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Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Serbian Idioms and Phrases with Verb "nositi" - Part 1

If you enjoyed reading the previous post about different meanings of the verb " nositi " in Serbian, I am sure you'll find this list of common phrases and idioms with the same verb quite interesting :

  • Vreme nosi svoje (breme) / sve u svoje vreme (а)= everything is good in its season
The examples are from the various internet sites:
Svako vreme nosi svoje breme koje ga karakteriše i identifikuje. To breme ga u isto vreme razlikuje i čini sličnim prethodnim epohama. Tako i dvadeset prvi vek, poput svojih prethodnika, donosi pregršt pitanja, problema i nedoumica, stavlja ih pred savremenog čoveka kao izazove, kao svojevrsne zadatke koje ovaj treba da reši.
ili
Vreme nosi svoje. Sedamdesetih godina ljudi su se najviše družili sa gitarom i ljudsko uho je bilo neverovatno naklonjeno zvuku tog angažovanog pesničkog izražavanja uz gitaru koja nije tražila nikakva elektronska pomagala.
  • Nositi glavu u torbi (б)= to live in constant danger, to tempt fate, to stick one's neck out. For example: 
Uprkos visokoj sigurnosti bolida Formule 1 i staza, piloti najbržeg cirkusa na svetu ne smatraju se bez razloga najhrabrijim sportistima današnjice koji, iz trke u trku, nose glavu u torbi.
ili
Oni nose glavu u torbi da bi mi bili sigurni. 
  • Zaklati gusku/koku koja nosi zlatna jaja (в) = to destroy a source of income, to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. For example:
Šta god da se priča, malo je verovatno da će kineski vodji ubiti "koku koja nosi zlatna jaja", odnosno odustati od 9,5 procenata godišnjeg ekonomskog rasta od 1979.
ili
...ova vlada ce nam dati svakome gusku koja nosi zlatna jaja samo da dobiju izbore,a ako dobiju ostaje nam samo perje od guske jer i guska i jaja odose...
  • Nositi zmiju u nedrima & Gajiti guju u nedrima (г) = to befriend a treacherous person, to nurse a viper in one's bosom. For example:
p.s. ovo na dobro ne može da ispadne ima iz istorije poznata epioda koja je sažeta u sintagmi "gajiti zmiju u nedrima Rima"! Taj datum ama baš ništa neće značiti, ja malo pratim medije, i trovanje naroda ponovo ušlo u 4 brzinu.
or
Above the title: "Zmija" u nedrima vlasti 

As you have noticed I added the examples ranging from current affairs articles, folk songs to ordinary people's comments, just to show that these idioms are frequently used. Since there is a list of eight more phrases with the verb "nositi", I'll divide this post into three parts in order to give you as many examples as possible.

Ако учите српски већ дуже време и већ сте на напредном нивоу, сигурно ће вам се свидети вежба да за сваки пример дате различито значење речи "носити" из претходног поста. На пример значење речи "носити", у примеру  а,  је исто као и у примеру б, док је различито од значења у примерима в и г :)

Part 2:
  • Ne zna se šta nosi dan, a šta no
  • Koja kokoš mnogo kokodače, malo jaja nosi
  • Nositi svoj krst
  • Nositi se mišlju
Part 3:
  • Idi gde te (oči vode i) noge nose
  • Pas laje, vetar nosi
  • Plati pa nosi
  • Nositi breme

Thursday, October 03, 2013

What does Verb "Nositi" Mean in Serbian ?

The verb "nositi" in Serbian has many different translations into English :
  • nositi odeću = to wear clothes
  • nositi  torbu   = to carry a bag
  • nositi dete   = to bear a child
  • nositi se sa problemima = to cope with problems
So, while in English there's a multitude of different words representing only one word in Serbian, there's this very productive prefixation system in our language which will make things complicated. But don't worry ! If you start learning the approximate meanings of Serbian suffixes and prefixes, you'll pretty soon be able to infer the meaning from the context, if you know what the basic stem word means. Let me give you an example with the stem " nositi ", as explained above :
  • pre- = over/ across 
  1. prenositi = to carry over, 
  2. preneti dete = to bear a child longer than it is due, 
  3. preneti dete preko bare = to carry a child over a puddle
  • iz- = out of /thoroughly 
  1. izneti torbu = to carry out a bag, 
  2. iznositi odeću = to wear some clothes for years, 
  3. iznošena odeća = worn out clothes
  • u- = into 
  1. uneti torbu u kuću = to bring a bag into a house
  • s- = downward movement /  it also adds perfective aspect (sth. is finished) 
  1. snositi posledice = to bear the consequences
  2. snositi troškove školovanja = to bear the cost of tuition fees (for example)
  • pod - = to 
  1. podnositi buku = to bear the noise (Kako možeš da podneseš ovu užasnu buku = How can you bear this awful noise ?)
  2. podneti ostavku = to submit a resignation
  3. podneti poraz = to accept a defeat
  4. podnositi ( vreme / pritisak...) = to withstand (weather conditions / pressure)
  • od- = signifies the movement from/ out of or in the opposite direction
  1. odneti = to take sth.to (we took the clothes to them = odneli smo im odeću)
In the next post I'll list a few idioms with the verb "nositi". Watch this space!
If you like this type of blog posts, make sure you don't miss the previous ones covering the verbs:
For those of you who are still coping with the basics, here's a simple video with which you can drill present and past simple, saying sentences such as:
  • On nosi ... / ona nosi ... / ono nosi ...
or in the past
  • On je nosio ... / ona je nosila / ono je nosilo ... or
  • Nosio je... / nosila je ... / nosilo je ... (which is more common and neutral word order)
Here comes the video :

