Learn Serbian

Learning Serbian with exercises, video lessons and online courses

Google Tag Head

Monday, December 19, 2016

Stranac u Srbiji: Dr Erhard Busek

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Practising Colors in Serbian

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Colours in Serbian with YleeKids

While creating another Serbian lesson for kids, I came across a very useful song which can teach you how to pronounce the colours (boje) clearly.




Colours in Serbian

Latin Alphabet version 

Prvi deo
  1. Crveni auto x2
  2. Zeleni auto x2
  3. Plavi auto x2
  4. Žuti auto x2
  5. Crni auto x2
  6. Ljubičasti auto x2
  7. Roza auto x2
  8. Narandžasti auto x2
  9. Braon (smeđi) auto x2
  10. Beli auto x2
Drugi deo 2:30

  1. Šta je ovo? Jedna knjiga. Koje boje je ta knjiga? Crvene je boje baš kao i moj krevet.
  2. Šta je ovo? Jedno drvo. Koje boje je to drvo? Zelene je boje da li vidiš? Da vidim.
  3. Šta je ovo? Jedan limun. Koje boje je taj limun? Žute boje baš, kao puding naš.
  4. Šta je ovo? Kutijica. Koje je boje kutijica? Narandžaste baš kao i lisica.
***
  1. Šta je ovo? Jedna olovka. Koje je boje olovka? Boje je plave, znam, znam da je, šta je.
  2. Šta je ovo? Jedan šešir. Koje je boje taj šešir. Crne boje baš, kao i mačor naš.
  3. Šta je ovo? Jedno jaje. Koje boje je to jaje? Bele je boje, znam, znam da je, šta je.
  4. Šta je ovo? Ovo jedan miš. Koje boje je taj miš? Braon kao kuća ovde pored.
Treći deo 3:45

  1. Deda ima mali žuti auto. x3 Mali žuti auto x2
  2. Deda ima mali crveni auto x3 Mali crveni auto x2
  3. Deda ima mali plavi auto x3 Mali plavi auto x2
  4. Deda ima mali crni auto x3 Mali crni auto x2
  5. Deda ima mali zeleni auto x3 Mali zeleni auto x2
Četvrti deo 8:00

  1. Crveni x3 je krug, crveni, crveni je krug
  2. Plavi x3 je krug, plavi je, plavi je krug
  3. Žut x3 krug, žut je, žut je krug
  4. Crvena x2 jabuka je crvena x3,  jabuka je crvena, crvena, crvena
  5. Plava x2 lopta je plava x3, lopta je plava, plava, plava
  6. Zeleno x2 drvo je zeleno x3,  drvo je zeleno, zeleno, zeleno
  7. Žut x2 limun je žut x3,  limun je žut, žut, žut
  8. Narandžaste x2 boje je sok x 4
  9. Crni x2 šešir je crni x3, šešir je crni, crni, crni
Serbian Cyrillic Script Version

Први део

Црвени ауто x2
Зелени ауто x2
Плави ауто x2
Жути ауто x2
Црни ауто x2
Љубичасти ауто x2
Роза ауто x2
Наранџасти ауто x2
Браон (смеђи) ауто x2
Бели ауто x2

Други део 2:30

Шта је ово? Једна књига. Које боје је та књига? Црвене је боје баш као и мој кревет.
Шта је ово? Једно дрво. Које боје је то дрво? Зелене је боје да ли видиш? Да видим.
Шта је ово? Један лимун. Које боје је тај лимун? Жуте боје баш, као пудинг наш.
Шта је ово? Кутијица. Које је боје кутијица? Наранџасте баш као и лисица.
***
Шта је ово? Једна оловка. Које је боје оловка? Боје је плаве, знам, знам да је, шта је. Шта је ово? Један шешир. Које је боје тај шешир. Црне боје баш, као и мачор наш. Шта је ово? Једно јаје. Које боје је то јаје? Беле је боје, знам, знам да је, шта је. Шта је ово? Ово један миш. Које боје је тај миш? Браон као кућа овде поред.

Трећи део 3:45

Деда има мали жути ауто. x3 Мали жути ауто x2
Деда има мали црвени ауто x3 Мали црвени ауто x2
Деда има мали плави ауто x3 Мали плави ауто x2
Деда има мали црни ауто x3 Мали црни ауто x2
Деда има мали зелени ауто x3 Мали зелени ауто x2

Четврти део  8:00

Црвени x3 је круг, црвени, црвени је круг
Плави x3 је круг, плави је, плави је круг
Жут x3 круг, жут је, жут је круг
Црвена x2 јабука је црвена x3,  јабука је црвена, црвена, црвена
Плава x2 лопта је плава x3, лопта је плава, плава, плава
Зелено x2 дрво је зелено x3,  дрво је зелено, зелено, зелено
Жут x2 лимун је жут x3,  лимун је жут, жут, жут
Наранџасте x2 боје је сок x 4
Црни x2 шешир је црни x3, шешир је црни, црни, црни

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Pronouns in Serbian in Accusative

In one of the very first posts I created on this blog, there was a list of the keywords when talking about yourself . It was published back in 2008 and you can find it by clicking on this link.

