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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet
During my sojourn in Montenegro, I encountered both the use of Latin and Cyrillic versions of the alphabet. This was a great opportunity to pick up and understand more of the Cyrillic alphabet.
Signs for streets & squares were in the Cyrillic alphabet, which is based on the one sound, one letter system. I had a steep learning curve in reading Cyrillic, particularly when I was trying to read the inscriptions on the Partizan memorials for my English compatriots!
Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet
Now I am sharing with you, dear blog readers, on how I started to learn the Cyrillic alphabet. I found it easier by breaking down the alphabet into sections. All in all, it took me just over 1 hour to get myself acquainted with the alphabet.
Click here to hear the audio
ћирилица
..................................................................................
THE FRIENDLY LETTERS (As they are exactly the same as in the latin alphabet)
K M T O A E J
Examples words: ATOM, MAJKA
THE FALSE FRIENDS (Be aware - although they look the same as their counterparts in the latin alphabet, they represent different letters!).
В P С X У
V R S H U
Can you work out the following words?
CECTPA, BУK, BPATA
THE COMMON CYRILLIC CORE (That's what I call these set of letters as they are common to other Cyrillic based languages).
Б Г Д 3 Л П Ф И H Ж Ч Ш ц
B G D Z L P F I N ž č Š C
Here are some means of transportation:
BOЗ
В P С X У
V R S H U
Can you work out the following words?
CECTPA, BУK, BPATA
THE COMMON CYRILLIC CORE (That's what I call these set of letters as they are common to other Cyrillic based languages).
Б Г Д 3 Л П Ф И H Ж Ч Ш ц
B G D Z L P F I N ž č Š C
Here are some means of transportation:
BOЗ
БРOД
TAKCИ
AУTOБУC
ABИОН
and some other words
XBAЛA
ДAН
KPEBET
ПЕКAРA
KAПУЋИНО
ЧAJ
ЖИВОТ
ПОШТA
БУЛEBAP
ЛЕП
and some other words
XBAЛA
ДAН
KPEBET
ПЕКAРA
KAПУЋИНО
ЧAJ
ЖИВОТ
ПОШТA
БУЛEBAP
ЛЕП
THE SERBIAN CYRILLIC SET (Unique to the language and quite distinct).
Џ Ђ Ћ Љ Њ
Dž Đ Ć LJ NJ
Here are a selection of words for you to work out:
HOЋ
ЉУБАВ
ЂAK
ЏEMПEP
KOЊ
The sort order of the ćirilica (ћирилица) alphabet:
Cyrillic order (called Azbuka (азбука): А Б В Г Д Ђ Е Ж З И Ј К Л Љ М Н Њ О П Р С Т Ћ У Ф Х Ц Ч Џ Ш
The sort order of the latinica (латиница) alphabet:
Latin order (called Abeceda (абецеда): A B C Č Ć D Dž Đ E F G H I J K L Lj M N Nj O P R S Š T U V Z Ž
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is based on the simple principle of:
"write as you speak and read as it is written"
Пиши као што говориш и читај како је написано.
Piši kao što govoriš i čitaj kako je napisano.
Don't forget that there's always Serbian Phrases List in the Cyrillic version with slow pronunciation ! Those who know how to write "FaithfulFollower" in Serbian (in the Latin alphabet) will get a significant discount :)
If you would like to get all my video lessons with explanations in English, translations and additional exercises like the ones above, in the meaningful order, consider joining me on Patreon. HVALA!
● Кад мачке нема, мишеви коло воде. - Kad mačke nema, miševi kolo vode.
o Translation: When cat is absent, mice dance. (When the cat is away, the mice will play.)
o Le chat parti, les souris dansent.
● Нема ватре без дима. - Nema vatre bez dima.
o Translation: There is no fire without smoke. (Where there is smoke there is fire.)
o Il n’y a pas de fumée sans feu
● Није злато све што сија. - Nije zlato sve što sija.
o Translation: Gold is not all that shines. (All that glitters is not gold.)
o Les apparences sont trompeuses.
