Learn Serbian

Learning Serbian with exercises, video lessons and online courses

Google Tag Head

Monday, October 05, 2015

Guinness World Record Largest Folk Dance in Serbia

Guinness World Record Largest Folk Dance in Serbia

Over 12.000 participants prepares to break the Guinness World Record by simultaneously dancing a Kolo (a traditional dance from the Balkan states) in Novi Sad. The same string of participants stretched for kilometers and encircled several city blocks. 

The organization of the Veliko Kolo (Great Kolo) took months and it gathered organizations from 12 different countries in the region. The participants were coordinated by local staff and by a system of loudspeakers. Additionally, all those participating were assigned a barcode, which was then read by the event's officials at the end of the event and the results sent to the Guinness commission.

Preparation for Guinness Largest Kolo 


Serbian Kolo, Novi Sad 4th October 2015 




Listening Comprehension Exercise



  1. Koliko folkloraša učestvuje u Velikom kolu?
  2. Gde se održava svečano otvaranje?
  3. Iz kojih zemalja su učesnici?
  4. Koliko kilometara je dugačko kolo?
  5. Kada će biti završena ova manifestacija?



  1. Koliko autobusa je pristiglo u Novi Sad 4. 10. 2015.?
  2. Kog uzrasta su učesnici?
  3. Koliko kola su folkloraši igrali?
  4. Odakle je prvi sagovornik?
  5. Odakle je drugi sagovornik?
  6. Odakle je treći sagovornik?
  7. Iz koliko ukupno zemalja su učesnici?
  8. Koji uslovi moraju da se ispune da bi se oborio rekord?
  9. Kada će se dobiti zvanični izveštaj da li je rekord oboren?

Speaking Exercise

While watching the following video try do describe what you can see and what you know about this event:

Monday, September 14, 2015

Relative Pronoun and Question Word Koji in Serbian

If you ever wondered how to practice when to use kojI, kojA, kojE etc. both when asking questions and connecting sentences, here comes an easy exercise, based on the intro video about animals:



There is a similar video, where you have to fill in the gaps with "koji", but in the appropriate form:




Along with an online exercise:

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Verb to be in Serbian - Video Exercise

If you liked the video about animals I posted last month, I bet you'll enjoy practising* the verb TO BE with the following video. *The verb forms which are missing are as follows:
  • JE
  • SU
  • NIJE
  • NISU

If you are not sure about the answers, you can check it here:


Friday, September 04, 2015

Songs in Serbian with Lyrics: I Miss our Love

Friday is such a beautiful day to practice Serbian with songs, isn't it?



Of course, there's always an exercise to do  :)



... hope you don't mind?*
*Petak je tako lep dan za vežbanje srpskog uz pesme, zar ne? Naravno, tu se uvek nađe i vežba :) ...nadam se da ne zamerate?





Sunday, August 30, 2015

Studying Serbian with Short Stories

Here comes a new video lesson covering the following vocabulary:

Animals:

  • taj pas / ti psi= dog/dogs
  • taj konj / ti konji = horse/horses
  • to jagnje / ta jagnjad = lamb/lambs
  • ta ovca / te ovce = sheep/sheep
  • taj ovan / ti ovnovi = ram/rams
  • ta žirafa /te žirafe = giraffe/giraffes
  • ta pčela / te pčele = bee/bees
  • taj pauk / ti pauci = spider/spiders
  • ta riba / te ribe = fish/fishes
  • taj delfin / ti deflfini = dolphin/dolphins
  • to mače / ti mačići = kitten /kittens
  • ta mačka / te mačke = cat/cats
  • taj mačak / ti mačori = tomcat/tomcats
  • taj tigar / ti tigrovi = tiger/tigers
  • ta zebra / te zebre = zebra/zebras
Verbs:

  • je = is
  • su = are
  • sviđati se  = to like (sviđa mi se ovaj pas = I like this dog)
  • videti = to see
  • zvati se = to be called 
  • porasti = to grow up
  • leteti = to fly
Functions used when expressing certainty/probability:

  • ovo je... = this is...
  • možda = maybe
  • sigurno = certainly/ for sure
  • ovo je sigurno... = this is a ... for sure
  • ovo je možda... = this is maybe a ...

Check out the previous lesson for beginners about rooms in a flat.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Bear's Wedding in Serbian with Explanation

If you liked the first part of the story of Dundo Bear's Wedding, I am sure you've been eagerly waiting for its sequel :) Here it comes, but this time you'll be able to read the explanation, English translation and you'll have to answer a few questions before you hear what happened in the second part:


Let me know if you like it?
Javi mi da li ti se sviđa?

What do you think what is the next animal Dundo bear will come across?
Šta misliš na koju životinju će medo Dundo naići?

  • na vučicu?
  • na medvedicu?
  • na lasicu?
  • na zečicu?
  • na vevericu?

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Short Stories in Serbian for Beginners

While preparing a new course based on simple, short stories in  Serbian via Udemy, I wanted to share a video lesson dedicated to the verb to be and rooms in a flat:

Ovo je moj stan. On nije mali. U prizemlju je kuhinja i trpezarija i mali toalet. Šta je ovo? Ovo je kuhinja. Šta je ovo? Ovo je trpezarija. Na prvom spratu je radna soba i tatina ordinacija. Na drugom spratu su spavaće sobe i velika dnevna soba. Sa leve strane su spavaće sobe. Sa desne strane je dečija soba i kupatilo.