Now, if we use these words in context, we can see how the personal pronouns referring to the same words can be often heard. Let's practice such sentences together!

Masc./Neuter  Sg Nouns in Accusative >>> Corresponding Pronouns (on / ono  >>> ga/njega)

  1. IME = first name.............................................Koje je vaše ime? Možete li da ga ponovite? 
  2. PREZIME = surname.....................................Koje je vaše prezime? Možete li da ga ponovite? 
  3. DEVOJAČKO PREZIME = maiden name....Koje je vaše devojačko prezimee? Možete li da _____ ponovite? 
  4. MESTO ROĐENJA = place of birth...............Gde ste rođeni? Ponovite Vaše mesto rođenja! Možete li da ____ napišete?
  5. DATUM ROĐENJA = date of birth...............Kad ste rođeni? Ponovite Vaše datum rođenja! Možete li da ____ napišete?
  6. PASOŠ = passport.........................................Da li je ovo Vaš pasoš? Dajte mi ___ molim Vas! 



Nouns which are Fem.  Sg in Accusative >>> Corresponding Pronouns (ona  >>> je / nju)
  1. LIČNA KARTA = identity card....................Imate li ličnu kartu? Dajte mi je, molim Vas!
  2. STALNA ADRESA = permanent address....Imate li stalnu adresu? Možete li da __ napišete? 
  3. MEJL ADRESA = e-mail address................Imate li mejl adresu? Možete li da mi __ pošaljete
  4. ZDRAVSTVENA KNJIŽICA = health insurrance...Imate li knjižicu Dajte mi ___, molim Vas!
Masc/Fem/Neut Pl. Nouns in Accusative >>> Corresponding Pronouns (oni/one/ona >>>ih/njih)

  1. PASOŠI...................Imate li pasošE? Molim vas dajte mi ih!
  2. LIČNE KARTE...... Pokažite mi lične karte. Dajte mi ____, molim vas!
  3. IMENA .................. Kako se zovete? Koja su vaša imena? Ajde, ponovite mi ___ polako, molim vas!
  4. MEJL ADRESE.... Hajde da razmenimo mejl adrese! Možete li da mi ___ pošaljete još jednom, molim vas!

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Expanding Serbian Vocabulary - Money Matters

Here comes a  set of commonly used phrases when talking about money and banks:

  1. Trošiti novac (imperfective) // potrošiti (perfective) = to spend (money)
  2. Dobijati (imp) // dobiti (perf) = to get 
  3. Skupljati (imp) // skupiti (perf) = to collect
  4. Bacati (imp) // baciti (perf)= to throw
  5. Štedeti (imp) // uštedeti  (perf)= to save (money)
  6. Davati (imp)// dati (perf) = to give
  7. Pozajmljivati (imp) // pozajmiti  (perf)= to borrow/lend
  8. Zarađivati (imp) // zaraditi (perf) = to earn

To see how to use these verbs and common collocations, read this sad story about Mića and his best man Todor:

Rešenje i prevod:

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Advanced Serbian with Državni Posao - 2



Since Državni posao is quite difficult for lower levels, I'll just post a bunch of simple questions for the more advanced learners of Serbian to choose from.

1. Koja se sve hrana / jela pominju u ovoj seriji?

a. mleko
b. parmezan
c. salata
d. rukola
e. goveđi gulaš
f. eurokrem
g. krastavac
h. limun
i. pivo
j. paprikaš od mladih svraka
k. hleb
l. lovorov list
m. rečna riba
n. gustin

2. Ko je sve "food blogger"?
a. Đorđe Čvarkov
b. Boškićeva mama
c. Žika
d. Fuad Bloger
3. Kako se zove Žikin blog?
a. Majdanpekač
b. Sponzor
c. Kefirpičeta
4. Ko ima sponzore na svom blogu?
a. Mama
b. Baba
c. Šilovićka
d. Žika
5. Koliko košta limun?
a. 100 dinara
b. 200 dinara
c. 400 dinara
d. 500 dinara
6. Koliko Žika dobija novca po baneru? 
a. 10 evra
b. 100 evra
c. 1000 evra
When you are ready, click #read more to check the answers:

Monday, October 31, 2016

Serbian Language with Recipes - Exotic Chicken


In today's "Radni ručak" we can enjoy watching "Piletina lampia" with the chef Samir and  beautiful Milena.

