Learn Serbian

Learning Serbian with exercises, video lessons and online courses

Google Tag Head

Showing posts with label common phrases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label common phrases. Show all posts

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Learn Common Serbian Phrases with Mikela

common phrases , internet phrases in serbian
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?
Read more »
By at
Labels: ,

Friday, March 04, 2016

Common Phrases in Serbian

common phrases ,
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:

Read more »
By at
Labels:

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Most Common Phrases in Serbian

common phrases , Serbian for beginners
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


Read more »
By at
Labels: ,

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Serbian Idioms and Phrases with Verb "nositi" - Part 3

common phrases , Serbian idioms
Serbian Idioms and Phrases with Verb "nositi" - Part 3
This is the final part in the series of blog posts about the verb "nositi". The previous ones can be found on the following pages:

Today I am going to give you the explanations and various examples of the following phrases:

  • Što ga noge nose /  koliko me(te/ga/je/nas/vas/ih) noge nose = at full speed, as fast as possible = as fast as one's legs will carry one:

a) MREŽNI MARKETING, prevara ili ne - beži kud te noge nose !

or
b) Kakva greška ! Provocirao grupu navijača,  pa bežao kol'ko ga noge nose ! 
  • Pas laje, vetar nosi = idle gossip should be disregarded = the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on; words and feathers the wind carries away; words are but wind
c) Pusti ti draga priče. Znas onu" PSI LAJU, KARAVANI PROLAZE !"?! Samo se ti smiri i slusaj lekare i sve ce biti u redu.
or
d) Pas laje, vetar nosi 
or
e) No, svako vredjanje najvise govori o onome ko vredja.Psi laju,vetar nosi... (the first comment under the text)
  • Idi gde te (oči vode i) noge nose = gubi mi se s očiju = idi mi s očiju (pej. nosi se) = get out of my sight, get lost, be off with you 
Examples from the internet sites:
f) A FaceBook comment
or 
g) A folk song by Mira Škorić "Idi nek te noge nose" (lyrics)
  • Plati pa nosi (or more a more modern rhyming version: plati pa klati):
h) Naslov u tekstu o platnim karticama "Plati pa nosi"
or
 i) To su najobicniji lopovi. Svaka susa danas otvorila auto- skolu i kao poducava te. Plati pa se klati  (the penultimate comment)

And now the tasks for the more advanced /proficient learners of Serbian:

  1. Који од наведених примера комбинује две изреке, док носи значење само једне (на неки начин погрешно употребљено, али не омета разумевање) ?
  2. Који од наведених примера личи на превод енглеског идиома са истим значењем (што показује утицај енглеског због честих буквалних превода на медијима и Интернету )
  3.  Који од наведених примера је употребљен у букваном значењу, и уопште не носи идиоматско / пренесено значење ?
Read more »
By at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Serbian Idioms and Phrases with Verb "nositi" - Part 2

common phrases , Serbian idioms
Serbian Idioms and Phrases with Verb "nositi" - Part 2
Here come the second part of the idioms and phrases with the verb "nositi":

  • Koja kokoš mnogo kokodače, malo jaja nosi = he who talks much, does little; the ass that brays most, eats least
Example 1: Niko nema prava da gradira vaš (ili bilo čiji) patriotizam. Oni što najviše kokodaču o patriotizmu i trube na sva zvona o veri i tradiciji koje smo mi (kao) napustili, ne znaju ni šta je patriotizam po definiciji. Ima jedna stara izreka (srpska) koja kaže: Koja kokoš mnogo kokodače, malo jaja nosi. Želim vam od srca sve najbolje, gde god da ste, i drago mi je što ste uspeli da se operišete.( a reader's comment on Plus site)
Example 2: .Znači dolazeće izbore gubiš. Nikaj konkretnoga od ove vlasti ne očekujem, vrijedi ona stara:koja krava jako muče, malo mlijeka daje. Za aktualne bi se to karikirano:koja kokoš jako kokodače, malo jaja nosi. Pozdrav... (an interesting reader's comment from a Croatian site - za naprednije pratioce bloga: da li ste razumeli slični izraz u kojem se pominje druga domaća životinja, ali sa istim značenjem ? )
  • Nositi svoj krst = to bear one's own share of suffering; to bear one's cross
Example 3: Ivan Ivanović: “Svako nosi svoj krst!” (from WannaBeMagazine)
Example 4: An explanation with a fun example sentence in context, from Vukajlija : ... ал' шта сад да радим... свако носи свој крст!"
  • Nositi se mišlju = to intend to do something; to toy with an idea
Example 5: Pošto moja naknada za održavanje trudnoće i dalje kasni (5 meseci), ja se nosim mišlju da u sledećoj trudnoći žešće zloupotrebim sistem, jer ovo zaista nema smisla. Idući put ću da otvaram i zatvaram bolovanje do 30 dana sve do 28 dana pred porođaj -- onda niko neće moći da me vuče za nos kao sada.  (from BeBac forum)
Example 6: "Ne nosim se mišlju da su gradjani Krusevca rasisti.Nasim gradom slobodno se krecu prpadnici svih manjna pa i oni koji se razlikuju po boji..." (from a FaceBook page)
  • Ne zna se šta nosi dan, a šta noć = don't make hasty judgments;  one never knows what the future may bring

Example 7: Srbija je velika tajna by Desanka Maksimović:
Srbija je velika tajna:
Ne zna dan šta noć kuva,
Niti noć šta zora rađa... 

Zadatak za naprednije učenike: Pokušajte da nađete u ovoj pesmi aluziju na još jedan idiom koji smo pominjali u prvom delu. 
Example 8: Ne zna dan, noć šta nosi ( a theatre review from Politika)
Example 9: ...Neka svako ide svojim putem. To treba postovati. Ja, recimo, da sam zensko, nikada ne bih isao sa kriminalcima, ali se nikad ne zna sta nosi dan, a sta noc. (the first reader's comment from Plus)
For more advanced learners of Serbian: One of the idioms quoted in the examples 1 to 9 is inappropriately used. Which one ? 
Read more »
By at No comments:
Labels: , ,

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