Read “Moj prvi pas se zvao Žuća.” and “Njena baka se zvala Danica.” as parts of a real exchange. Decide who is speaking, what happened earlier and which response would logically follow.

In the previous post we practiced the phrase "what's your name" or "how are you called" = "kako se zoveš" in Present Tense. Today we are practicing the same phrase but in the past tense with the family vocabulary :)

Zvati se in Past Tense - MATCH



Learning Zvati se in Past  



Test with zvati se in Past


Five Former Names and Childhood Nicknames

Two starting points are “Moj prvi pas se zvao Žuća.” and “Njena baka se zvala Danica.”. Together they reveal past forms of zvati se with gender, number and clitic placement; underline only the element that makes each sentence fit its situation.

Without looking, dictate “Bliznakinje su se zvale Una i Ema.” to yourself in Latin script and “Kako ste se prezivali pre braka?” in Cyrillic. Check the forms, then use both ideas in a compact spoken summary.

What Was Someone Called before Now?

Let “Selo se nekada zvalo Gornja Reka.” begin a two-line dialogue. Supply a natural response, switch scripts for the reply, and read both roles without pausing.

Zvao Se and Zvala Se Need the Right Subject

Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
Moj prvi pas se zvao Žuća.Мој први пас се звао Жућа.My first dog was called Žuća.
Njena baka se zvala Danica.Њена бака се звала Даница.Her grandmother was called Danica.
Selo se nekada zvalo Gornja Reka.Село се некада звало Горња Река.The village used to be called Gornja Reka.
Bliznakinje su se zvale Una i Ema.Близнакиње су се звале Уна и Ема.The twins were called Una and Ema.
Kako ste se prezivali pre braka?Како сте се презивали пре брака?What was your surname before marriage?

Tell the Old Name with Natural Word Order

Produce five Latin-script answers and transliterate them yourself. Use “Njena baka se zvala Danica.” to verify the target pattern, then justify one choice in your own words.

  1. My first dog was called Žuća.
  2. Her grandmother was called Danica.
  3. The village used to be called Gornja Reka.
  4. The twins were called Una and Ema.
  5. What was your surname before marriage?

Solutions prepared for Serbian 201 - Zvati SE in Past Tense

  1. Moj prvi pas se zvao Žuća.
    Мој први пас се звао Жућа.
  2. Njena baka se zvala Danica.
    Њена бака се звала Даница.
  3. Selo se nekada zvalo Gornja Reka.
    Село се некада звало Горња Река.
  4. Bliznakinje su se zvale Una i Ema.
    Близнакиње су се звале Уна и Ема.
  5. Kako ste se prezivali pre braka?
    Како сте се презивали пре брака?