Listen to the video and try to answer the following questions:

1. Jedan sastojak je viška. Koji?

  • piletina
  • crvena paprika
  • tikvica
  • crni luk
  • so
  • pirinač
  • med
  • ananas
  • banana
  • šampinjoni
  • šargarepa
  • pavlaka
  • biber
  • sirće
2. Od čega se sastoji sledeće jelo - koji oblik nije gramatički tačan?
  • od piletine
  • od crvene paprike
  • od tikvice
  • od crnog luka
  • od solija
  • od pirinča
  • od meda
  • od ananasa
  • od banane
  • od šampinjona
  • od šargarepe
  • od pavlake
  • od bibera
  • od sirćeta
3. Koje imenice nedostaju iza glagola koje sam navela?
  • iseći 
  • seći ... na kockice
  • dodati ...
  • staviti ... da se peče
  • iseći ... na krupno
  • iseći ... na pola, pa još na pola
  • iseći ... na sitne kockice
  • dodati ... i papriku na kraju
  • sipati polako ...
  • koristimo neutralnu ... ili ... za kuvanje
  • dodati malo ...
  • kao podlogu ćemo staviti ...
  • dodaćemo još malo ... i to bi bilo to
Answer key:

Monday, October 03, 2016

Furniture in Serbian - Expand your Vocabulary

In the previous month I posted a few exercises for you to practice how to pronounce rooms in a flat in Serbian. There was an exercise to help you write and read the same words both in the  Latin and Cyrillic script. I hope you liked all the exercises.

 Now it's time to expand the vocabulary and learn about the furniture in different rooms. Here comes an exercise with flash cards to help you hear and pronounce the words correctly!

Furniture in Serbian



Games with Furniture in Serbian 

To simply recognize the words, play the Scatter game by pulling the photos over the words or vice versa.



When you are ready to practice writing and actively connecting photos with the words, enjoy playing

As usual, there is a vocabulary game, but this time it's a hangman game based on some of the words from the previous exercises.


Thursday, September 29, 2016

Personal Pronouns in Accusative

In the previous post you could see the different forms of pronouns in the Accusative case in Serbian:

There are quite a lot of verbs which require the Accusative, and "voleti" or "to love" obviously requires a direct object. Therefore you'll come across this form in many a song:

The same goes for the verb ZVATI. Since we are going to practice Serbian with two songs with this verb, let's start with a bit of theory:


and then let's practice with a game:
If you like these Quizlet exercises, here's one more with the verbs to see and to go to (Videti i Ići u + Akuzativ)

Finally, when you feel confident using the pronouns in Accusative, let's sing the following songs in 
Zovem ______  zovem, a ti tako 
nećeš da čuješ zov iz duše
zovem ______  zovem ko zna gde si
dok moji snovi već se ruše

Ref. 2x
Zovem ______  zovem, noću te sanjam
uzalud širim ruke svoje
zovem ______  zovem, al' čemu sve to
ti drugu ljubiš oko moje

Zovem______ zovem, a ti tako 
ni pismom jednim da se javiš
zovem ______  zovem noći svake
a ti ne čuješ ili se praviš

Ref. 2x

Zovem ______  zovem, gde si mili
traže ______  moje vlažne oči
zovem ______  zovem srećni bi bili
javi mi dal' ćeš nekad doći

Ref. 2x

Poći ću u šume da ____ opet tražim
uz tišinu rijeke da ___  mirno sanjam
i dok mesec sija gledaću u zvijezde
ne bih li ___ sreo sretnu i daleku
aha, aha, aha

Zvao sam ___ Emili
u moj je san ko u svoj ušla dom
zbog nje se dan pretvorio u noć 
i pjesme sve poludjele zbog nje 
kao kiše prolećne

Zvao sam ____ Emili
u danima kad voljesmo se mi
od proljeća do kasne jeseni
zbog nje, zbog nje izgubio sam sve
čak i dobre drugove

Zvao sam ____  Emili

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

How to Practice Personal Pronouns through Cases

If you are familiar with the personal pronouns in Serbian in the Nominative case, it's time for you to their different forms through various cases.

The clever way is to approach these more complicated forms through the texts you've done before, using the pronouns instead of nouns. For example:



If we turn all the nouns into the corresponding pronouns, we would get a fun story:

  • Želim da kupim njih. = Želim da ih kupim.
  • Da li  imate njih, ali u plavoj boji? = Da li ih imate, ali plave?
  • Da li možete da mi pokažete nju i njih = Da li možete da mi je pokažete i da mi ih pokažete?
  • Želim da kupim nju, nju i nju i njih. = Želim da je kupim i želim da ih kupim.
Now I have two questions:
  1. What does each pronoun in bold refer to?
  2. What changes does the word order cause?


