If you really had fun learning Genitive yesterday, I'm sure you'll have a blast  today:


As you can see, there's a bunch of characters speaking to you in Serbian (written both in the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet :) Because they are talking about where they are right now, they are using (guess what?) the Genitive case. Now, I have a few tasks for you. Let's find out:

A. Who is saying what? = Ko šta kaže?

1. Sunce kaže: 
2. Majmun kaže:
3. Ptica kaže:
4. Dečko kaže:

Serbian Genitive with Sg. Feminine Nouns

Rešenje = Solution

What a lovely morning for such an easy Serbian Genitive photo lesson:
 
Dobro jutro iz sunčanog LondonA! Pogodite odakle šaljem pozdrave: ispod ili iznad mostA?

Добро јутро из сунчаног ЛондонА! Погодите одакле шаљем поздраве: испод или изнад мостА?

Good morning from sunny London! Guess where I am sending the greetings from: under or above the bridge?

Serbian Genitive with Masculine Singular

What do you want to do TODAY?
Šta želite da radite DANAS?

Today I am in Paris. I want to see the Mona Lisa.
DANAS sam u Parizu.  Želim da vidim Mona Lizu.

While in the previous lesson we noticed that the Locative Singular ending was only -i, it was like that simply because we were in places which are in Feminine Singular (U Moskvi, Aziji, Evropi, Budimpešti...)

However, today we are in having fun  in places which are Masculine Singular and that's why we add the suffix -u at the end of each place:

1. Ja sam danas u Parizu. = Danas sam u Parizu.
2. ...Beograd >>> Beogradu
3. ...Lisabon >>> Lisabonu
4. ... Sidnej >>> Sidneju
5. ... Niš >>> Nišu
6. ...muzej >>> muzeju
7. ... centar >>> centru 

Let's take a guess:

Is this my room?



To master this topic, check out the following video

Where are you today?

Today we are in Moscow. Moscow is in Russia. Russia is in Europe and Asia. Where are you today? Let's say this in Serbian! Latin Script Version

Danas smo u Moskvi :) Moskva je u Rusiji. Rusija je u Evropi i Aziji. Gde ste vi danas?

Cyrillic Script Version

Данас смо у Москви :) Москва је у Русији. Русија је у Европи и Азији. Где сте ви данас?

Let's practice the Locative in Serbian

• Moskva >>>Moskvi
• Rusija >>> Rusiji
• Azija >>> Aziji
• Evropa >>> Evropi
• Lima >>> ???
• Barselona >>> ???
• Budimpešta >>> ???
• zgrada (building) >>> ???

Let's play with fun photos and comics! All you have to do is ask simple questions:

1. Da li si u Serbiji? (Are you in Serbia?)
2. Da li čekaš da pređeš ulicu? (Are you waiting to cross the street?)
3. Da li je rasprodaja u prodavnici? (Is there a sale in the shop?)

• mama = mother
• tata = father
• sestra = sister
• brat = brother
• sin = son
• ćerka = daughter
• drug = close friend masc.
• drugarica = close friend fem.
• prijatelj = friend masc.
• prijateljica = friend fem.
• kolega =colleague masc.
• koleginica = colleague fem.

Here comes a brand new video based on an exercise with the modal verb MOĆI. Let's watch the video first, before doing a bunch of exercises:

Practicing Can with Language Games

Practicing Serbian Verb Moći with Flashcards

Testing your Knowledge of Serbian Verb Conjugations 

In today's lesson we will learn the following verbs

Perfective Aspect = Svršeni glagolski vid 

1. šutnuti = to kick
2. skočiti = to jump
3. potrčati / trčati = to run
4. povući = to pull
5. otvoriti = to open
6. gurnuti = to push
7. zatvoriti = to close
8. uhvatiti = to catch

Imperfective Aspect = Nesvršeni glagolski vid 

1. šutirati = to be kicking
2. skakati = to be jumping
3. trčati = to be running
4. povlačiti / vući = to be pulling
5. otvArati= to be opening
6. zatvAriti = to be closing
7. zatvArati= to be closing
8. hvatA = to be catching

We'll use them in the past tense.