● Правити од комарца магарца. - Praviti od komarca magarca.
Translation: To make a donkey out of a mosquito. (To make a mountain out of a molehill.)
o Faire d'une mouche un elephant.
● Што можеш данас, не остављај за сутра. - Što možeš danas, ne ostavljaj za sutra.
Translation: What you can do today do not leave off for tomorrow. (Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.)
Translation: What you can do today do not leave off for tomorrow. (Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.)
o Il ne faut jamais remettre au lendemain ce qu'on peut faire le jour même.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
After one week in the splendid mountains of Crna Gora, I am now missing the food! So I would like to share with you some visual displays of some of foods that I tried while I was in Crna Gora.
Crna Gora style Pita (Pie)
Posle nedelju dana u prelepim crnogorskim planinama, nedostaje mi hrana! Zbog toga bih želela da podelim sa vama nekoliko fotografija jela koje sam probala dok sam bila u Crnoj Gori. Pita u crnogorskom stilu (pie):
Only try this at home if you have a kitchen workspace or table enough! Simply amazing to watch!
Probajte samo u slučaju da imate dovoljno velik kuhinjski prostor ili sto! Prosto neverovatno za gledati!
A similar kind of method is also used to make Burek. I noticed that the bureks in Montenegro are different to the Serbian ones.
Sličan metod se takođe koristi za pravljenje bureka. Primetila sam da se burek u Crnoj Gori razlikuje od srpskog.
And then there is : Priganice (a kind of doughnut) that is eaten with the local cheese, honey and walnuts.
A tu su i priganice, vrsta krofni, koje se jedu sa lokalnim sirom, medom i orasima.
http://www.coolinarika.com/recept/crnogorske-priganice
http://www.coolinarika.com/recept/ustipcifritulepriganicevarijacije-na-temu
Prijatno! (Bon appétit!)
Crna Gora style Pita (Pie)
Posle nedelju dana u prelepim crnogorskim planinama, nedostaje mi hrana! Zbog toga bih želela da podelim sa vama nekoliko fotografija jela koje sam probala dok sam bila u Crnoj Gori. Pita u crnogorskom stilu (pie):
Only try this at home if you have a kitchen workspace or table enough! Simply amazing to watch!
Probajte samo u slučaju da imate dovoljno velik kuhinjski prostor ili sto! Prosto neverovatno za gledati!
A similar kind of method is also used to make Burek. I noticed that the bureks in Montenegro are different to the Serbian ones.
Sličan metod se takođe koristi za pravljenje bureka. Primetila sam da se burek u Crnoj Gori razlikuje od srpskog.
And then there is : Priganice (a kind of doughnut) that is eaten with the local cheese, honey and walnuts.
A tu su i priganice, vrsta krofni, koje se jedu sa lokalnim sirom, medom i orasima.
http://www.coolinarika.com/recept/crnogorske-priganice
http://www.coolinarika.com/recept/ustipcifritulepriganicevarijacije-na-temu
Prijatno! (Bon appétit!)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Here is a link to a lovely video clip of a choir singing an Easter song:
Uskršnje Jutro
Čarolija
Uskršnje jutro kada se javi
Svakom na licu osmeh zablista.
Danas je praznik, danas se slavi
Dan vaskrsenja Isusa Hrista.
Šarena jaja na stolu stoje
U ispletenoj korpi od pruća.
Svako od nas će dobiti svoje
Ostaće jedno naš čuvar kuća.
Chorus (x2)
Pozdravimo Spasitelja
Njegova je bila želja
Da nas vodi ljubav, vera, nada.
Čovečanstvo neka celo
Isusovo sledi delo
Hristos Vaskrs!
Mir Božiji neka vlada!
Šarena jaja na stolu stoje
U ispletenoj korpi od pruća.
Svako od nas će dobiti svoje
Ostaće jedno naš čuvar kuća.
Pozdravimo Spasitelja
Njegova je bila želja
Da nas vodi ljubav, vera, nada.