However, the easiest way is to learn pronouns is through songs and exercises:

Since the courses Serbian 101 and Serbian 102 deal with the following cases:
  • Nominative (JA - TI/VI - ON - ONA - ON // MI - VI - ONI)
  • Accusative 
in Serbian 102 I introduced the pronouns in the Accusative

  • Accusative (MENE / SEBE - TEBE/ VAS - NJEGA - NJU(JE) - NJEGA // NAS - VAS - NJIH)

In Serbian 201 I introduce the pronouns in the Locative and Instrumental case:



  • Locative ( o MENI/ SEBI - TEBI - VAMA - NJEMU - NJOJ - NJEMU // NAMA - VAMA - NJIMA)
  • Instrumental (SA MNOM/SOBOM - TOBOM - VAMA - NJIM - NJOM - NJIM // NAMA - VAMA - NJIMA)
and we will practice them together in the next post!


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Beautiful Songs about Serbia - Serbia mía

Have you ever heard of this beautiful song about Serbia, by Mirko Radović? If not, I am sure you will enjoy listening to it now and come back to it because if its gentleness and a catchy tune!


In case you don't understand Spanish, I'll share with you the author's words about the song, 

"Rodio sam se daleko, i tek nakon više od 50 godina sam uspeo da se povežem sa mojom porodicom. Nikada neću zaboraviti taj trenutak. Siguran sam da su me moj otac i baba i deda gledali sa neba i da su danas jako srećni zbog toga. Ova pesma je istinita priča o mom ponovnom susretu sa domovinom, pretočena u stihove."
along with the lyrics in Spanish

*** Lyrics ***
          Serbia mía
Siento el silbido que despierta, Siento el dulce aroma de un café

Siento cada abrazo, cada beso y las caricias
Que la noche nos dejó tan solo ayer
Siento que mis manos aún te buscan
Siento que tuvimos que partir
Siento cada calle, cada plaza, cada parque
Los rincones que nos vieron sonreir…
Lo siento, Serbía mía, y volver será un nuevo empezar
Siento cada pena, cada angustia, cada llanto
Que tu rostro inocente ayer marcó
Y si la noche se acaba, celebra conmigo que el día volvió


Lo siento, Serbía mía, y lo siento cada día más y más
Siento recordar lo que fuímos, siento el fuego vil que nos quebró
No importa que estés muy lejos, la paz es tu abrigo, el sol es tu voz
Y si la noche se acaba, celebra conmigo que el día volvió
and its translation:

*** Translation *** 
Srbijo moja
Osećam zvuk koji me budi,
osećam slatki miris jutra.
Osećam svaki zagrljaj, svaki poljubac i dodire
koje nam je prošla noć ostavila.
Osećam da mi ruke još tebe traže.
Osećam da smo morali otići.
Osećam svaku ulicu, svaki trg, svaki park,
sva mesta koja su nas videla.

Osećam te, Srbijo moja
i osećam te svakim danom više i više
Osećam te Srbijo moja
i vratiću se tebi ponovo.
Sećam se što smo nekada bili.
Osećam vatru koja rastavlja
Osećam svaki bol, svaku muku, svaki krik
koje je proslost na licu ostavila.
Nije važno što si daleko,
mir je tvoj spas,
Sunce je tvoj glas.
Iako je noći kraj,
slavi sa mnom,

jer dan se vratio.

Although the song was released a few years ago, a wonderful piece of news was to learn that this song dedicated to Serbia was picked by a Peruvian corporate chain to be played in their offices :) No wonder why! Congratulations, Mirko!

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Vocabulary in Serbian - Rooms and Furniture

While working on my Serbian language courses, I keep creating tests, exercises, video lessons and fun games. The beauty of technology nowadays is that everything is so "shareable" and "embedable" :)

Furniture in Serbian - Flash Cards with Pronunciation

Simply type the word you hear (on the right hand side you'll see the explanation in English)


Practicing Serbian Cyrillic with New Vocabulary

Match the same words in Latin and Cyrillic script


Doing Fun Rooms 'n' Furniture Vocabulary Exercises in Serbian

Exercise 1: Unfortunately, this one is not embeddable, simply click here.

Exercise 2 is very similar to the previous one - simply click on the point which shows the word written at the top of the picture.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Practicing Superlatives - Advanced Serbian

It really makes my day when I come across an excellent video in Serbian with perfect pronunciation,  along with subtitles. This is exactly what I want to share with you today! After watching this video you could choose only five photos out of ten to tell me which photo is the funniest, the most incredible, the stupidest, the best and the most interesting one!