Prošlo vreme, perfektni oblik = Past Simple Tense 

He kickED the ball - on je šutnuo loptu
he jumpED - on je skočio
he ran - on je potrčao
he pullED the box - on je povukao kutiju
he openED the door - on je otvorio vrata
he pushED the box - on je gurnuo kutiju
he closeD the door - on je zatvorio vrata
he caught the ball - on je uhvatio loptu

Click here for the full version.

As you can see each aspect has a different or slightly different form. That's why I am making the short videos with conjugations so you can hear and see the conjugations clearly. Let's focus on the fun task in front of us today, and in the following days you can expect me to focus more on the conjugations of the each verbs with fun exercises. Looking forward to getting your vocaroo.com stories in both aspects :)

In the course of the past ten years, there's been a lot of posts about Orthodox Easter. I covered different topics, from the greetings to video stories about it, songs and songs . However, I still haven't written about one of the kids' most favourite tradition: egg tapping or "kucanje jajima".

Ћирилични задатак: одслушајте видео и допуните празна места. Резултат је у коментару :)

1. Милица је добила ово јаје од ________ .
2. Милица има ________ година.
3. Милица је ________ у куцању ускршњим јајима.
4. Ово је ________ такмичење у куцању јаја.
5. Деца знају да код куће треба да направе ________ турнир.
6. Данас је било ________деце.
7. Све је протекло у ________ духу.

***********

Latinični zadatak: odslušajte video i dopunite prazna mesta. Rezultat je u komentaru :)

2. Milica je dobila ovo jaje od ________ . 
3. Milica ima ________ godina. 
4. Milica je ________ u kucanju uskršnjim jajima.
5. Ovo je ________ takmičenje u kucanju jaja.
6. Deca znaju da kod kuće treba da naprave ________ turnir.
7. Danas je bilo ________dece.
8. Sve je proteklo u ________ duhu.

Today I am sharing with you conjugations with the verb TO HAVE = IMATI + words in an office:

Present Simple of Verb to HAVE:

JA imam
TI imaš
ON-ONA-ONO ima
MI imamo
VI imate
ONI-ONE-ONA imaju

Nouns Following the Verb to Have

Feminine Sg:
1. stolica = chair
2. kanta = bin
3. biljka = plant
4. diploma = diploma
5. klima = air conditioning
6. slika = picture

Masculine Pl:
1. sto = table
2. kompjuter = computer
3. telefon = telephone
4. sertifikat = certificate
5. ormarić = filing cabinet
6. sat = clock

Speaking and Writing exercise

If you are curious as to why the final -a in the fem. sg. noun changes, do check the theory about the Accusative case. Even if you are not interested in the cases, after practising with this video lesson, you will be able to say and write these examples correctly.

If you would like to enjoy the full version with exercises such as this one with the verbs live and work, you are welcome to support my work on Patreon :)

p.s. You are enjoying these cute little animations, thanks to the consistent support of my five current Patrons!  Hvala im :)

In the verb conjugation series of videos, I just published a new video with a lot of examples how to use the verb TO WORK = raditi in the Present Tense.

Useful Vocabulary

In this lesson we are practicing the verb TO WORK in = raditi u ...

1. raditi = to work
2. škola = school
3. bolnica = hospital
4. prodavnica = shop
5. muzej = museum
6. pozorište = theatre
7. lekar = (medical) doctor
8. medicinska sestra = nurse

RADIM - RADIŠ - RADI // RADIMO - RADITE - RADE

To practice with a short story based on the verbs to go to, to live and to work, you're invited to follow Patreon blog! You can regularly access interactive surveys like this one:

... and get my feedback :)

While conducting a survey about your needs in learning Serbian, some of you mentioned that they would appreciate videos with authentic Serbian, spoken in everyday situations by ordinary people.

This video with a brand new  Serbian presidential candidate who is meeting the editorial team of a local newspaper is an excellent example of something like that. In it, Beli gets introduced with a lot of people, and you will be able to hear how ordinary people say "pleased to meet you".