Da li možete da pogodite koje su ovo sobe?
  1. Na ovoj slici je...
  2. Mislim da je ovo...
  3. Ovo je...
  4. Ovo je možda...
  5. Ovo je sigurno...
Da li možete da opišete svoj stan na sličan način?


English translation:


This is my apartment. It is not small. On the ground floor (there) is the kitchen and dining room and a small toilet. What is this? This is a kitchen. What is this? This is a dining room. On the first floor (there) is a study room and my dad's office. On the second floor (there) are bedrooms and a large living room. On the left side (there) are the bedrooms. To the right (there) are children's bedroom and a bathroom.

Friday, July 31, 2015

Serbian with Children's Stories

I think that children learn a language best through stories, chants and songs. I've already written about Dundo Bear's Wedding story back in 2013, but now I decided to turn it into a series of lessons which can be used for learning and teaching Serbian.

Let me introduce you to the first part of the story with this four minute long Intro to Medvedova ženidba by Desanka Maksimović.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Serbian lesson about Present Participle

Monday, July 13, 2015

Present Participle in Serbian

Present Participle in Serbian


After watching this short video lesson dedicated to present participle in Serbian, try to figure out which form to use!  Useful vocabulary:
  1. uživati = to enjoy (uživam, uživaš, uživa // uživamo, uživate, uživaju)
  2. gledati = to watch (gledam, gledaš, gleda // gledamo, gledate, gledaju)
  3. gledajući = watching (while watching)
  4. uživam gledajući... = I enjoy watching...
  5. slušati = to listen to (slušam, slušaš, sluša // slušamo, slušate, slušaju)
  6. slušajući = listening (while listening)
  7. smirivati = to calm down (smirujem, smiruješ, smiruje // smirujemo, smirujete, smiruju)
  8. smirujući = calming
  9. smrzavati = to freeze (smrzavam, smrzavaš, smrzava // smrzavamo, smrzavate, smrzavaju)
  10. provoditi = to spend (provodim, provodiš, provodi// provodimo, provodite, provode)
  11. obilaziti = to be visiting (obilazim, obilaziš, obilazi // obilazimo, obilazite, obilaze)
  12. obilazeći = visiting (while visiting)
  13. teći = to flow (tečem, tečeš, teče //  tečemo, tečete, teku)
  14. razmišljati = to think about (razmišljam, razmišljaš, razmišlja // razmišljamo, razmišljate, razmišljaju)
  15. razmišljajući = thinking (while thinking about)

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Practicing Montenegrin and Serbian with Songs

Monday, May 11, 2015

Serbian Vocabulary Exercise - Rooms


If you liked playing Quizlet games and practising your Serbian with my video lessons based on Quizlet, I'm sure you'll have fun learning some new vocabulary in Serbian today. This time it's all about rooms in a flat, as a short intro to a series of practical video lessons dedicated to the Locative case.



For the time being, let's simply practise pronunciation and spelling. For the brave ones here comes the test:



along with the links to other exercises:

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Serbian Expressions for Cheaper and More Expensive

A few days ago while I was preparing for my online lessons I came across this great video which can help you practice:
  • vocabulary (fruit and vegetables)
  • numbers and prices
  • comparing prices of certain products at two different markets in Novi Sad (Limanska pijaca vs. Kvantaš)



You can write or record a short report by answering to the following questions:

Limanska pijaca:

  1. Koje povrće je najjeftinije?
  2. Koliko košta krompir na limanskoj pijaci?
  3. Koje povrće je najskuplje?
  4. Koliko košta kilogram krastavaca?
  5. Koliko košta najskuplje povrće na limanskoj pijaci?
  6. Koje voće je najjeftinije?
  7. Koliko koštaju kurške?
  8. Koje voće je nešto jeftinije od kruški?
  9. Koje voće je najskuplje?
Kvantaška pijaca:
  1. Da li je ova pijaca skuplja ili jeftinija od limanske?
  2. Za koliko je paradajz jeftiniji?
  3. Koliko košta kilogram kupusa?
  4. Koliko košta crni luk?
  5. Koje voće ima istu cenu kao i na limanskoj pijaci?
  6. Koliko koštaju jabuke?
  7. Za koliko su jeftinije mandarine?
  8. Koliko novca se mora izdvojiti za pomorandže?

Serbian Expressions for Cheaper and More Expensive

Korisni izrazi kada pričamo o cenama = Useful expressions when talking about prices

  • ... se može naći po ceni od ...  = ... can be found at a price of ...
  • ... košta ... za kilogram =... costs ... per kilo
  • ... koštaju ... = ... cost ...
  • ... se može kupiti za ... = ... can be bought for ...
  • Za ... se mora/treba izdvojiti ... dinara = For ... one has/needs to pay ... dinars
  • ... je jeftinije / skuplje =... is cheaper/more expensive
  • ... su jeftinije i  mogu se kupiti po ceni od ... = ... are cheaper and can be bought at a price of...

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Fun Serbian Language Exercises

Can Serbian Language Exercises be Fun?

Kako da ne! For sure!