Speaking Exercise with Superlatives in Serbian 


Dok gledate video odlučite koja fotografija je
  • najsmešnija (smešan = funny)
  • najneverovatnija (neverovatan = impossible)
  • najgluplja (glup =stupid)
  • najbolja (dobar = good)
  • najinteresantnija (interesantan = interesting)


i ostavite (audio) odgovor u komentaru ispod:

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Serbian for Children with Songs

A few weeks ago I started creating simple lessons for children who are learning Serbian across the world. At first I thought there would be lack of simple and fun songs for the first few lessons, but as it transpired I was wrong. On  Nykk Deetronic's Youtube channel I came across a few great songs, such as:

as well as easy to understand short cartoons, such as 
Today I would like to share a version of Nykk's "Pilići smo mi" by IDJKids, with additional fun exercises I created:


 

Serbian for Children with Songs


Which words are missing? (More about the verb TO BE in Serbian)

Piju, piju, piju - piju, piju, piju x 3
Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju x3
Mama govori "Koko roko koko da"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "Kukuriku kukuku"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "av, av, av, av, av"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "mjau x5"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "mu, mu, mu, mu,mu"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "grok, grok, grok, grok, grok"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "me, me, me, me,me"

Mi ____ pilići
Piju, piju, piju
Mali radosni
Jupi, jupi piju
________   govori "kva, kva, kva, kva, kva"

Exercise for Serbian for Children Lesson





Lekcija 7 - Glagol biti

If you like the exercises and Serbian video lessons and courses I am creating, I'd like to invite you to support me through Patreon. Your help is much appreciated :)

Sunday, August 07, 2016

Serbian Vowels Pronounced

Let me announce that the time of low quality video lessons is over. I am sure you will enjoy watching one of the introductory videos on how to pronounce Serbian vowels with a brand new tool :)

Serbian Vowels

Although there are only five + one vowels in Serbian: A, E, I, O & U + R, one must take into account that there is also a distinction between long and short vowels. This difference is not seen in orthography, but the stressed ones are more often the longer ones. 

Today I simply want to introduce you to the simplicity of the pronunciation of the basic five vowels, and then in the following videos we'll work on the pronunciation of the "sixth vowel" in Serbian, the syllable forming R, as well as the long and short vowel pronunciation and stress within a word. 


Thursday, June 30, 2016

Practicing Pronouns in Serbian

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Future Tense in Serbian



It's simply not enough to understand how to form the future tense in Serbian and its somewhat complicated word order! You need to practise as much as possible.

Future Tense in Serbian




Future Tense in Serbian with "Ej žalim žalim"


And what an enjoyable practice can it be when you simply  sing it! That's why I am focusing today on this beautiful song featuring the future tense in Serbian  :)


Saturday, May 14, 2016

Learning Serbian by Singing with Sanja Vučić

This is the perfect moment for you to meet our gorgeous Sanja Vučić and practice Serbian while listening to this interview,






and doing a listening comprehension exercise based on her story:
  1. Odakle je Sanja?
  2. Koliko ima godina?
  3. Kada je snimljen ovaj intervju?
  4. Gde Sanja sada živi?
  5. Šta je želela da studira?
  6. Gde je njena mama sada?
  7. Od kada Sanja prati Evroviziju?
  8. Kako se zvala njena osnovna škola?
  9. Da li je Sanja bila bolji đak u osnovnoj ili srednjoj školi?
  10. Ko Sanju podržava?
  11. Koju vrstu muzike Sanjini roditelji vole?
  12. Kako je Sanja opisala svoju majku?
  13. Da li Sanja ima dečka trenutno?
  14. Gde je sve Sanja pevala?
  15. Da li Sanja sada želi da bude operska pevačica?
  16. Kada je Sanja bila jako srećna?
  17. Koje trenutke Sanja uvek zaboravlja?
Learning Serbian by Singing with Sanja Vučić

... or practice singing with her



p.s. don't forget to vote for her tonight!

Friday, May 13, 2016

Stress Patterns in Serbian

The following two videos are great for the students at upper-intermediate and advanced levels who are interested in stress patterns in Serbian and who can easily read Serbian Cyrillic script.




Monday, May 09, 2016

15 Most Frequent Adjectives in Serbian

When I started teaching Serbian I relied on the textbooks which taught commonly used adjectives one might need, such as "gladan" (hungry), "žedan" (thirsty), "lep" (beautiful), srećan (happy), tužan (sad) etc. This makes sense, doesn't it?

However, when I flicked through the list of the most frequently used adjectives I was surprised to find out that none of the "useful" ones was listed!!! That's why I made three sets of Quizlet exercises and recorded the pronunciation for the each of the 15 most frequent adjectives in Serbian, so you can learn them by choosing the activity you like best:
  1. Flash cards
  2. Learning activity
  3. Spelling activity
  4. Tests
  5. Scatter game
  6. Gravity game
  7. Spacerace game 

15 Most Frequent Adjectives in Serbian - Masc. Sg. Form




15 Most Frequent Adjectives in Serbian - Fem. Sg. Form


15 Most Frequent Adjectives in Serbian - Neut. Sg. Form




If you just started learning Serbian it can prove useful simply to do different quizlet activities to help you understand as much as possible at first. The most beautiful thing with Quizlet activities is that you can learn by playing games of Gravity and Spacerace! You can also access Quizlet on your mobile and practice while you are commuting! Finally, they are free (no need to buy anything, just register through Fb og Google to track your results, nothing more)!