1. Zdravo!
2. Ćao!
3. Dobar dan!
4. Dobro veče!
5. Ovo je ...
6. Dobrodošao!
7. Radujemo se tvojoj poseti
8. Radujem se Vašoj poseti
9. Drago mi je!
10. To su naše lektorke.
11. Bolje vas našao!
12. Kako ste Vi?
13. Kako si ti?
14. Hvala.
15. Kako ste?
16. Mnogo vam je lepo ovde.
17. Baš mi je drago.
18. Jeste dobri?
19. Jeste dobro?
20. Poštovanje!
21. Izvoli, dobrodošao!
22. Izvolte, dobrodošli!
23. Izvolite. 
24. Hoćete neku kafu?
25. Želite li kafu?
26. Šta želite da popijete?
27. Ne hvala.

Last time we practiced the verb to live. Today, we are learning the verb to go with the following video:


and a couple of exercises:

  

I have tried to make simple conjugation videos before, but was never satisfied with what they looked and sounded like. Last week, thanks to my dedicated patrons on Patreon and my students of Serbian whom I've been teaching for years, I was able to afford the first professional version of the software which I have always dreamt of.  HVALA!!!

How do you like my first pro conjugation video?



Now that I have all the tools, I am sure you'll all enjoy my short video lessons about:

1. verb conjugations in Serbian, both in the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet.
2. short video stories, based on the video with conjugations
3. short dialogues based on the texts and Serbian Phrases
4. videos explaining Serbian idioms
5. easy Serbian songs and chants for kids

Serbian Passive Voice with Exercises

Unfortunately, there haven't been many posts about the Passive Voice on this blog. I want this to change and that's why I would like to add a few more exercises about this topic. Based on the following fun song which has great lyrics about Rakija production, I'll make a few exercises for you.

Let's relax and watch the video by Cache & Djavo called "Kakvu sam rakiju pek'o" :)

 

Serbian Passive Voice with Exercises 

His and Her in Serbian

While his = njegov and her = njen sounds pretty easy and straightforward, there is a little catch. These are possessive adjectives and therefore they agree with the noun they describe. That's why they will have all kinds of suffixes to mirror the main noun in number, case and gender.

Today will stick just to the basic Nominative case and see how NJEGOV and NJEN mirror the gender of the nouns through the following exercises:

HIS and HER in Serbian with a funny photo

His and Her in Serbian


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.

Thanks to your kind help the second lesson of Serbian for Children was released yesterday:


In this lesson you can practise saying "Ovo je..." (this is) as well as the vocabulary for family members!

Porodica

mama = mom
tata = dad
sestra = sister
brat = brother
sin = son
ćerka = daughter

***
moj / moja = my

Additional exercises:
1. https://quizlet.com/146121479/micromatch
2. https://en.educaplay.com/en/learningresources/2531536/serbian_for_children_lesson_1a.htm

The first part was published in the post about teaching Serbian with children songs, but I will add it here as well:

 

Hope you find them useful and come here for more!

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!

There are so many reasons to learn Serbian. That's why I'd like you to help me find out what your main motivation is when learning this language. I am also interested what you need most and what you think could help you learn most efficiently.

That's why I have created an anonymous survey and I'd appreciate if you could spare a few minutes to do it. HVALA!

 Thanks so much for your time! All the info is used to make my Serbian Activator e-mails and video lessons most relevant to you!

Let's learn the past tense form of "She was" in Serbian the easy way: BILA JE with this beautiful song, step by step:




Now, an exercise:


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! 

Would it be funny for you to hear a phrase "Don't argue with mine!", whatever that might mean?

Here comes a short clip with a similar phrase, which is obviously wrong and make people laugh (together with a specific pronunciation of  Mr. Šojić's "ć" in "ćao" :)



- Nemaš! Šta moliš? Imaš (li) kod sebe 350 Evra?
- Ma gospodine Šojiću...
- Ma, ćao! Nemaš! Ćao! Ne raspravljaj se sa mene! Ne raspravljaj se!

Don't argue with me!

 Instrumental of Serbian Pronouns

How to cope with all different forms of Serbian pronouns, in different cases and with all the different endings? Well, there are many different ways, starting with old-fashioned grammar learning;


to using them in phrases, without thinking about grammar at all. What I find really efficient, is to listen to Serbian songs and learn the pronouns in common phrases, by singing :)

Let me share with you the following song: Za Njom by S.A.R.S.

