Learn Serbian: Search results for genitive

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Who is More Dangerous ?

Marina adjective comparison in Serbian , Serbian language 365

I surely wasn't doing a great job tagging and linking the blog posts properly when I first started it back in 2007 - 2008. As it transpired, it seems there were only two posts covering the topic of comparison of adjectives in Serbian ! Shame on me ! This should be urgently fixed...

For now, try to compare the animals you see in the video sticking to the following sentence structure, using only the adjective "dangerous" = opasan (comparative : Singular: opasniji (masc) - opasnija(fem) - opasnije (neut.) Plural: opasniji (masc) - opasnije (fem) - opasnija (neut) )

For pre-intermediate level: Lav je opasniji od zebre (Gen. of "zebra")
For intermediate and upper levels: Mislim da je lav opasniji od zebre.

Animals in the video with their Genitive form:

zebra - od zebre
tigar - od tigra
ajkula - od ajkule
orao - od orla
medved = od medveda
lav = od lava
panda = od pande
vuk = od vuka
žirafa = od žirafe
aligator = od aligatora
golub = od goluba
zmija = od zmije
lane = od laneta

Funny Grammatical Categories in Serbian

Marina Accusative in Serbian , Learn Serbian online

One of the funny grammatical categories you might come across in Serbian are "animate" vs. "inanimate" nouns, which is for instance reflected in the Accusative declensions, only for Sg. Masculine. This means that just because you've seen (to see = videti) or taken a photo ((u)slikati) of a person, not a thing, a noun like "dečak" will take the Genitive declension markers (suffix -a) instead of Accusative (zero suffix), although it's still an Accusative case. (I'm talking only about the form here).

For example: Ovo je dečak. Videla sam dečaka. Slikala sam dečaka. (there's also a stress change from the first to the second syllable).

While the linguists dwell on these topics and enjoy discussing whys and ifs of such irregularities, I always enjoy helping you in the most practical way. That's why Ivan and I created these two videos, carefully choosing nouns both in singular and then in plural and grouping them. With both videos you can practice saying simple sentences, with the verbs:

videti (to see )
fotografisati = slikati = uslikati (to take a photo of )
snimati (to record)

The first video covers the grammatical category of "inanimate" objects:

The second one is obviously all about "animate" category - this time the topic is "people " (so switch to the Genitive endings for masc. please).

Warnings in Serbian :)

Marina Imperatives , Serbian language 365

If you ever wondered how to warn someone in Serbian, let me give you a list of phrases, starting from the most formal ones:
Formal and semi-formal warnings:

Dozvoli da te upozorim da ne + present (2nd person Sg. - with 2nd p. Pl, start with "Dozvolite da Vas upozorim...)
Ono što ja ne bih nikako uradila je da + present (1st person Sg.)
Ako me pitaš za savet, nikako nemoj da + present (2nd person Sg. - with 2nd p. Pl, start with "Ako me pitate za savet, nikako nemojTE da...)

Informal warnings:

Pazi se + noun in the Genitive case or gerund (verbal nouns ending in -nje, again in Gen.)
Nemoj da + present (2nd person Sg or Pl)
Šta god da radiš, nikako nemoj da + present (2nd person Sg. - with 2nd p. Pl, start with Šta god da radite, nikako nemojTE da...)

If you need all these phrases written both in the Cyrillic and Latin script, pronounced slowly, check Serbian phrases link.

Serbian Adjectives in Accusative

Marina Accusative in Serbian , Accusative of Adjectives

Now that you've practised a set of verbs which require the Accusative case, in different tenses and with different nouns ( which you have seen / broken / bought /sold / fixed / turned off / turned on etc.), it's time you did the same exercise, but this time with adjectives.

The topic of adjectives in Serbian is always tricky as they not only agree with the number and gender of the noun, but also with its case. While in some cases, like in the Accusative for example, the case endings are the same for the nouns and adjectives, it's not always that easy ( e.g. in the Genitive case).

That's why we'll stick to the Accusative case today, because we've already practised it and it's easy!
Let's watch the same video and add the following adjectives in front of each noun :

MODERAN = modern
JEFTIN = cheap
SKUP = expensive
VELIKI = big
MALI = small
NOVI = new
STARI = old
DOBAR = good

For example:

Kupila sam veliki televizor i malU peglU.
Htela sam da kupim i modernE lampE, ali bile su previše skupE!
Na kraju sam kupila jeftinE tosterE. Jedan za mene a jedan za mamu.

As you can see, the Accusative form of the adjectives with nouns denoting inanimate objects is pretty straightforward - it simply agrees with the noun adding the final endings both for the Sg. and Pl. in the same manner as the noun. Let me share with you an exercise based on this blog post and the video (click on the question mark to get a hint which adjective to use).

Learn Serbian 365 Days with Songs and Poems - Branko Miljković

Marina Serbian language 365 , Serbian poems

If you are at upper-intermediate or advanced level of Serbian, I'm sure you'll fall in love with this poem at first sight/hearing :) Zaljubićete se u ovu pesmu Branka Miljkovića na prvi pogled / prvo slušanje :)

If you are not sure about the words and the meanings, you'll find it on this lyricstranslation.com page.
For all those who'd like to practise the Genitive case after the preposition "zbog" = because of, here is the exercise based on this magnificient poem.