Let's watch the following video which should remind you of the famous "Night Watch" painting by Rembrandt:


After enjoying watching it, let's tell a story in the Serbian language. I'll try to help you with the list of the following verbs in Serbian and English:

  • šetati = to walk
  • sedeti = to sit
  • piti kafu = to drink coffee
  • čuti alarm = to hear
  • baciti konopac = to throw  a rope
  • trčati = to run
  • istrčati iz = to run out of
  • strčati niz = to run down
  • bežati (od) = to run away
  • probijati se kroz = to elbow one's way through 
  • preskočiti = to jump over
  • hvatati = to be catching
  • jahati = to ride
  • marširati = to march
  • penjati se = to climb
  • nišaniti = to aim at
  • uhvatiti = to catch
  • stati mirno = to stand still
  • stajati mirno = to be standing still
  • slikati = to take photos
Can you tell your version of The Night Watch story in Serbian while watching the video? If it is too difficult, let's write it first :)


Sunday, April 12, 2015

Happy Easter in Serbian

Hristos voskrese!



Lyrics:

Ljudi likujte, narodi čujte:
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Zvezde igrajte, gore pevajte,
Hristos voskrese, radost donese!
Šume šumite, vetri brujite,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Mora gudite, zveri ričite,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Pčele se rojte, a ptice pojte,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Anđeli stojte, pesmu utrojte,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Nebo se snizi, zemlju uzvisi,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Zvona zvonite, svima javite,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!
Slava ti Bože, sve ti se može,
Hristos voskrse, radost donese!

Sv. vladika Nikolaj Žički

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Easter Day in Serbia

Easter Day in Serbia

On Easter day people in Serbia crack their Easter eggs with one another, in search for the strongest egg :) We start from the early morning! At first, during breakfast we start cracking eggs and each of us keeps the strongest one. Then we meet with our relatives at Sunday lunch where we continue with this never-ending fight. There is usually one egg which beats all the rest and we keep it until the next year. 

In this video you can see what it looks like:



Here comes an exercise where you can practice the Genitive case together with the possessive form and comparatives (bolji / gori = better / worse; jači / slabiji = stronger / weaker; lepši / ružniji = nicer / uglier; manje / veće =smaller/bigger etc.). Watch the video first and then decide whose egg is stronger/better/weaker/worse! Have fun and a Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 05, 2015

Ready for Orthodox Easter?

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

How to Say April Fool in Serbian?

How to Say April Fool in Serbian?

The most common way to celebrate April Fool's day in Serbia is to play a joke on someone and then, if they fall for it, say "Aprililili". Yes, after "April" you will add "i-li-li" :)

I guess that the most ambitious learners will enjoy watching an episode of "Državni posao" dedicated to this day:



I am aware that it is quite difficult to understand, but do try to persevere with it and answer these three general questions:

  1. Da li je Boškić naseo na šalu? (nasesti na šalu = to fall for the joke / to be taken in)
  2. Da li je Čvarkov stigao da prevari Torbicu ? (prevariti = to play a joke/trick/prank on someone)
  3. Kako je Torbica uspeo da se našali sa Čvarkovim*?
*Jedno pitanje iz gramatike, samo za moje učenike: zašto je "sa Čvarkovim" tačno, a ne "sa Čvarkovom"?


Sunday, March 29, 2015

Practice Serbian Cyrillic Script

Since there's a growing number of people joining my Quizlet exercises to practice Serbian, I decided to record a series of videos to help you with pronunciation. Besides, you'll see how learning with Quizlet can be fun and engaging :)

How to Practice Serbian Cyrillic Script 




Practice Serbian Cyrillic Script


Practicing Pronunciation of Serbian Cyrillic Script


If you like this lesson, check out 99 more which can be found on an online video course  Serbian 101!

Monday, March 02, 2015

Exercises for Serbian as a Foreign Language

Exercises for Serbian as a Foreign Language 

Because of the lack of digital teaching materials for practicing Serbian as a foreign language, I decided to turn  my simple dialogues and stories into video exercises. Unfortunately, when speaking of the Serbian language, there's scarcity of paper based materials as well, but that's another story!


Exercises for Serbian as a Foreign Language 


Anyways*, if you have studied the previous lesson thoroughly, I am sure you will be able to do the following task without difficulty, whether* practicing speaking or grammar!


 *again, you can find the translation in the Serbian version of this post

Serbian Verbs - Short Story 1

Serbian Verbs in Short Stories

Recently I have considered* a list of the most frequently used Serbian verbs and I decided to write short stories and dialogues based on them. In* the first ten often used verbs, the following four are in this story:
  • biti
  • imati
  • jesti
  • videti
I also added the verb "voleti" in this group, which is actually at 31st position according to its frequency, but I hope you won't mind!
Can you translate this dialogue into your mother tongue? I will translate it into English and this will help you to check your own translation. If you happen to have time, do send it (via comment maybe?), because it will help other students all over the world in the future!

*Sorry for the clumsy translation, I was trying to stick to the Serbian original text which can be found here.

Dialogues in English and Serbian

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Sretenjski Ustav Exercise and Video

Sretenjski Ustav Exercise with Video

Here comes the perfect opportunity to share with you a special episode of "Mala istorija Srbije" dedicated to Sretenjski ustav.


I also want to share with you a few suggestions as to how to have an interesting lesson based on this video:

1. Opišite šta se dešava u ovoj epizodi, ali bez slušanja
2. Sada ponovo odslušajte celu epizodu i odgovorite na sledeća pitanja:


  • a. po čemu je poznat Sretenjski ustav?
  • b. kada je donet?
  • c. kako ga je ruski ambasador nazvao?