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Describing People in Serbian - Part 2

If you liked the first part about how to describe people's age in Serbian, I'm sure you'll enjoy practising following features with the people & places video below:



  • height and build (visina i građa):
  1. ... je prosečne visine = ... is average height.
  2. ... je visok = ... is tall.
  3. ... je nizak = ... is short.
  4. ... je debeo / punačak =... is fat / overweight
  5. ... je mršav = ... is thin
  6. ... je vitak  = ... is slim
 
  • hair (kosa):
  1. duga kosa: ... ima dugu kosu = ...has long hair
  2. kratka kosa: ... ima kratku kosu = ... has short hair
  3. kosa srednje dužine ... ima kosu srednje dužine = ... has medium-length hair
  4. crna kosa ... ima crnu kosu = ...has dark hair
  5. plava kosa ... ima plavu kosu = ... has fair hair
  6. crvena kosa ... ima crvenu kosu = ... has red/ginger hair
  7. (svetlo / tamno) smeđa kosa ... ima (svetlo /tamno ) smeđu kosu = ... has (light / dark) brown hair
  8. seda kosa ... ima sedu kosu = ... has gray hair
  9. kovrdžava kosa ... ima kovrdžavu kosu = ... has curly hair
  10. talasasta kosa ... ima talasastu kosu = ... has wavy hair
  11. ravna kosa ... ima ravnu kosu = ... has straight hair
  12. ... je ćelav = ... is bald
  13. ... je proćelav  ... has a receding hairline.
  14. ...ima šiške (pluralia tantum) = ... has a fringe (in Serbian this word is always in plural, like "vrata"=door)
  15. ...nosi pletenice = ... is wearing her hair in plaits
  16. ...nosi kikice = ... is wearing her hair in pig-tails
  17. ...nosi rep = ... is wearing her hair in a pony-tail
  18. ...nosi puštenu kosu = ...is wearing her hair loose
  19. ...nosi razdeljak (na stranu / u sredini) = ... has a (side / centre) parting
  • complexion (ten)
  1. ...ima taman ten = ...has a dark complexion 
  2. ...ima svetlu put =...has a fair complexion
  3. ... je bled = ...is pale
  4. ... se sunčao = ... has a tanned complexion
  5. ...ima lep ten = ... has a clear /good complexion
  6. ...ima bubuljice /pege  =...has spots / freckles.
  • distinguishing features (karakteristične crte)
  1. ...ima bradu = ...has a beard
  2. ...ima brkove = ... has a moustache
  3. ...je izbrijan =...is clean-shaven
  4. ...ima ožiljak  = ...has a scar
  5. ...ima tetovažu = ... has a tattoo
  6. ...ima guste obrve = ... has bushy eyebrows
  7. ...nosi naočare = ...wears glasses


Thursday, September 26, 2013

European Day of Languages in Serbian

Many thanks to all the faithful followers of this blog for celebrating European Day of Languages every day :) I'm not a big fun of one-day praznik-a, but let me share with you some great resources for learning Serbian which cover this topic:


  • An excellent 2012 video on this topic:


Can you watch it several times, if necessary, and jot down at least three reasons why learning different languages is important, according to the interviewees ?

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Word Order in Serbian - Negation in Present, Part 1.3

If you are following the Word Order in Serbian series of blog posts, you surely remember that the first one was about simple verbs (not -se verbs) in the Present Simple tense. This time, I'll cover the same set of sentences in the same tense, but with their negative forms:

One word verb: NE pevati (not sing)Present tense OF "I sing / I'm singing."

Subject (S) + predicate (P)
  • Ne pevam. N
  • Ja ne pevam
  • Ti igraš, a ja ne pevam. N 
  • Ti ne igraš i ja ne pevam. N 
  • Profesor je čuo kako ne pevam i dao mi je jedinicu ! N
  • Priznajem da ne znam da pevam. N
S + P +  direct object (dO)
  • Ne pevam pesmu. N
  • Ja ne pevam pesmu.
  • Vidiš li  da ne pevam tu pesmu ?  N
  • Svi čuju da ja ne pevam pesmu. 