Next time we'll practice these words in context!



Saturday, May 07, 2016

Aspect in Serbian with Verbs Describing House Chores

How to Practice Aspect in Serbian?

When talking about aspect in Serbian, I must admit it is best learnt by using the phrases in everyday situations. A good example is a set of the most frequently used verbs when talking about house chores:


Imperfective vs. Perfective Aspect in Serbian  

  • Prati / oprati sudove = to be washing / to wash the dishes
  • Raspremati / raspremiti = to be tidying up / to tidy up
  • Usisati / usisavati = to be hoovering / to hoover
  • Čistiti / (p)očistiti = to be cleaning / to clean
  • Brisati / obrisati = to be wiping / to wipe
  • Kuvati / skuvati = to be cooking / to cook
  • Pržiti / ispržiti = to be frying / to fry
  • Peći / ispeći = to be baking / to bake
  • Peglati / opeglati = to be ironing / to iron


Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Extensive Reading and Listening 1

It is such a delight to simply watch fun films, series or cartoons or read interesting books in Serbian and pick up the language, isn't it? This is known as extensive reading (or listening). It helps one to speed up the learning process and expand vocabulary very quickly and effortlessly. With authentic films and novels it helps you improve from an intermediate to more advanced levels.

That is why I am sharing with you the well known Pop Ćira and Pop Spira series based on the novel by Stevan Sremac.

Episode 1



Episode 2



Episode 3



For more similar series and films, check out this Youtube playlist - click here.






Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Common Mistakes in Serbian - 2

Another fun video about the most common mistakes in Serbian is coming your way:

Common Mistakes in Serbian


So, which of these are the correct options:

a. bombona
b. bonbona
c. ne bi
d. ne bih
e. nizašta
f. ni za šta


Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Learn Serbian Phrases with Beogradski Sindikat 1

I guess it is just the perfect time to learn a bunch of commonly used phrases and collocations in Serbian with a newly released song "Sistem te laže" by Beogradski sindikat.

I created a new kind of exercise, with dropdown suggested answers, so you don't need to write while listening to the song, but simply click on the option you hear. You can also try to do the exercise before listening to the song, in order to guess what's missing. 


Make sure you listen to the song once again, following the same lyrics in the Cyrillic script!

Friday, April 15, 2016

Common Mistakes in Serbian

I must tell you that I am more than happy that there has been more and more educational videos about the Serbian language. They cover different topics, such as:
Today I wanted to present the series of short videos about the most common mistakes in Serbian called Negujmo srpski jezik! The first video in the series is about the words "all" and "he acted".

Common Mistakes in Serbian - sve or svo?




After listening to this video can you tell which of  the mentioned words is correct (tačna) and which one is incorrect (netačna):
  1. sve
  2. svo
  3. glumeo
  4. glumio
You can use the following form to say what you think: 

Mislim da je reč "svo" netačna / tačna.

Let' check the correct answers:

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Learn Common Serbian Phrases with Mikela

If you liked the previous post about the common Serbian phrases, I am sure you will like the following set of phrases people tend to use in  daily conversations when they meet the friends they haven't seen for quite a while.

I will add a translation next to the each phrase, so you can see what is only natural to ask if you have a friend who is from Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro or Croatia :) You will see that there are no "safe" topics about the weather though, lol:)


Đesi ba?* = Where are you? =what's up?
šta ima? = what's up?
kako si? = how are you?
šta radiš? = what are you doing?
ima li šta novo da me iznenadiš? 
= is there anything new to surprise me?

Kad si doš'o? = When did you come back?
kad se vraćaš? = when are you coming back?
vidiš li ti ovo? = can you see what's happening?
i kako ti to shvaćaš? = and what's your take on that?

Šta planiraš danas? = What are your plans for today? (what are you gonna do?)
jesi l' sutra šta planiro? = have you planned anything for tomorrow?
što si neraspoložen? = why are you in a bad mood?
ko te iznerviro? = who bothered you? 
Jes' ti diplomiro ono što si studir'o? = finished what you've been studying?
Nešto s' ti to čini mi se malo pauziro? = it seems you didn't finish it in time?