  • Monday, February 09, 2015

    St Valentine's Day with Exercises 2

    Songs for St Valentine's Day in Serbian

    For all of you eagerly waiting for another love song, this time sung to a woman, here comes one suggestion: I Still Love You by Sergej  Ćetković. The answer key, or the lyrics, can be found here, but I am sure you'll have fun trying to do my exercise as well:

    Sunday, February 08, 2015

    St Valentine's Day with Exercises 1

    If you are in love and getting ready to surprise your loved one on 14th February, or Sveti Trifun in Serbian, and if you are in search of a good love song, in the following few days I'll share with you a few suggestions.

    Ako ste zaljubljeni i pripremate se da iznenadite voljenu osobu povodom 14. februara, svetog Trifuna u Srbiji, i u potrazi ste za dobrom ljubavnom pesmom, evo ovih nekoliko dana ću vam dati nekoliko predloga:

    Pesma za njega = A song for him
    *Ne brinite, sutra stiže pesma za nju = No worries, tomorrow I'll post a song for her!



    Vežba za tebe :)



    Friday, January 30, 2015

    Ideas for Advanced Serbian Lessons - City

    Advanced Serbian Lessons - Describing a City

    For all of you who are eager to learn more advanced Serbian, I found another great video which can be turned into a few different speaking and listening comprehension exercises:

     

    Advanced Serbian Speaking

    Exercise one: watching the video without listening to it. You can take a guess what each building or buildings might be, using the following structures:
    • Ova zgrada bi mogla da bude (this building could be...) ... pijaca / vrtić / škola / stambena zgrada / crkva / sportski centar / tržni centar / bazen / pozorište ... or plural form:
    • OvE zgradE bi moglE da budU...
    • Ovo je idealno mesto za (this is a perfect spot for...) ... pijacu / vrtić / školu / stambenu zgradu / crkvu / sportski centar / tržni centar / bazen / pozorište
    • Da sam arhitekta / dizajner / političar, ja bih na ovom mestu izgradio ...(if I were an architect, I'd build...)  ... pijacu / vrtić / školu / stambenu zgradu / crkvu / sportski centar / tržni centar / bazen / pozorište
    Exercise two: watching the video and listening to the detailed explanation. Check if you were right about each building(s), using the following phrases:

    • Oni su rekli da će ovde biti izgrađen tržni centar, a ja sam rekao da će biti škola (They said that there will be a shopping centre built, but I said that would be a school.)

    Advanced Serbian Vocabulary and Grammar

    Exercise three: doing an exercise based on the text below, which I am currently working on (making gaps mainly where the nouns in genitive are):

    Advanced Serbian
    Šabac, grad na Savi
    Šabac, grad koji je delio države i carstva, na obali velike reke sa srednjovekovnom tvrđavom, kao obeležjem i simbolom. Živeo je kroz istoriju san o izlasku na Savu. Vizija o gradu na reci konačno je estetski, funkcionalno i ekonomski utemeljena planom detaljne regulacije: "Šabac, grad na Savi".

    Plan obuhvata površinu omeđenu ulicama: produžetak Kralja Aleksandra i Kralja Milana, od pruge do obale reke Save. Područje obuhvata plana podeljeno je na blokove različitih namena.Blokovi 11, 13 i 14 rezervisani su za izgradnju poslovnih objekata, dozvoljene spratnosti P+2. Tržni centar, izložbeno-prodajni salon ekskluzivnih oblika i materijala, samo su neki od planiranih sadržaja. Svoje mesto imaju i objekti kulture iste srpatnosti.

    Infrastrukturni objekti biće smešteni u bloku 12. Najatraktivniji segment obuhvata plana je stambeni deo za  oko 4000 ljudi. Naselje će činiti objekti kolektivnog stanovanja  dozvoljene spratnosti P+3 i gradske vile spratnosti P+2, koje mogu imati maksimalno po 10 stanova, minimalne površine do 45 metara kvadratnih.

    Pored stambenog bloka planirana je izgradnja memorijalnog centra, osnovne škole i dečijeg obdaništa. Na mestu nekadašnje kasarne, uzvodno od tvrđave, predviđena je parkovska površina koja se završava pristaništem i marinom za čamce i turističke brodove, uz prateće sadržaje: hotel, carinarnicu, portirnicu, hangare za čamce, ugostiteljske i administrativno-upravne objekte. Marina će biti sagrađena na mestu predratnog pristaništa, piše agencija, nekada omiljenog mesta Šapčana tokom leta.

    Thursday, January 29, 2015

    Learning to Conjugate in Serbian - To Have Breakfast

    Learning to Conjugate in Serbian

    Today I've found a video with an easy text in Serbian, which I forgot to upload  and share  with you last year. I corrected this mistake and you can see it now on my Youtube channel. I think you will find this exercise quite easy, as it focuses only on  the verb " to have breakfast " - doručkovati.

    Learning to Conjugate in Latin Script

    Since the video is for you to practice the Cyrillic script, let me write some basic forms of the verbs you will need in the Latin alphabet.


    Present Simple of doručkovati and piti (to drink)
    • Doručkujem-doručkuješ-doručkuje // doručkujemo - doručkujete - doručkuju
    • Pijem - piješ - pije // pijemo - pijete - piju
    Past Simple of doručkovati and piti (to drink)
    • Doručkovao - doručkovala - doručkovalo // doručkovali - doručkovale - doručkovala
    • Pio - pila - pilo // pili - pile - pila
    Future Simple of doručkovati and piti (to drink)
    • Doručkovaću - doručkovaćeš - doručkovaće // doručkovaćemo - doručkovaćete - doručkovaće
    • Piću - pićeš - piće // pićemo - pićete - piće
    I've written both the past and the present forms for the more advanced learners to practice turning the same text into the past and future tenses and thus learning to conjugate "doručkovati".

