Guided lesson A1 8 activities
Telling the hour: the је/су switch
Ten minutes on the topic's central quirk: сат follows the same 1 / 2–4 / 5+ counting rule as any other noun, but the verb does something asymmetric - 2–4 pairs with plural су, while 1 and 5+ both pair with singular је, even though 5+ is semantically plural. Build sentences naming an exact hour before choosing and translating your way through the rest.
The rule
Kazivanje vremena
The part of the grammar page this lesson drills — read it here, then use it.
Telling the hour
The count noun сат follows the same 1 / 2–4 / 5+ pattern as numbers-a1 - see the exact forms and verbs in the table below.
That је/су switch is the one detail worth memorizing on purpose: 2–4 pairs with plural су, while 1 and 5+ both pair with singular је - an asymmetry that has nothing to do with real-world plurality.
| Number | Verb | Form of the noun „sat“ | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | je | sat | Jedan je sat. |
| 2–4 | su | sata | Dva su sata. |
| 5+ | je | sati | Pet je sati. |