Jes' to novi telefon kupio? = Have you bought a new (cell) phone?
pošto?  = how much?
ako bi ga prodavo koliko bi košto? = if you were to sell it, how much would it be?
Kol'ko mu prostora u memoriju staje? = how much memory (space=prostor) is there?
kol'ko mu dugo baterija traje?  = how long does the battery last?
Jesu l' to tvoja kola? = is this your car? (The word "kola" in Serbian is always in plural)
il je rent a car? = or is it a rent-a-car?
Je l' to dizel il' benzinac? = is it using diesel fuel or gasoline?
kol'ko je star? = how old is it?

Je l' to na lizing? =Is it on lease?
il je gotovina? = or in cash?
je l' to vuče prednja ili zadnja osovina? = is it front or rear traction?

Refren 2x (* kaš = Kad ćeš)
Kaš* se žent? = When are you gonna get married (ženiti = to get married for men)?
kaš se udavat? when are you gonna get married (udavati = to get married for women)?
De mi reci pa da mogu mirno spavat! = do tell me, so I can sleep peacefully!
imaš li djece? = have any kids?
e nemaš pa što? = no? so why not?
šta čekaš više? = what are you waiting for? 
što ne rješavaš to? = why aren't you working on that?


Kako ti je mama? = How's your ma?
kako ti je tata? = how's your pa?
je l' ti ono imaš sestru ili brata? = have you got a sister or brother? 
(The word "ono"implies that he has forgotten about it)
Radiš li šta? = working?
i kol'ka ti je plata? = how much is your salary?
jesi l' u kreditu?  = having a (bank) loan?
kol'ka ti je rata? = how much is your (monthly) installment?


Đe budeš? = Where are you staying?
đe živiš?= where do you live?
đe stanuješ sada? =where are you living now?
je l' to periferija? = is it in the suburbs? 
za kolko si do grada? = how far is it from the city center?
jesi to na fejsu? = are you on Facebook?
koja ti je slika na profilu? = which is your profile photo?
je l' de da to i ti imaš viška koju kilu? = do admit it that you have put on weight! 
(some (extra) kilos = koju kilu viška)

Refren 3x



 *Đes ba or Gde si? here means "what's up", and is often used along with that phrase "Đes ba? Šta ima?

Friday, March 04, 2016

Common Phrases in Serbian

Common Phrases in Serbian

I am sure you liked the previous post where you could practice  pronouncing "Laku noć" which means "Good night". Today we are going to practice saying "Dobro jutro" or "Good morning" with this fun commercial:



It is actually based on a well known song by Bajaga, called "Dobro jutro, džezeri".
Džezeri is short for "jazz players", but in this ad this word is changed to "džezVeri", because the word "đezva" or "džezva" means a specific coffee pot, like this one:


At the very end you are also going to hear how chicken's "piu-piu" is used in the meaning of "they drink" = Piju (to drink = piti: conjugations>>> pijem - piješ - pije // pijemo - pijete - piju)

Now, here comes Bajaga's song with the lyrics, so you can compare the two:

Sunday, February 28, 2016

New Lesson to Practice Accusative in Serbian

After two months of adjusting an old course of mine to the new set of quality criteria at Udemy, Serbian 102 has been approved and is visible for anyone interested in learning Serbian at pre-intermediate level. I'm adding now additional new video lessons such as this one:


 Accusative in Serbian


 

and quizzes:

Quizzes with  Accusative in Serbian


TEST - 15 rečenica

Example with Sg. JA + IĆI + CRKVA >>> Idem u crkvu
Example with Pl. TI + VIDETI + MOSTOVI >>> Vidiš mostove

LEARN

SPACERACE

Pronunciation of Exercise 

You can record a similar story with www.Vocaroo.com

 












Saturday, February 27, 2016

Most Common Phrases in Serbian

Common Phrases when Saying Goodnight


Here comes a fun commercial which is great for you to practice authentic language, especially the word "laku noć" = goodnight,  you'll see why :)



I couldn't resist creating a short exercise based on it! Simply pull the words listed above to the appropriate gaps.

Common Phrases Task - Saying Goodnight in Serbian


Sunday, February 21, 2016

International Mother Language Day

Today is the International Mother Language Day. Mother tongue is part of the cultural identity of a people, the point of recognition, diversity, tolerance and understanding. Taking care of the mother tongue is a way of proving the people's awareness of their own identity. 

The legacy of the Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja says: "My dear child, guard your language as your country. Word can be lost as a city, as a country, as a soul. And what is a people if it loses its language, country, soul? Do not take someone else's word in your mouth. If you take a foreign word, know that you didn't conquer it, you've actually alienated yourself. It's better to lose the biggest and the toughest city of your country than the smallest and the least significant word of your language. People who lose their own words cease to exist as people."

***Many thanks to Meet the Serbs FB page for this post and translation:

Данас је Међународни дан матерњег језика. Матерњи језик је део културног идентитета народа, тачка препознавања, различитости али и толеранције и разумевања. Брига о матерњем језику је начин доказивања свести народа о властитом идентитету. 