Čovečanstvo neka celo
Isusovo sledi delo
Hristos Vaskrs!
Mir Božiji neka vlada!
Uskršnje Jutro
Čarolija
Uskršnje jutro kada se javi
Svakom na licu osmeh zablista.
Danas je praznik, danas se slavi
Dan vaskrsenja Isusa Hrista.
Šarena jaja na stolu stoje
U ispletenoj korpi od pruća.
Svako od nas će dobiti svoje
Ostaće jedno naš čuvar kuća.
Chorus (x2)
Pozdravimo Spasitelja
Njegova je bila želja
Da nas vodi ljubav, vera, nada.
Čovečanstvo neka celo
Isusovo sledi delo
Hristos Vaskrs!
Mir Božiji neka vlada!
Šarena jaja na stolu stoje
U ispletenoj korpi od pruća.
Svako od nas će dobiti svoje
Ostaće jedno naš čuvar kuća.
Pozdravimo Spasitelja
Njegova je bila želja
Da nas vodi ljubav, vera, nada.
Čovečanstvo neka celo
Isusovo sledi delo
Hristos Vaskrs!
Mir Božiji neka vlada!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Srećan Uskrs!
http://www.spc.rs/eng/happy_easter
the most common phrase spoken is:
Христос васкрсе (Hristos vaskrse) - Christ resurrected.
to which you will get the answer:
Ваистину васкрсе (Vaistina vaskrse) - truly resurrected.
A clip from a TV news programme on the subject of Easter:
http://www.spc.rs/eng/happy_easter
the most common phrase spoken is:
Христос васкрсе (Hristos vaskrse) - Christ resurrected.
to which you will get the answer:
Ваистину васкрсе (Vaistina vaskrse) - truly resurrected.
A clip from a TV news programme on the subject of Easter:
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Prošlo vreme, or Perfekt, as we call it in Serbian, is the past tense which covers all the English past tenses (the Past Simple, Past Continuous, Present and Past perfect). It is most commonly used tense for expressing past time events. The Aorist tense is also used, though not that often.
Formation of PERFECT in Serbian
Here is the formula for the Past Tense in Serbian:
LONG FORM:
Subject + present of TO BE + Past Participle (or literally: ' past participle adjective ' = glagolski pridev radni) For a very thorough explanation check this link.
Ti si plesala. (You were dancing.)
SHORT FORM:
Past Participle + present of TO BE
Plesala si.
It is formed by replacing the 'i/e/ati' or 'ći' infinitive ending of the verb with the past participle endings as follows:
Masc. Sg -o
Fem. Sg - la
N. Sg -lo
Masc. Pl -li
Fem. Pl - le
N. Pl -la
I will use the opportunity of this excellent video to introduce past tense verbs:
Novak je pobedio Federera.
Novakova devojka je skakala od sreće, a njegovi prijatelji su se radovali.
Federer je polomio reket, a posle je bacao flaše, što možete videti na snimku.
* With reflexive form of the word, the auxilliary "to be" is dropped in the third person singular, so :
"She woke up" = Ona se probudila. or Probudila se. (instead of ona je se probudila, or probudila je se)
For more Serbian video lessons check this page.
Formation of PERFECT in Serbian
Here is the formula for the Past Tense in Serbian:
LONG FORM:
Subject + present of TO BE + Past Participle (or literally: ' past participle adjective ' = glagolski pridev radni) For a very thorough explanation check this link.
Ti si plesala. (You were dancing.)
SHORT FORM:
Past Participle + present of TO BE
Plesala si.
It is formed by replacing the 'i/e/ati' or 'ći' infinitive ending of the verb with the past participle endings as follows:
Masc. Sg -o
Fem. Sg - la
N. Sg -lo
Masc. Pl -li
Fem. Pl - le
N. Pl -la
I will use the opportunity of this excellent video to introduce past tense verbs:
Novak je pobedio Federera.
Novakova devojka je skakala od sreće, a njegovi prijatelji su se radovali.
Federer je polomio reket, a posle je bacao flaše, što možete videti na snimku.