Serbian Language 365 - Day 5 Singing in Serbian

Marina comprehension exercises , Serbian language 365

If you have been following this blog, you've certainly noticed that there are a lot of songs with which you can practise your language. The main reason is that songs will help you with fluency, because while singing you repeat the same structures, collocations and fixed verb+case noun sets, and this boosts your confidence and automatic responses.

Before I continue creating new songs+exercises, such as this one, let me give you a short review of the past songs and grammar points which my students really loved:

Serbian Language 365 Day 2 - Serbian for Pre-intermediate Level

Marina free Serbian lessons , Learn Serbian online

In the past five years I've scattered numerous blog posts with lessons of Serbian and corresponding grammatical explanations not only on this blog and Youtube and Youtube but all over the Internet. One of the many reasons for starting 365 Days of Serbian Language was to connect them and tag them correctly.

Since the previous post covered the verb TO BE in the Simple Present tense, I think that all the students who are either at elementary and pre-intermediate level can easily learn to use the same form with the Locative case, saying where you are:

At the end of each video lesson, let's revisit some of the previous posts covering the same, or similar topic:

Clothes + in the wardrobe (with the ancient video ) - you can practise it by muting the terrible audio and focusing on JE or SU (Sg. or Pl. ) + u ormanu (both ormaN and ormaR are accepted forms in the Serbian language) - check the clothes 1 and clothes 2 post
Gapped exercise about the Locative (really ancient - I must add the new link to the exercise with an instant feedback and translation)
Prepositions with the Locative / Genitive
A beautiful "April u Beogradu" song

Study Serbian Pronouns

Marina Free lessons of Serbian , free Serbian lessons

Watch this video with the Serbian pronouns in the Genitive and Accusative cases.

I added all the forms of the Personal Pronouns in Serbian below (source:wikipedia), but what's more important for you is to practise them in context. That's why I'd suggest you watch this video and then try to mute it and say the sentences while watching.

Practise Genitive Case in Serbian

Marina genitive in Serbian , Listening comprehension

If you need a thourough explanation of the Genetive case in Serbian, take a look at these pdf pages.
My advice for you would be to learn Serbian by listening to songs, such as this one:

Adjective Comparison and Genitive in Serbian

Marina

Let's connect and practise the comparison of adjectives with the Genitive case:

Serbian Adjectives and Nouns in Genitive Case

Marina Genetive in Serbian ,

After doing the exercise in Nominative, both Singular and Plural, let's move onto
Genetive case: (to find out which case is Genetive ask the following quiestons: ‘Of whom, whose’ (od koga) or ‘of what’ (čega)

Example: Some 'se' verbs require Genetive, like to be scared OF 'plašiti se' or to take hold OF 'dočepati se'
Singular: Plašim se skupog automobila.

adjectives: LEP / JAK / VISOK / VELIK / SKUP

___________ knjigE. (book)
___________ momkA. (young man)
___________ automobilA. (car)
___________ nosA. (nose)
___________ zgradE. (building)
___________ kućE. (house)
___________ stoLA. (table)
___________ torbE. (bag)
___________ deteTA. (child)
___________ zrnA. (grain)

Adjectives + Plural Nouns in Genetive:

adjectives: LEP / JAK / VISOK / VELIK / SKUP
(beautiful/strong/tall/big, large/expensive)

*Try to use all the adjectives that collocate with the nouns as follows:
Example:
Plural: ...od lepih knjiga.

___________ momakA.
___________ automobilA.
___________ nosEVA.
___________ zgrada.
___________ kuća.
___________ stoLOVA.
___________ torbI.
___________ decE.
___________ zrnA.
___________ devojAkA.

The audio answer has been recorded :o)
(in case you are asked for your username, click 'log in as a guest')
***********************
What I don't like to do when teaching Serbian grammar is to actually give the kind of exercise I just posted above - mixing up all the genders, so you cannot infer the rule (which majority of textbooks do). That's why for more elementary students, I'd group words in an exercise like the following one:

Nominative Fem. Sg. KUĆA, DEVOJKA, TORBA, KNJIGA, ZGRADA
+ Adjective: velikA kućA, velikA devojkA, velikA torbA, velikA knjigA, velikA zgradA
(so that your ears come to like this A-A concordance)
Genetive Fem. Sg: od kućE, od devojkE, od torbE, od knjigE, od zgradE
+ Adjective: od velikE kućE, od visokE devojkE, od skupE torbE, od jeftinE knjigE
(so that your ears come to like this E-E concordance)
etc. etc.
I think that so many (meaningless) suffixes like 'a' 'e' 'ih' 'og' 'u' 'om' ... can be learnt only through drill and immersion. What do you think, how many seconds/minutes would it take for you to think about all the categories (and their corresponding suffixes) involved in the following sentence in order to utter it fluently and accurately: 'Koliko lepih devojaka u ovom divnom gradu!' ?

