Thanks to my diligent student of Serbian, Mirko Radović, from now on you'll be able to follow easy Serbian lessons with explanations in Spanish. I send many thanks to Mirko and all the members of the Facebook community Serbios en Latino America!

Spanish opens the door, but Serbian decides the route

An explanation in Spanish can shorten the distance to a new Serbian structure, especially when a learner recognises ideas such as grammatical gender or verb person. Use that bridge for understanding, then return immediately to Serbian examples and sound.

Similar-looking international words are useful, but Serbian endings carry information that Spanish may express differently. Learn profesor, profesorka and profesori as separate usable forms; do not assume that a familiar root removes the need for agreement or case endings.

A helpful cognate can still hide a different ending

LatinicaЋирилицаEnglish
Profesorka objašnjava novu reč polako i razgovetno.Професорка објашњава нову реч полако и разговетно.The female teacher explains the new word slowly and clearly.
Student iz Argentine postavlja pitanje na srpskom.Студент из Аргентине поставља питање на српском.The student from Argentina asks a question in Serbian.
Špansko objašnjenje mu pomaže da primeti razliku.Шпанско објашњење му помаже да примети разлику.The Spanish explanation helps him notice the difference.
Posle videa svi ponavljaju izraz bez prevoda.После видеа сви понављају израз без превода.After the video, everyone repeats the expression without translation.
Latinoamerička grupa vežba kratak razgovor o porodici.Латиноамеричка група вежба кратак разговор о породици.The Latin American group practises a short conversation about family.

Move from explanation to a Serbian answer

Watch one explanation and make three notes only: the Serbian form, its purpose and one original example. Close the Spanish notes before saying the new example aloud twice.

  1. Translate razgovetno.
  2. Write pitanje na srpskom in Cyrillic.
  3. Masculine counterpart of profesorka?
  4. Complete: Objašnjenje mi ______. (helps)
  5. What should follow understanding through Spanish?

Three languages meet without becoming one sentence

  1. clearly / distinctly
  2. питање на српском
  3. profesor
  4. pomaže
  5. active use in Serbian

Explain one point briefly in Spanish to check your understanding, then demonstrate it with two Serbian sentences. The explanation is the bridge; speaking is the destination.
Marina Petrović