    Learning to Conjugate in Cyrillic

    Now, I am sure you are ready for this exercise:



    In order to turn the Cyrillic into Latin alphabet, do use the perfect tool for that, called SlovoMajstor:

    Wednesday, January 28, 2015

    Verb Biti in Serbian

    Biti in Serbian

    The verb "TO BE" in Serbian is something you should learn at the very beginning, because you'll need it not to express the most essential facts about yourself, but also because it is used as an auxiliary verb in the Simple Past tense.

    That's why this post dedicated to the different conjugations, i.e. forms, of the verb to be can be useful both for the beginners and more advanced students.

    A few short videos and exercises with the verb Biti in Serbian

    Exercise 1
    While watching this video say "This is a... These are ...s" using these structures:
    • Ovo je ... (+ nominative Sg)


    Exercise 2:
    • Ovo su ...(+ nominative Pl) 
    • Ovo je...(+ nominative Sg)

    Exercise 3
    While watching this video say what the photos are about (the locative case ) using the phrase: Ova slika je o... = This photo is about

    Exercise 4
    Using these full forms of the verb TO BE, give the positive and negative answers with 

    the full form of the verb to be:


    Links to the previous posts about the verb Biti in Serbian

    Tuesday, January 27, 2015

    Saint Sava Holiday in Serbian

    Saint Sava Holiday in Serbia

    Srećna slava Sveti Sava!

    I wish you  a happy St. Sava day with yet another version of the beautiful hymn dedicated to Saint Sava, sung by the Serbian men's choir "Kosovo" from Ohio.



    While listening to this number, check out these useful links about this topic, shared on our blog in the course of the previous years:




    Tuesday, January 06, 2015

    Christmas in Serbian

    Merry Christmas in Serbian

    I am sure you are enjoying these festive days and moments with your family and friends, wherever you are! Let me wish you a peaceful and merry Christmas with this newest version of my favourite Christmas song "Oj Badnjače, Badnjače":



    Learning more about Christmas in Serbian


    I also want to share with you a list of great links which will help you learn more about Serbian tradition and  Christmas in Serbian:


    Monday, December 15, 2014

    Greetings in Serbian Pronounced

    Greetings in Serbian with Pronunciation

    After trying to record the pronunciation for the basic Serbian lesson greetings with my computer running on Ubunty, it hasn't occurred to me to try switching to Windows. Once I did it, I saw how simple it was to make these little Quizlets even more useful! 

    Let's learn the greetings by simply listening to the pronunciation of the following words for saying hello and goodbye:

    dobar dan - good afternoon
    dobro veče - good evening
    dobro jutro - good morning
    kako ste? - how are You?
    kako si? - how are you?
    dobro, hvala! - well, thanks!
    doviđenja - goodbye
    ćao - hi / goodbye
    zdravo - bye bye / goodbye
    zdravo - hello
    laku noć - good night

    Exercises with Greetings in Serbian

    Now, let's do a dictation!


    Games with Greetings in Serbian

    The aim of the first game is to connect the Serbian word or words with its English counterpart.



    In the second game, which is real fun, you have to type the word in Serbian until its English translation reaches the end of the screen.... so the bigger the screen, the easier, haha!




    Greetings in Serbian


    Genitive in Serbian - Exercise with Adjectives

    Genitive in Serbian

    Let me announce  a series of blog posts about the Genitive in Serbian with exercises. Theory can be easy to learn, but what's more difficult is to actually produce correct sentences and phrases. 



    That's why I want to encourage you to play with the Quizlets I make for you and keep saying the words in Serbian out loud, especially while playing the SpaceRace :)

    Practising Genitive in Serbian



    Here comes the answer key:

    od čistog zlata - of pure gold
    prljave šolje - (of a) dirty mug
    od tamnog odela - of dark suit
    od svetlih gradova - of light cities
    prijatnih žena - (of) pleasant women
    od neprijatane dece - (of) unpleasant children
    širokog osmeha - (of) broad smile
    iz uske ulice - out of narrow street
    od visokog čoveka - from the tall man
    od niske žene - from the short woman
    iz lepog sela - from the beautiful village
    od ružnih pasa - of ugly dogs
    od pametnih - from smart friends
    od glupih političara - from stupid politicians
    od duge suknje - of the long skirt
    kratkih rukava - (of) short sleeves
    od vrednih ljudi - from hardworking people
    od lenje dece - from lazy kids
    od dobrih roditelja - of good parents
    lošeg uticaja - (of) bad influence
    jasnih uputstava - (of) clear directions
    nejasnih misli - (of) unclear thought
    omiljenih kolača - (of) favorite cookies
    udobnog kreveta - (of) comfortable bed
    prazne kese - (of) empty bag
    pune šake - (of a) full hand
    srećne žene - (of a) happy woman
    prostranih soba - (of) spacious rooms
    nesrećnih kolega - (of) unhappy colleagues
    bogatog muža - (of a) rich husband

    Test with Genitive in Serbian


    So you can try to do the test now :)

    Tuesday, November 25, 2014

    Conjugations in Serbian - to Shave

    Why Conjugations of Brijati - To Shave

    While I was watching RTS1 today I saw a very interesting and insightful story about a very old "brica", a barber who works in  "berbernica". I looked it up on Youtube, but couldn't find it on RTS1 Channel. However, there was a similar story which can be turned in another interesting lesson at an upper-intermediate or advanced level.