* With reflexive form of the word, the auxilliary "to be" is dropped in the third person singular, so :
"She woke up" = Ona se probudila. or Probudila se. (instead of ona je se probudila, or probudila je se)
For more Serbian video lessons check this page.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Following on the English (international + loan words) presentation , here is another presentation of Serbian words, which look or sound similar to their French counterparts.
For the non-French speaking lot out there:
Lavabo - Washbasin
Formulari - Forms
Biblioteka - Library
the rest - you should be able to guess!
Bien sur! Il y a beaucoup de mots français qu'on peut trouver dans la langue serbe. Voici quelques exemples…
If you find learning a new language daunting... lost for words.... then don't despair... There are many international & loan words in most languages and Serbian is no exception either.For the complete Serbian language novices such as myself, it is really nice to encounter "friendly words". To give you a flavour I have included a link to a presentation. Guess what they are!!
There are many more out there!
Nat
Friday, March 27, 2009
In order to make a correct sentence in Serbian, it is wise to learn nouns according to their grammatical gender. There is a thorough explanation of the nouns and adjectives in Serbian on Unilang site in Lesson 2 and Lesson 3 . Since it is useless to learn adjective suffixes in sets which are different depending whether the noun is:
a. in Singular or Plural
b. Masculine/Feminine/Neuter
c. in different cases
I advise you to learn them in the context and practise one group at a time.
Therefore, I will start with a series of simple formulas with exercises. Feel free to ask questions or post the answers in the comment or to my email under the profile.
Here is a kind of formula for Singurlar + Nominative combination of an ADJECTIVE + NOUN:
Singular & Nominative
1. Adjective + Masculine Noun = zanimljiv tekst (interesting text)
2. AdectiveA + Feminine Noun = zanimljivA knjiga (interesting book)
3. AdjectiveO + Neuter Noun = zanimljivO selo (interesting village)
Exercise: add an adjective with the appropriate ending in front of the following nouns:
adjectives: LEP / JAK / VISOK / VELIK / SKUP
a. in Singular or Plural
b. Masculine/Feminine/Neuter
c. in different cases
I advise you to learn them in the context and practise one group at a time.
Therefore, I will start with a series of simple formulas with exercises. Feel free to ask questions or post the answers in the comment or to my email under the profile.
Here is a kind of formula for Singurlar + Nominative combination of an ADJECTIVE + NOUN:
Singular & Nominative
1. Adjective + Masculine Noun = zanimljiv tekst (interesting text)
2. AdectiveA + Feminine Noun = zanimljivA knjiga (interesting book)
3. AdjectiveO + Neuter Noun = zanimljivO selo (interesting village)
Exercise: add an adjective with the appropriate ending in front of the following nouns:
adjectives: LEP / JAK / VISOK / VELIK / SKUP
- ___________ knjiga.
- ___________ momak.
- ___________ auto.
- ___________ kosa.
- ___________ zgrada.
- ___________ kuća.
- ___________ sto.
- ___________ torba.
- ___________ dete.
- ___________ zrno.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Kakvo je vreme = what is the weather like?
Vreme je lepo /užasno (ružno) = The weather is nice /terrible(nasty)
Kišovito = rainy
Vetrovito = windy
Hladno = cold
Toplo = warm
Maglovito = foggy
Oblačno = cloudy
Sunčano = sunny
Olujno = stormy
Kontinentalna klima = continental climate
Blaga klima = mild climate
Umerena klima = moderate climate
Vremenska prognoza = weather forecast
Kiša će! = it is going to rain!
Vreme je lepo /užasno (ružno) = The weather is nice /terrible(nasty)
Kišovito = rainy
Vetrovito = windy
Hladno = cold
Toplo = warm
Maglovito = foggy
Oblačno = cloudy
Sunčano = sunny
Olujno = stormy
Kontinentalna klima = continental climate
Blaga klima = mild climate
Umerena klima = moderate climate
Vremenska prognoza = weather forecast
Kiša će! = it is going to rain!
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