S  + P + dO + adverb of time (AoT)

  • Ne pevam pesmu svaki dan. N
  • Svaki dan ne pevam pesmu.
  • Moji profesori svaki dan vide kada ne uradim domaći. N

    S + P + dO + AoT + AoP (adverb of place)

    • Ne pevam pesmu svaki dan  kod kuće.  N
    • Ne pevam pesmu kod kuće svaki dan. N
    • Svaki dan ne pevam pesmu kod kuće. N
    • Kod kuće obično ne pevam pesmu. N
    • Moje komšije ponekad ne čuju kada kod kuće pevam pesmu. N
    • Moje komšije obično ne čuju kada  pevam pesmu kod kuće. N
    • Moje komšije ne igraju uz iks-boks dok ja pevam pesme kod kuće svaki dan. N

    I admit that this was pretty boring, but it's good to have lots of similar examples in one place :) I promise the next part with questions, short answers and negations will be real fun !

    Tuesday, September 24, 2013

    Learn about Serbian Verbs with Children's Songs

    Another great song which all the devojčice i dečaci sing is "Ivin voz" by Dragan Laković . It's also perfect to introduce a complex lexical system of the Serbian verb (which mirrors English phrasal verbs as well as perfectve /imperfective aspects ) :



    The Cyrillic script version:
    Ћиху, Ћиху, ћиху-ху...

    Из куће је излетео на улицу Ива
    сав задихан захуктао к'о локомотива.

    Видели га другови, па за њим и они
    потрчали, захуктали к'о прави вагони.

    Ћиху, Ћиху, ћиху-ху...

    Сад улицом тако јури та чудна колона
    то воз Ивин путује са седам вагона.

    The Latin script version:
    Ćihu, Ćihu, ćihu-hu...

    Iz kuće je izleteo na ulicu Iva
    sav zadihan zahuktao k'o lokomotiva.

    Videli ga drugovi, pa za njim i oni
    potrčali, zahuktali k'o pravi vagoni.

    Ćihu, Ćihu, ćihu-hu...

    Sad ulicom tako juri ta čudna kolona
    to voz Ivin putuje sa sedam vagona.



    Interesting verb lexicology:

    • leteti = to fly, IZleteti = to fly out of 
    • huktati = to make a sound like a to train (figuratively: to complain) , ZAhuktati se  = to gather speed (for a train, or when doing something)
    • trčati = to run, POtrčati = to start running
    An exercise covering this topic can be found on this SerbianLesson.com page.


    Monday, September 23, 2013

    Describing People in Serbian - Age

    In part one of this short series of blog posts on how to describe a person in Serbian, I'll cover just how to describe someone's age, and give you lots of sample sentences, so you can try to describe people in the photo below, focusing on their age ( and a little bit on clothes ):

    Godište = Age

    • beba  = baby
    • dete =  child
    • dete koje je tek prohodalo = toddler
    • dečko = boy
    • devojčica = girl
    • tinejdžer = teenager 
    • mladić = young man (short "a")
    • devojka = young woman 
    • omladina = youth
    • čovek u zrelim godinama = middle-aged man
    • žena u zrelim godinama = middle-aged woman 
    • stariji čovek / žena = elderly man/ woman
    • ... ima dvadeset pet godina =... is 25 
    • ...ima tridesetak godina = ... is thirty something
    • ...ima oko četrdeset godina = ... is about forty
    • ...ima pedeset i kusur = ... is fifty odd.
    • ... je u (svojim) ranim / kasnim dvadesetim = ... is in (her /his) early / late twenties

    Primeri = Examples
    Na ovoj slici vidim puno ljudi koji su različitog godišta. S desne strane vidim devojčicu u  ružičastoj suknji i majici, a pored nje je srednjovečni čovek  sa kapom. Ispred njih sedi žena plave kose i proćelavi muškarac, koji deluju kao par u zrelim godinama. Pored njih, s leve strane su dve žene u kasnim dvadesetim. Jedna ima belu majicu bez rukava i crne bermude, a druga nosi ljubičastu majicu bez rukava i plave pantalone. Iza njih s leve strane sedi žena u crvenoj majici kratkih rukava koja ima pedesetak godina i  iza nje je verovatno njen suprug, koji je isto stariji čovek. Pored nje sedi  dečko koji ima oko devet ili deset godina. Oni su na nekom slavlju ili događaju i uglavnom su tu deca ili ljudi u zrelim godinama. Ne vidim uopšte tinejdžere.

    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