    How to use this video and introduce relevant verb conjugations?


    • As usual, it's always great to elicit the vocabulary based on watching the video, without the audio:
    1. BRICA - barber
    2. BRIJATI Present (brijem / brijes/ brije // brijemo / brijete/ briju) -to shave (impf)
    3. BRIJATI Past (brijao / brijala / brijalo // brijali/ brijale/ brijala) - shaved (past)
    4. BRIJANJE - shaving
    5. OBRIJAN - shaved
    6. OBRIJATI - to shave (perf)
    7. IZBRIJATI/IZBRIJVATI/IZBRIJAVANJE - to clean shave
    8. BERBERNICA
    9. Collocations: brijati + bradu/glavu, savladati brijanje, brijanje glave/brade, ucenje brijanja, vezbanje brijanja, oblikovanje brade
    • Now, let's watch the video with audio this time and simply encircle the words, conjugations and collocations as you hear them. 
    • The last step is vocabulary practice, which is soon to be uploaded onto Serbian School website with videos and exercises.



    Monday, November 24, 2014

    Short Serbian History - Part One

    This year I have discovered three real gems for learning Serbian at higher levels:
    As I have already written about Naša Snajka and Državni Posao, let me introduce you to  "Mala istorija Srbije" series which present Serbian tradition and history in a didactic and lively manner. For example, while watching the first episode you can learn:



    • until what time it is safe to greet someone saying "dobro jutro"
    • what "stalni gosti" usually drink
    • what "srpski političar" looks like
    • the connotation of the word "stoka"
    • who can save you on February 24th



    Now, how can you learn Serbian while watching these videos?




    1. At first turn off the audio and describe what's going on
    2. When watching the video for the second time, do listen to it and ask as many questions as possible (of course, press pause in order to manage this!). So, the aim is to understand what's going on!
    3. Retell the story using the phrases and vocabulary used by Milena, Lane, Vlasta, Vasić and Žika
    Have fun! 

    Monday, November 17, 2014

    Passive Participle Verb Form Exercises

    Passive Participle Verb Forms

    The Passive Voice in Serbian is not that hard, but the main problem is the verb form called "trpni glagolski pridev", or passive participle in English. Although I have already written about it, it can be useful to mention how to form it:
    *VERB STEM + -N/-NA/-NO // -NI/-NE/-NA
    Example: NAPISA+TI --- napisaN, napisaNA, napisaNO // napisaNI, napisaNE, napisaNA (to write --- written)

    *VERB STEM + -N/-NA/-NO // -NI/-NE/-NA
    Example: NAPISA+TI --- napisaN, napisaNA, napisaNO // napisaNI, napisaNE, napisaNA (to write --- written)

    *VERB STEM + -T/-TA/-TO // -TI/-TE/-TA
    Example: PRODA+TI --- prodaT, prodaTA, prodaTO // prodaTI, prodaTE, prodaTA (to sell --- sold)

    *VOICE CHANGES: in some cases with the verb stem ending in  -e or -i:
    • NOSITI - NOŠEN
    • VIDETI - VIĐEN
    • RANITI - RANJEN
    *ADDING an infix - V or -J between the stem and the passive suffix:
    • OBUTI - OBUVEN
    • ČUTI - ČUVEN
    • UBITI - UBIJEN
    • ISPITI - ISPIJEN
    To exemplify all these changes and forms with real life examples, I am in constant search of good videos. Today I came across a very useful one which I want to share with you! 

    Video with Passive Participle 

    Passive Participle Verb Practice

    You'll be able to practise the passive participle verb forms with the following exercises which are based on the verbs in the first four minutes of the video:


    Saturday, November 15, 2014

    Past Tense Practice in Serbian

    Past Tense Practice in Serbian

    You can find lots of useful info on the Simple Past tense in Serbian in some of the previous posts on this blog. Today I'd like to share a cute song I found on Youtube - all you have to do is to listen to it carefully and add the past tense suffixes to the past tense and present tense verbs and a few suffixes with the nouns in plural. 



    Dlan_ _ _ ti puni snova
    Osmeh boje izazova
    Reci, kud si krenu_ _?
    U srcu ti ceo svemir
    U oč_ _ _ kriješ nemir
    Snove si sakri_ _

    Zvezd_  su u tvojoj kosi
    Kao da te jesen pros_
    Nikom neće da te da
    Hoda_ lako kao vila
    Gde si se do sada kri_ _
    To me baš zanima

    Samoj sebi već sam čudna
    Svake noći ja sam budna
    Šta se sa mnom desi_ _
    Tvoji prst_ na gitari
    I sve te lagane stvar_
    Sviraj mi ponovo

    Malo čežnje na tvom licu
    Leptir slete_ na žicu
    Nebo se osmehu_ _
    Probaj sa mnom sne da deli_
    Šapući mi sve što želiš
    Niko nas ne čuje

    Hajde da malo proba_ _
    Baš to x3
    Jagod_ s puno šlaga
    Ti si mi tako draga
    Pa nek ide sve
    Do vraga

    Hajde da malo krade_ _
    Baš to x3
    Osmeh od sladoleda
    Noć ima ukus meda
    Šta je iza tvog pogleda

    Source and download via Youtube channel Vanja Grastić



    If you are not sure about the meaning, I prepared a quiz with which you can learn the words, and later on you can try to sing the song :)

    Let's learn the vocabulary:
    Let's listen:
    Let's play:

    Wednesday, November 12, 2014

    Serbian Language Tests - Accusative Plural

    There are so many different online tools for making tests, quizzes and fun video exercises and I think you noticed I like experimenting with them while creating various tasks for learning Serbian. Funnily enough, it takes time for some tools to develop and in the meantime, I completely forget about them. One of these is certainly Quizlet, which I joined three years ago, but haven't realized its potential until recently, thanks to my student, Paul! Hvala, Pavle :)

    If you flicked through Serbian School website, you probably noticed that I started adding videos and Serbian language tests made with this tool. I even started making classes at different levels, to group the tests, so feel free to join in!