Завештање Стефана Немање каже: „Чувајте, чедо моје мило, језик као земљу. Реч се може изгубити као град, као земља, као душа. А шта је народ изгуби ли језик, земљу, душу? Не узимајте туђу реч у своја уста. Узмеш ли туђу реч, знај да је ниси освојио, него си себе потуђио. Боље ти је изгубити највећи и најтврђи град своје земље, него најмању и најнензнатнију реч свога језика. Народ који изгуби своје речи престаје бити народ“. („Завештања великог жупана српског Стефана Немање свом сину светом Сави“, аутора Милета Медића).





Saturday, February 20, 2016

Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

The topic of today's lesson is the verb IĆI U/NA(to go to) followed by different places. Because of the preposition U/NA, which mean in/at/on in English, students tend to make a mistake and use the Locative case of a noun instead of the Accusative. However, since IĆI U is the verb which denotes movement, we can translate it with GO TO and then it is followed by the Accusative.

So, with today's Quizlet set we will be  practicing:

  • different conjugations of the verb IĆI in its imperfective form: idem (sada)  = I am going to (now). 
  • prepositions U vs. NA
  • Accusative Singular nouns (there is a change only with the Feminine nouns, which drop the final A and add U)

Learning Serbian Verb to Go to with Places



Practicing Serbian Verb to Go to with Places



Test with Serbian Verb to Go to with Places


Monday, February 15, 2016

Serbian for Beginners in Cyrillic and Latin Alphabet

Yesterday I made two brand new Quizlet exercises as a follow up of the following video Serbian exercise for beginners, both in the Serbian Cyrillic script and Latin alphabet. 



If you are not sure what some words mean, do check them out with the following flash cards:

Once you feel confident about the meaning of the words, feel free to  do the following exercises in the Cyrillic script:


or Latin Alphabet:





Sunday, January 24, 2016

How to Pronounce Serbian R?

How to Pronounce Serbian R?


If you patiently listen to Nada Zeković until the very end of the video below, you'll find out what is the secret of the accurate pronunciation of the Serbian "r". Verovali ili ne,  the secret is in its vibration :) Watch, listen, repeat and practice!




  • The position of the tip of the tongue is upfront, behind the upper front  teeth.
  • Besides, there's a slight vibration. (Listen to Nada comparing Spanish and Serbian name "Oskar" )

Advice on How to Pronounce Serbian R?



According to Nada, the best way is to practice by :
  • simply running round the house saying the vibrant "rrrrr" :)
  • focusing on sound clusters such as "pr" (pravo, prvi, pre, preko, prošlo...), and later on other words with this sound!
Best of luck!

Thursday, January 07, 2016

How to Congratulate Orthodox Christmas in Serbian?

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating it today! Today and in the next seven days, until Serbian New Year,  I want to give you a  Christmas gift of a free online course!

I also want to share with you the best Christmas SMS or IMs to be sent on this day which I found on various websites:

Christmas SMS for religious  family and friends

In the Cyrillic Script via Duhoviti website

Лепшег јутра од данашњег нема, ко је верник за Божић се спрема. Срце твоје љубав нека води, мир Божији и Христос се роди! Ту где се бадњак данас ложи, у том дому срећа нек се множи, нека срећна звезда кроз живот вас води Мир Божији и Христос се роди!


In the Latin Alphabet

Lepšeg jutra od današnjeg nema, ko je vernik za Božić se sprema. Srce tvoje ljubav neka vodi, mir Božiji i Hristos se rodi!

Tu gde se badnjak danas loži, u tom domu sreća nek se množi, neka srećna zvezda kroz život  vas vodi Mir Božiji i Hristos se rodi!


Informal Christmas SMS 

In the Cyrillic Script via Opušteno

Догорева Бадњак свети и полако ватром тиња, пуно здравља и среће желим теби и твојима. Христос се роди! Срећан Божић!

In the Latin Alphabet

Dogoreva Badnjak sveti i polako vatrom tinja, puno zdravlja i sreće želim tebi i tvojima. Hristos se rodi! Srećan Božić!


Formal Christmas SMS 

In the Cyrillic Script via Stihovi

Нек Вам сребрне зраке Божићног јутра под бором осветле поклон исплетен од здравља, среће, мира и љубави… Срећан Божић!

In the Latin Alphabet

Nek Vam srebrne zrake Božićnog jutra pod borom osvetle poklon ispleten od zdravlja, sreće, mira i ljubavi… Srećan Božić! 

Advanced Serbian - Srpski kao drugi jezik

Gde je ključ? Где је кључ? - Učimo srpski sa Marinom
Gde je ključ? ...
Where is the Key?-...
By Marina Petrović
Photo book