Where is the cat?

Ahoythere prepositions in Serbian ,

1. The cat is under the table.
MAČKA JE ISPOD STOLA (Nominative Sg. STO - Genitive STOLA)
2. The cat is sitting on the chair.
MAČKA SEDI NA STOLICI (Nom. Sg. STOLICA - Locative STOLICI)
3. The cat is behind the tree.
MAČKA JE IZA DRVETA (Nom. Sg. DRVO - Genitive DRVETA)
4. The cat is in the wellington boot.
MAČKA JE U ČIZMI (Nom. Sg. ČIZMA - Locative ČIZMI)
5. The cat is on the table.
MAČKA JE NA STOLU (Nom. Sg. STO - Locative STOLU )
6. The cat is under the car.
MAČKA JE ISPOD AUTA (Nom.Sg. STO - Genitive AUTA )

Vocabulary

Cat: ---------------MAČKA
Car: ---------------AUTO / KOLA
Chair: -------------STOLICA
Table: -------------STO
Tree: --------------DRVO
Wellington boot:--- ČIZMA

Prepositions of location:

On ----------NA
Under -------ISPOD
Behind ------IZA
In (Inside) -- U

Case suffixes in Serbian

Marina exercises , serbian cases

One of the most difficult features of the Serbian language are declensions, i.e. different suffixes which words such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives take in different cases. Let me add all of them in one place, while in the following posts you will be able to focus on practicing these cases, one by one and in a more fun way!

Singular Cases Suffixes in Serbian

Case name:	Answers question:	Used to describe:	Suffixes (I tried describing just the majority of case endings, general rule, not the exceptions and specific ones)
Nominative	KO? ŠTA? Who? What?	Usually the subject of a sentence and predicative	- Masc. most often ends in a consonant - Fem. most often ends in A - Neut. most often ends in -E or -O
Genitive	KOGA?ČEGA? Of who? Of what?	Possession, belonging, a part of something	- Masc. nouns take an - A ending - Fem. nouns drop the final -a and take an -E ending - Neut. nouns drop the final -e or -o and take an - A ending (while some nouns in animate category add an infix T, so you get deteTA, pileTA)
Dative	KOME?ČEMU? To whom? To what?	The noun to which/ whom something is given, shown, etc.	- Masc. nouns take an - U ending - Fem. nouns drop the final -a and take an -i ending - Neut. nouns drop the final -e or -o and take an - U ending
Accusative	KOGA? ŠTA? Whom? What?	Usually the object of a sentence	- Masc. nouns describing inanimate concepts don't change while nouns in animate category (person / animal / plant) take an - A ending, the same as the genitive case - Fem. nouns drop the final -a and take an -U ending - Neut. nouns describing inanimate concepts don't change, regardless of the category (animate/inanimate)
Vocative	HEJ! Calling someone or in poems referring to something or some place	Used to address somebody or something	- Masc. nouns ending in a consonant take an - E ending, the ones ending in an -a drop the final -a and take an -O suffix, otherwise they don't change (examples: Dejvid - Dejvide! Pera - Pero! Mirko - Mirko! ) - Fem. nouns of the foreign origin don't change in the locative, while the two and more syllable ones drop the final -a and take an -O ending, while names ending in -CA drop the final A and take an -E (Marina! Kim! Nada - Nado! Ljubica - Ljubice!) - Neut. nouns don't change
Instrumental	S KIM? ČIM? Using, with, whom? Using, with, what?	Company (with preposition s) or utilization of something or someone to accomplish an action	- Masc. nouns take an - OM ending - Fem. nouns drop the final -a and take an -OM ending - Neut. nouns drop the final -e or -o and take an - OM ending >>> for all genders, after some "soft" sounds you will have an ending -EM (mužEM, tušEM...)
Locative	GDE? O KOME? O ČEMU? Where? About whom?	Location, Relation	(It's good to know that the locative = dative in form) - Masc. nouns take an - U ending - Fem. nouns drop the final -a and take an -i ending - Neut. nouns drop the final -e or -o and take an - U ending

Plural Cases Suffixes in Serbian ... coming soon

Exercise with Case Suffixes in Serbian

Draga Anna,

Hvala ti za predivnu idej__ kako da vodim ovaj blog. Trudiću se da redovno objavljujem kratke prič__ ili postov__ , bez nastavak__ za padež___, a rešenj___ ćeš moći da pročitaš u audio fajl__ na vrhu___ svak___ post___. U početk___ ću pisati lakše tekst___ , pa sve teže i teže. Možeš mi i dojaviti šta ti se sviđa, a šta ne u komentar___.
Pošto svakodnevno izmišljam test____ za učenik___ englesk___, neće mi biti teško da to radim i za srpsk___ . Nadam se da ćeš uživati, kao i ostali vredni učenic__ koji nalete na ovaj blog.
Do sledećeg javljanj___ sve najbolje i puno pozdrav___
od Marin___

ps. the answer key is in comments

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Singular Cases Suffixes in Serbian

Plural Cases Suffixes in Serbian ... coming soon

Exercise with Case Suffixes in Serbian

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