Declension practice is always more enjoyable when it comes wrapped in a story. Today we are going to visit a doctor friend in Italy - in Serbian, of course. Your task is to fill in the right form of each noun in the blanks below. Do not worry about being perfect on the first pass; read the story through once, then go back and fill in the gaps. That second read is where the learning really happens.

Each blank carries the noun in its dictionary (nominative) form in brackets. Decide which case the sentence requires, choose the correct ending, and write it in. Good luck - and enjoy the story!

The Story - Fill the Gaps

Imam ________1 (prijatelj) koji živi u ________2 (Italija). On je ________3 (doktor) po struci. Pre godinu ________4 (dana) sam ga posetio u ________5 (Rim). Putovao sam ________6 (avion) iz ________7 (Beograd). Moj prijatelj me je docekao na ________8 (aerodrom). Odvezao me je do svog ________9 (stan) u centru ________10 (grad). Sledeceg ________11 (dan) otisli smo zajedno u ________12 (bolnica) gde on radi. Upoznao sam nekoliko njegovih ________13 (kolega). Posle ________14 (rucak) smo setali po ________15 (ulica) i razgledali ________16 (stari grad). Uveče smo seli u mali restoran blizu ________17 (reka) i pricali o ________18 (zivot). Bio je to zaista lep ________19 (dan).

What You Practise

Each blank calls on a different case: you will encounter the accusative (direct objects and motion toward), the genitive (possession and "from"), the locative (position, "in" / "at"), the instrumental (means of travel), and the nominative (subject). The story keeps everything anchored in a real situation, which means the cases arise naturally rather than as abstract drills. That context is exactly what helps the endings stick.

How to Check

The best way to use a gap-fill like this is to attempt it once without looking anything up - trust your instinct, even if it feels like a guess. Then check your answers against the cases hub (linked below), correct any mistakes, and read the completed story aloud from start to finish. If time allows, come back to it the next day and fill it in again from memory. That second attempt, without looking at your corrections, is usually where the real learning locks in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I need the endings list while I work through the story?
Keep the Serbian cases hub open in another tab - having the paradigms visible is not cheating, it is smart practice. The goal is to encounter the right form often enough that it starts to feel inevitable. The link at the bottom of this post will take you straight there.
Are the nouns here singular or plural?
All the nouns in this story are singular, which keeps the focus squarely on case endings without mixing in plural variations at the same time. Once you feel confident with singular declension, a plural version of the story is a natural next step.
How many times should I do the exercise?
At least twice: once to attempt it fresh, and once after checking. Three times is even better. Spaced repetition - coming back to the same material after a day or two - is one of the most reliable ways to move grammar from short-term effort into long-term feel.

Stories make grammar memorable in a way that tables alone never quite can. I hope your visit to Italy - in Serbian - was enjoyable and instructive in equal measure. I am Marina Petrovic, and thank you for working through this with me today.

For a full reference on Serbian noun endings across all cases, visit Keep the endings handy and bookmark it for every exercise you do.