. So mama becomes mamu, tata becomes tatu, and so on. The accusative is simply marking "this is what the verb is directed at."
Is this pattern suitable for beginners?
Absolutely. The structure is short, memorable, and immediately useful in everyday situations - waiting for a bus, waiting for family, waiting for food. Beginners who learn it early find it gives them a confident way to explain what is happening around them. The accusative on the object and the da + present after it are both patterns you will practise again and again throughout the language, so every repetition here is doing double work.
Can I use other verbs instead of ICI (to go) after DA?
Yes, any verb of motion or action fits: da jedemo (to eat), da gledamo (to watch), da kupimo (to buy). The da + present slot is open to any present-tense verb that describes what you intend to do once the waiting is over.
From me, Marina Petrovic - thank you for sitting with this little lesson on waiting. Ironically, this is one of those grammar points that rewards a little patience. Once the pattern settles in, you will spot it everywhere in Serbian - on the street, in films, in songs. Ready to see how the accusative fits into the larger picture of Serbian grammar? Visit the Serbian cases guide and keep the momentum going.