_________________ (you say=kazati) da si srećna jer
uvek ______________(you love = voleti)
da nas _____________ (they see = videti) svi.
kažeš da _____________ (you are = biti) srećna jer
____________________ (you can= moći) tako čvrsto
ruku uvek pred svima da stegneš mi
divna _____________ (it is = biti) boja tvoje majice
divne _____________ (they are = biti) tvoje nove cipele
divna _____________ (it is = biti) boja tvojih očiju
____________________ (I dream = sanjati) te noćima
da _____________ (I am = biti) tvoj heroj
i to je sve
__________ ______________ (don't tell) mi
da _____________ (I am = biti) tvoj heroj
običan dečko i _______________ (I live=živeti) ko drugi
običan dečko što devojke _______________(he kisses = ljubiti)
običan dečko na glavi što dubi
znaj.
The song moves because its verbs do
Every blank controls an action or opinion: meeting, saying, loving, being, seeing, dreaming, living and kissing. Before conjugating, find the subject hidden in the English clue. “You meet” requires sretneš; “they see” requires vide; “I dream” requires sanjam.
Several lines contain da + present tense. After verbs such as voleti and moći, Serbian commonly says voliš da budeš and možeš da stegneš. Each verb is conjugated, even though English may use an infinitive for the second action.
A compact map of the song’s verb families
| Infinitive | Useful present forms | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sresti / срести | sretnem, sretneš, sretne | to meet |
| kazati / казати | kažem, kažeš, kažu | to say |
| moći / моћи | mogu, možeš, mogu | can, to be able |
| sanjati / сањати | sanjam, sanjaš, sanjaju | to dream |
| živeti / живети | živim, živiš, žive | to live |
Five fresh scenes for the same grammar
| Latinica | Ћирилица | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kada me sretneš, uvek kažeš nešto smešno. | Када ме сретнеш, увек кажеш нешто смешно. | Whenever you meet me, you always say something funny. |
| Volim da budem u društvu iskrenih ljudi. | Волим да будем у друштву искрених људи. | I like being in the company of honest people. |
| Sa prozora mogu da vidim celo igralište. | Са прозора могу да видим цело игралиште. | I can see the entire playground from the window. |
| Ne govori mi da je svaki heroj neustrašiv. | Не говори ми да је сваки херој неустрашив. | Do not tell me that every hero is fearless. |
| Često sanjamo ljude koje dugo nismo sreli. | Често сањамо људе које дуго нисмо срели. | We often dream about people we have not met for a long time. |
Conjugate from meaning, not from position
Cover the English hints and read the line until the subject is clear. Say the missing form aloud before writing it. Then replay the song and listen for the exact consonant changes in sretneš, kažeš and možeš.
Five verbs wait behind the microphone
- Ti ______ da si srećna. (kazati)
- Oni nas ______ svakog dana. (videti)
- Ja te ______ noćima. (sanjati)
- Complete the negative command: ______ mi to! (ne + kazati)
- Write in Cyrillic: Mi živimo kao drugi ljudi.
The singer finds every form
- kažeš
- vide
- sanjam
- Ne kaži mi to! / Nemoj mi to kazati! (Не кажи ми то! / Немој ми то казати!)
- Ми живимо као други људи.
Finish by retelling the singer’s character in three sentences, using one verb from each table section. That shifts the forms from lyrics into your own Serbian.
Marina Petrović