    Let me see if I can share some of the tests on this blog as well! This particular exercise is a follow up of a video lesson explaining which phrases to use when shopping:

    • želeti = to want to
    • kupiti = to buy
    • videti = to see
    • želim da kupim = I want to buy
    • želim da vidim = I want to see
    Kupiti/videti is followed by the Accusative (čaša - želim da vidim čašu), but in this exercise we practise asking general questions with the Plural noun form, in the Accusative. That's why the idea behind this exercise is for you to turn : I + want + buy + a glass into I want to buy glassES or in Serbian: JA + ŽELETI + KUPITI + ČAŠA into ŽELIM DA KUPIM ČAŠE

    Sooooooo, let's give it a try! How well did you do it?

    Sunday, October 12, 2014

    Serbian for Beginners - Let's Conjugate Together

    Video with Verb Conjugations

    This video is made for you to practise conjugating Serbian verbs in the Simple Present tense. For more advanced students, this video lesson can be also used for making sentences in the past or future tense or in the conditionals.
    • imati = to have
    • videti = to see
    • voleti = to like
    together with nouns which denote:

    • places
    • plants and animals
    • colours
    • entertainment

    Conjugations




    Monday, October 06, 2014

    Learn Serbian Really Quickly

    This is another fun exercise for real beginners in Serbian. I am sure it won't be difficult for you to figure out which words are missing :) Have fun!



    For some help check out the previous posts with some grammar explanations for beginners in Serbian.

    Friday, July 18, 2014

    Active and Passive Voice in Serbian

    Listen to this interesting story about Filip Vukša, a modest Belgrade hero, and try to do the following exercises dedicated to the verb forms in active and passive voice in Serbian.


    a. Exercise 1 - filling in the gaps with the appropriate verb form in active voice.
    b. Exercise 2 - turning the verbs which were in the active voice from into passive voice.

    For some more exercises about the passive voice verb forms (trpni glagolski pridevi), here come two drills:
    a. Lakša vežba
    b. Teža vežba

    Thursday, June 19, 2014

    Jesam or Sam in Serbian?

    After uploading a hundred of videos both from Serbian 101 and Serbian 102 course, and revising each of them, Ivan decided to help me with his 3D effects vidos. So far he's made 30 short videos with the verbs used in the course, in the present and past tense so far, but he plans to make 5 more each day.

    I'll post some of them here on the blog, but for the complete version, refer to the Serbian101-102 course. Here comes its short description:

    Serbian 101 &102 is perfect for absolute and false beginners in Serbian. It is organized in such a way that you can either follow it chronologically, or choose only the topics you are interested in. Each topic consists of an explanatory video lesson and then video exercises with links to follow-up quizzes with instant feedback. 
    There are more than 100 lessons making well over 10 hours of video lessons and exercises which take you from the very start to the pre-intermediate level, covering:
    • Tenses: Present Simple and Past Simple Tense
    • Cases: Nominative, Accusative, Instrumental and Locative
    • Modals: Can, Must
    • Pronouns: Personal and Possessive Pronouns
    • Adjectives: Possessive Adjectives and Noun-adjective Agreement
    • Numbers: Cardinal and Ordinal
    as well as basic:
    • functions such as:
      • Greetings
      • Introductions
      • Asking for Clarification/Explanation
      • Asking about Directions
      • Giving Directions
      • Requesting 
      • Offering
      • Expressing Likes and Dislikes
      • Asking about Likes and Dislikes
    • situations such as:
        • Meeting People
        • Small Talk
        • In a Restaurant
        • Shopping
        • Arranging a Meeting
        • Talking about Family
        • Talking about Routines
        • Talking about your Life
    • vocabulary topics such as:
      • Family members
      • Numbers
      • Food
      • Souvenirs
      • Places in a city
      • Countries and Cities
      • Means of transport
      • Colours
      • Jobs and occupations

    Sunday, June 08, 2014

    Shift = Smena

    Here comes an ancient song called "Za treću smenu" = "For (people working) night/third shift" by Djordje Balašević. I want to share it with you here because this version is easy to follow, especially with the lyrics in the proper Latin script (not the "ošišana verzija", which is commonly found on Youtube - guess not many people heard of this lovely SlovoMajstor remedy).

    Wednesday, May 21, 2014

    How to Help Serbia?

    Thursday, May 01, 2014

    Large Numbers in Serbian

    If you are familiar with numbers in Serbian, here comes a new lesson from Serbian 102 course which is a bit more complicated. It is about how to pronounce large numbers.