How to Practice Serbian Pronoun SHE in the Instrumental Case

Now that you have heard this song, sang along, and done the exercise, can you tell me which prepositions were there in front of "NJOM"?

In the first episode, there is a short monologue with lots of mistakes, which can be easily corrected by an advanced student of Serbian.


Would you like to give it a try? You can write your suggestion in the comment below!

Example 1:

1:25 min: Kada sam u vaša zemlja ja ovo, a kod kuće imam Volvo.

           *Correction:  Kada sam u vašOJ zmljI

Your task:

3:35 min: Majstor kaže da je teško kvarnost velika. Ili je amortizer ili je može biti da je možda ova …. kako kaže on kod vas… balans štanglica, ili je može biti da je stabilizatorski dio. Kaže popraviće, hitno mi je potrebno auto za sutra.
A auto moram imati jer mater meni stiže. Moram je pokupit. Moja mater je iz naša zemlja, srpska. Moja Mater je iz Vojnić.A otac mi je njihov, on je Lunski La iz Lunski Le, Moj otac je Turstend. Tako da mater moja dolazi. Stara je, ne može da hoda. Kaže više mi je samo  da umrem, samo da umrem, već mi dosta to,  da se sahrani u Vojnići to.
A hitno bi  mi moralo se  prebaciti ja za grad. Ako ima neko dobro da pozove taksi.  Imam krune, plaćam sve, da. Ako može neko da mi nazove taksi, a majstor će se potruditi. Vidim da je dobar čovek.

 You can write your suggestion in the comment below!

Today we are practising three simple questions and three simple answers:

1. Where do you / You live? = Где живиш / живите?= Gde živiš / živite? 
2. What do you / You do? = Шта радиш / радите? (Чиме се бавиш / бавите?)  = Šta radiš / radite? (Čime se baviš / bavite?) 
3. What do you do in your free time? = Шта радиш / радите у слободно време? = Šta radiš / radite u slobodno vreme?

If you are a beginner and want to learn Serbian in the easiest way possible, do join my new & revamped Seriban Activator newsletter!

I'm sure that you find Serbian days of the week easy to pronounce. However, if you still struggle with Thursday (četvrtak), there's a useful introduction in this video to help you pronounce days well.

Since rarely does anyone use days of the week in its Nominative form:

If you were happy with my short video lesson about the very simple form of the phrase "I need something" yesterday, I am sure you are now ready for a few exercises. Let me start with the easier ones and then I'll add some for more advanced students:

• For Beginners: Practising only "Treba mi +  different international words"

• For Intermediate students: Practising "Treba + mi/  ti / Vam / mu / joj / nam / im + international words"

• For Advanced students: Practising the past tense form "I needed + something", which is more complicated because here the past tense form of the word has to agree with the direct object (something): "TrebalE su mi jabukE // TrebalI su joj prijateljI // TrebalA nam je vodA" (+ word order with 3rd person Sg of the direct object).

I need = Treba mi

I guess one of the most needed verbs in a language must be the verb to need = trebati :) It is a really handy word in Serbian, because of the two following reasons:

Firstly, this verb doesn't conjugate, because in its simplest meaning "I need (something)" we actually use "Treba mi" where "mi" means "to me". If you want to say "You need", it will be "Treba Vam" (formal version) or "Treba ti" (informal version). Therefore, you'll simply change the pronoun as follows:

• TREBA mi hamburger
• TREBA ti pica 
• TREBA mu vino (to him / it = mu)
• TREBA joj muzika (to her = joj)
• TREBA  nam restoran (to us =nam)
• TREBA vam /Vam burek (to you - You = vam/Vam)
• TREBA im mleko (to them = im)

Secondly, because in Serbian this phrase sounds like the passive in deep structure, the noun always takes a subject case, which is Nominative. (A hamburger is needed to/by me = Treba mi hamburger). Therefore, you don't need to change its form, i.e. no declension :) Lovely! Take a look at the previous examples and the words which follow "Treba ... " phrase. No cases, at all:

1. hamburger - a hamburger
2. pica - a pizza
3. vino - a wine
4. muzika - music
5. restoran - a restaurant
6. burek - burek (a special kind of pie)
7. mleko - milk