Say “Prošlog leta Ana je bila u Grčkoj.” once slowly and once naturally. Do the reverse with “Moj deda je bio železničar.”, beginning from meaning and recovering the Serbian.

To Be in Past in Serbian 

In this story you can learn more about Pepa the Pig - Pepa Prase as a baby and what she did when she was little:
  • Pepa Prase je bila beba. 
  • Pepa i Suzi su bile bebe. 

A Story with TO BE in Past in Serbian



Part 1 - Serbian 101 

Let's do the exercise while watching the first part of the video:



Odgovori:

  • Ja sam Pepa Prase = I am Peppa Pig
  • Ovo je moj mali brat Džordž = This is my brother, George
  • Ovo je Mama Prase = This is Mommy Pig
  • Ovo je Tata Prase = This is Daddy Pig
    • KAD SAM BILA PRASE

    • Suzi ovca je došla da se igra kod Pepe. = Suzy the sheep came to play with Peppa. 
    • Zdravo Suzi = Hello, Suzy
    • Zdravo Pepa = Hello, Peppa
    • Želim nešto da ti pokažem = Let me show you something
    • Pogledaj ovo = Look at this
    • Šta je to? = What is that?
    • To je fotografija = That is a photo.
    • Da li znaš ko je to? = Do you know who that is?
    • To je beba ovca?  = Is that a baby sheep?
    • To sam ja. = That is me.
    • Ti nisi beba. = You are not a baby.
    • To je stara slika. Tada sam bila beba. = This is an old photo. Then I was a baby.
    • Ma ne budi šašava, Suzi. = Don't be silly, Suzy.
    • Nekada pre čak  si i ti bila beba. = Some time before. even you were a baby, too. 
    • Ne, nisam.  = No, I wasn't!
    • Da, jesi. Pitaj svoju mamu! = Yes, you were. Ask your mom!

Part 2 - Serbian 102 


Odgovori

  • Mama, Suzi ne zna šta priča. = Mom, Suzy doesn't know what she is talking about.
  • Da, znam. = Yes, I know.
  • Ona mi kaže da sam nekada i ja bila beba. = She tells me that I was a baby once.
  • Da i  jesi bila, Pepa. Vidi, imam neke slike na računaru. Šta misliš, ko je to? = Yes, you were, Peppa. Look, I have some photos on the computer. What do you think , who is that?
  • To je beba Aleksandar. (Aleksandar je Pepin rođak) = That is a baby Alexander.
  • Ne, to si ti kao beba, Pepa. (Beba - Pepa) = No, that is you, as a baby, Peppa.
  • Vidi tata, to je moja slika kada sam bila beba. = Look, daddy, that is my photo when I was a baby.
  • Toga se dobro sećam. Slikali smo te kada smo se uselili u ovu kuću. = I remember it well. We took photos when we moved into this house.
  • Kako to misliš? = What do you mean?
  • Kada si bila beba, preselili smo se ovde. Sve stvari smo preneli na našem automobilu. Mama prase je okačila neke slike. = When you are a baby, we moved in here. All the things we carried in our car. Mommy Pig put up some paintings.
  • Tata prase je okačio policu, a deka prase nam je zasadio divnu baštu. = Daddy Pig set up a bookcase, and Grandpa Pig planted a wonderful garden.
  • A gde je sada dekino lepo cveće, mama? =Mom, where is the grandpa's beautiful flowers now?

Let Gender Lead the Serbian Past Form

Choose a real person and describe where that person was yesterday. A woman requires bila, a man requires bio, and a child or neuter noun requires bilo. Next replace the singular subject with a group: a masculine or mixed group takes bili, while an all-female group takes bile. Keep the auxiliary close to the early part of the sentence, but move the time or place to the front: Juče je Ana bila kod kuće; Kod kuće je juče bila Ana. Both versions preserve agreement while changing emphasis.

Build a Memory Chain with Bio, Bila and Bilo

Create five connected statements about one day. Begin with the weather, continue with two people, add a place and finish with a plural group. This forces several participle forms to appear in a meaningful sequence. Negate one statement with nije or nisu, and turn another into a da li question. When speaking, do not pause between the auxiliary and every participle; the rhythm should follow the whole message. Finally retell the chain from memory in reverse order.

Five States That Belong to Yesterday

The past of biti combines sam, si, je, smo, ste or su with bio, bila, bilo, bili or bile. Select the participle from the subject first; Serbian can then move other words for emphasis without losing agreement.

Finish with “Naši gosti su bili veoma ljubazni.” and “Sve stolice su bile zauzete.”. One should become a short dialogue; the other should be recorded twice, with clearer rhythm and more confident recall on the second attempt.

Build the Past of Biti from the Subject Outwards

Underline the decisive element in “Prošlog leta Ana je bila u Grčkoj.”, circle the agreement in “Moj deda je bio železničar.”, and retell the situation behind “Jutro je bilo vedro i hladno.”.

Bio, Bila, Bilo, Bili and Bile Tell the Story

Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
Prošlog leta Ana je bila u Grčkoj.Прошлог лета Ана је била у Грчкој.Last summer Ana was in Greece.
Moj deda je bio železničar.Мој деда је био железничар.My grandfather was a railway worker.
Jutro je bilo vedro i hladno.Јутро је било ведро и хладно.The morning was clear and cold.
Naši gosti su bili veoma ljubazni.Наши гости су били веома љубазни.Our guests were very kind.
Sve stolice su bile zauzete.Све столице су биле заузете.All the chairs were occupied.

Recover the Missing Auxiliary and Participle

Translate all five meanings without copying. Use “Jutro je bilo vedro i hladno.” only as a final reference point, and supply both Serbian scripts before checking the complete answers.

  1. Last summer Ana was in Greece.
  2. My grandfather was a railway worker.
  3. The morning was clear and cold.
  4. Our guests were very kind.
  5. All the chairs were occupied.

Answers and both Serbian scripts

  1. Prošlog leta Ana je bila u Grčkoj.
    Прошлог лета Ана је била у Грчкој.
  2. Moj deda je bio železničar.
    Мој деда је био железничар.
  3. Jutro je bilo vedro i hladno.
    Јутро је било ведро и хладно.
  4. Naši gosti su bili veoma ljubazni.
    Наши гости су били веома љубазни.
  5. Sve stolice su bile zauzete.
    Све столице су биле заузете.