    If this simple exercise is too easy, watch this video survey about the year of the Battle of Kosovo and jot down all the numbers you hear:

    Wednesday, April 23, 2014

    Serbian Fun Expressions and Idioms

    In one of my more advanced Serbian lessons there came up a few expressions which I wanted to share with you today. I will copy-paste a part of the text about Jeremija, with whom you can learn Serbian from the very start.  I'll list the tasks below this short excerpt:

    Jeremija je bio veoma srećan tog jutra, jer je bio potpuno siguran da će dobiti povišicu na poslu. Njegov šef je u nekoliko navrata natuknuo Jeremiji da će od sledećeg meseca omastiti brk, kao i da je to potpuno zaslužio. Jeremija se pravio lud i uspešno se uzdržavao da ne vuče šefa za rukav i postavlja dodatna pitanja. Bio je svestan da sve što bude dobio jeste rezultat njegovog sopstvenog rada i da nije jednostavno palo s neba. Posebno mu je bilo milo što ovaj put nije morao da se kiti tuđim perjem. Njegova zasluga je bila očigledna. Kada je tog jutra stigao na posao i otvorio svoju kancelariju, imao je šta da vidi. Na stolu je stajao potpuno nov kompjuter i pored njega još noviji mobilni, a šef je sav sijao od sreće! "Šta sam ti rekao? Borio sam za tebe kao vučica... i izborio sam se! Najnoviji model? Hm? Šta kažeš?" Jeremija nije morao da se pretvara - na njegovom licu se videlo da su mu sve lađe potonule... Bio je 100% siguran da će dobiti veću platu, a sada mu je postalo jasno da je ostao kratkih rukava! Šta će mu sada Spomenka reći?
    Right, now there are three tasks for you:
    1. The easiest task: Can you find the synonyms for these words in the text:
    • drago
    • aludirao
    • apsolutno
    • pravi
    • narednog
    • jako
    • blesav
    • totalno
    • puta
    • shvatio
    • sasvim
    • samo
         2. The more difficult task: which phrases and idioms mean:
    • down in the dumps/ in the doldrums
    • fight like a wolf
    • to be absolutely certain about something
    • keep asking for something
    • get a raise
    • take an advantage of something
    • to deck oneself in  borrowed finery
    • to get the worst of a bargain/ to come away empty-handed
         3. The most difficult task: what will Spomenka say to him when he arrives back home? Try to come      up with a suitable idiom or expression. Let me help you with a few ideas, and you try to guess                which ones are the most appropriate:
    • ko drugome jamu kopa sam u nju upada
    • svako nosi svoj krst
    • nema ti ravna
    • prvo skoči pa reci hop
    • nije zlato sve što sija
    • ko rano rani dve sreće grabi
    • doterao je cara do duvara
    • poklonu se u zube ne gleda



    Sunday, April 20, 2014

    Easter in Serbian

    Monday, April 14, 2014

    Advanced Serbian Lessons with Državni Posao



    Very popular "Državni posao" series are perfect for highly advanced Serbian lessons. One can learn a lot of common Serbian phrases and expressions.  The fun part is to detect mistakes made by famous Đorđe Čvarkov, Dragan Torbica and Boškić (e.g. "lapsitops" instead of "laptop" or "Jututu" instead of "Jutjub").

    Let's watch just the first three minutes and try to do the following tasks:

    Task 1: Tick the phrases you hear
    • Do juče se nisam brinuo
    • To je samo fol
    • Digneš narod na noge 
    • Prazne duše
    • Bez i zrna energije, bez i zrna poleta
    • I ne bi se digli
    • Pogledajte šta nam rade
    • Za mnogo manje sitnice
    • Nikom ništa
    • Mož' misliti
    • Čime se ti baviš
    • Ukinuli seriju
    • To je neka mutna radnja
    • Ako nisu umešali prste 
    • Imao (seriju) pa nemao
    • Nije to bilo koja serija
    • Neko će odgovarati
    • Nema milosti
    Task 2: Even if you don't understand each and every word, can you understand what the problem is?

    Task 3: After watching the first part (0:20 - 1:30 - I added the subtitles to make things easier), try to answer the following questions:


    a. Da li je Dragan Torbica mislio da je ukidanje serije istina ili ne?
    b. Da li Đorđe Čvarkov misli da je narod u depresiji, ili pun energije?
    c. Koje reči je Boškić čuo kada je ušao u kancelariju?
    d. Na koje tekuće probleme je Boškić mislio kada je pričao o "dizanju naroda"?
    e. Ko se čudi Boškiću?
    f. Ko objašnjava u čemu je problem i kojim rečima?

    Wednesday, April 09, 2014

    Serbian for Kids - Šuma blista, šuma peva

    Saturday, April 05, 2014

    New Serbian Lesson - HAPPY in Novi Sad

    If you have been in Novi Sad, I am sure you  will enjoy doing this fun speaking/writing exercise which can be done along with  Pharrell Williams'  Happy [WE ARE FROM NOVI SAD] version:



    You can make simple sentences when you recognize the places where the people are:

    • Ovo je autobus. On igra u autobusu.
    • Ovo je trg. On igra na trgu. 
    • Ovo je kej. Oni igraju na keju....
    The verbs you can use are as follows:
    • igrati/ plesati u/na + Loc = to dance (deca igraju na ulici)
    • nalaziti se  + Loc= there is/are (oni se nalaze u parku)
    • prepoznati + Acc = to recognize (prepoznajem Frušku goru)
    • biti u/na + Loc = to be (bio/bila sam na ovom mestu)
    • videti + Acc = to see (vidim or video/videla sam tvrđavu)
    The idea is not to stop the video while making these short sentences :)

    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