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?

This is the final part in the series of blog posts about the verb "nositi". The previous ones can be found on the following pages:

• Various meanings of the verb "nositi"
• Idioms and phrases - part 1
• Idioms and phrases - part 2

• Što ga noge nose /  koliko me(te/ga/je/nas/vas/ih) noge nose = at full speed, as fast as possible = as fast as one's legs will carry one:

• Pas laje, vetar nosi = idle gossip should be disregarded = the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on; words and feathers the wind carries away; words are but wind

c) Pusti ti draga priče. Znas onu" PSI LAJU, KARAVANI PROLAZE !"?! Samo se ti smiri i slusaj lekare i sve ce biti u redu.

or

d) Pas laje, vetar nosi 

or

e) No, svako vredjanje najvise govori o onome ko vredja.Psi laju,vetar nosi... (the first comment under the text)

• Plati pa nosi (or more a more modern rhyming version: plati pa klati):

Here come the second part of the idioms and phrases with the verb "nositi":

• Koja kokoš mnogo kokodače, malo jaja nosi = he who talks much, does little; the ass that brays most, eats least

• Nositi svoj krst = to bear one's own share of suffering; to bear one's cross

Example 3: Ivan Ivanović: “Svako nosi svoj krst!” (from WannaBeMagazine)

• Nositi se mišlju = to intend to do something; to toy with an idea

Example 5: Pošto moja naknada za održavanje trudnoće i dalje kasni (5 meseci), ja se nosim mišlju da u sledećoj trudnoći žešće zloupotrebim sistem, jer ovo zaista nema smisla. Idući put ću da otvaram i zatvaram bolovanje do 30 dana sve do 28 dana pred porođaj -- onda niko neće moći da me vuče za nos kao sada.  (from BeBac forum)

Example 6: "Ne nosim se mišlju da su gradjani Krusevca rasisti.Nasim gradom slobodno se krecu prpadnici svih manjna pa i oni koji se razlikuju po boji..." (from a FaceBook page)

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

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.

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

• Idi gde te (oči vode i) noge nose
• Pas laje, vetar nosi
• Plati pa nosi
• Nositi breme

After publishing yesterday's post it struck me that you might not  be aware of the  meaning of the phrase "ravno mi je sve".That's why I chose the word RAVAN = flat / even / equal as the topic of today's post:

• nekome je sve ravno ( do Kosova )= it's all the same ; it makes no difference

If you are wondering how I choose the topics for everyday blog posts, the answer is very simple: they are based on the questions my students ask me in our online lessons.

One of the recent ones was to list phrases with the verb "faliti", which can mean "to miss", "not to have", "to lack", but in some idioms it cannot be translated in such a simplistic manner:

• Šta fali ? = So what ? or What's wrong with that ? This phrase is often used to strongly disagree with someone who has a different point of view. Let me make up a short dialogue: 

Ana:   Nemoj piti tu vodu !
Pera:  Što ? Šta joj fali ????

• Fali joj/mu daska u glavi ! = To have a screw loose in one's head or Not to have all their marbles. 

Na primer: Šta ovaj bunca ? - Ma pusti ga!  Očigledno mu fali daska u glavi !

• Neće ti faliti ni dlaka s glave ! = Not a hair on your head will be harmed ! 

Na primer: Ne smeju ti ništa dok sam ja uz tebe! Ne brini, neće ti faliti ni dlaka s glave !

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comment box below ;-)

I'm sure you've thoroughly practised the verb "videti" with the video lesson with gadgets and appliances and the "conjugator video". Now it's time to learn to recognize different parts of speech with this verb through the list of common phrases and idioms in Serbian :

Verb form: VIDETI

• Ooo, koga to vidim ! = expressing surprise when you see someone (As I leve and breathe!; Well, what do you know; Lo and behold)
• Imaš šta da vidiš! = something worth seeing ( A sight for sore eyes, Something to look at; A million-dollar look)
• Sad GA vidiš, sad GA ne vidiš = a fly-by-night (an unreliable, dishonest person) / now you see it, now you don't (a magician's trick) 
• Što video, ne video = to turn a blind eye on sth.; mum's the word (to pretend not to have seen anything)

• Izneti (nešto) na videlo = to bring something to light (to reveal); to bring soemthing into the open
• Izgubiti (nešto) iz vida = to lose sight of something 
• Imati (nešto) u vidu = to bear in mind, to take into account, to keep sight of something
• Nestati sa vidika =  to recede from view / to vanish into thin air / to fade away

• Rado viđen = popular, in high favour 

Notice the use of this phrase "rado viđen" + "gost" at the very beginning of the famous song "Jabuke i Vino":

The Serbian idiom "doterati cara do duvara" has the similar meaning as the English one "to come to a head". I have often heard  this phrase in my childhood, always wondering what "duvar" might mean.

The word "duvar" is a loan word, and if you go to Google translate and check it at Turkish-English translation, you'll find out that the meaning of the word is "zid" (wall). So, the literal translation would resemble the expression "to drive someone (in this case "the tzar") up the wall" and yet, Serbian phrase for this expression (drive someone up the wall) is "dovesti nekog do ludila" (or litterally "make someone crazy"). You can check the pronunciation of these two idioms here, at our audio forum (and I hope you'll surprise your Serbian family or friends by pronouncing the phrases correctly and using them appropriately).

Talking about the usage, I was really surprised that in my group of eight teenage students only one had heard of  "doterati cara do duvara". She explained that her teacher of Serbian insists on students learning and using proverbs and idioms, but she also hasn't heard of the phrase being used outside of the classroom!  Does this mean that we tend to use idioms less frequently, or is it the case just with this idiom ? Maybe the world has changed for better and  retko iko ikada (rarely does anyone) "dotera cara do duvara" :)

What do you think ?

How do you like this Learn Serbian Podcast video ?

The previous post with Serbian proverbs and sayings covered letters from A to Đ, and now we continue from E to Ž:

Recently my son showed me his newly bought booklet with numerous proverbs, adages, tongue twisters and riddles called "Vukova crtanka" (Vuk's Colouring Book). Let me list my favourite ones:

A - Ako je neko lud, ne budi mu drug.
      Ako hoćeš koga da poznaš, podaj mu vlast.
B -  Bez alata nema zanata.
      Bolje umeti, nego imati.
V - Videla žaba gde se konj potkiva, pa i ona digla nogu.
      Veselo je srce golemo blago.
G - Gladnog ne teši, već nahrani.
      Gde je stida, tu je i poštenja.
D - Delo čoveka hvali.
     Dogovor kuću gradi.
Đ - Đe (gde) je obraz tu je i duša.
     Đe će kruška no pod krušku.

Q-A:
Pitao sin oca, kad je po svetu hteo poći:
- Od šta mi se valja najviše čuvati ?
- Od tuđe muke.

Tongue Twisters: (audio)
Pitala metla metlu, gde je metla metlu; Metla metla metlu iza vrata.
Čokančićem ćeš me, čokančićem ću te!
Cvrči, cvrči cvrčak, trči, trči trčak; trči, trči trk! Trčak trkom trči, crni cvrčak cvrči!

Part 2

"Koji ti je andrak?" (what's the matter with you? what is wrong with you?) ... a blast from the past ! I was so happy when I came across this phrase which I haven't heard for ages :o) Where do words hide when they grow old?