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Thursday, December 23, 2010

What's the weather like in Serbian?

Marina impersonal structures in Serbian , weather in Serbian

Look at the video, listen to Ivan and guess the meaning of the following phrases:

1. Sunčano je.
2. Tmurno je i uskoro će oluja.
3. Juče je bilo jako hladno, a danas je sve zaleđeno.
4. Jutro će biti maglovito.
5. Posle kiše se vidi duga.
6. Oblačno je.
7. Pao je sneg.
8. Hladno je i vetrovito.

Basic phrases about playing a sport in Serbian

Marina Serbian phrases ,

What do you do in your free time?
---> Šta radiš u slobodno vreme?
What sport do you play in your free time?
---> Kojim se sportom baviš u slobodno vreme?
What do you like doing in your free time?
---> Šta voliš da radiš u slobodno vreme?

I play football.
---> Igram fudbal.
I don't play golf, but I play basketball.
---> Ne igram golf već košarku.
I go swimming and fishing.
---> Idem na plivanje i pecanje.

What about you? - A ti?

Reflexive pronoun 'se' in Serbian

Marina comprehension exercises , exercises in Serbian

Here is the news from my town, followed by the video. I deleted all 'se' words. Try to guess where they are missing and then check your answers at the news source link.

U nesreći koja pre 4 dana desila u centru Novog Sada nekoliko lica je zadobilo lakše povrede, a na YouTube-u se ubrzo nakon toga našao video snimak ove nezgode. Kako navode svedoci, Fiat Punto sa novosadskim registarskim tablicama kretao ulicom Jovana Subotića iz pravca Trga Marije Trandafil ka centru. Prešao je na suprotnu stranu kolovoza, okrznuo sa jednim gradskim autobusom i Opel Corsom, te direktno sudario da drugim autobusom GSP-a odmah iza Corse. (4 missing 'se')

Verb Prefixes in Serbian

Marina Prefixes in Serbian ,

I'm sure that many eager learners of Serbian are often puzzled by the meaning of prefixes and suffixes which are added to verbs in our language. While English uses different tense aspects (progressive, perfective) and phrasal verbs to express the same meaning, we tend to express aspect at the lexical level - that's why numerous prefixes and suffixes!

I think it's useless to puzzle students by bombarding them with numerous prefixes with one verb stem e.g. izaći, ući, otići, prići, doći etc. especially in one lesson. I think it's more effective to introduce one prefix, with common meaning, applied to the verbs with which students are already familiar with.

That's why I'll introduce the prefix "do-" = similar to English 'to'

1. meaning towards someone or something, or some finishing phase

trčati (run) - dotrčati (run to)
Sima trči (Sima is running)
Sima je trčao (Sima was running)
Sima je dotrčao (Sima has run (to me or some place))

šetati (walk) - došetati (walk to)
Ja šetam (I am walking/I walk)
Ja sam šetala (I was walking)
Došetala sam se do parka (I've walked to the park)
Došetaću se do tebe. (I'll walk to your place)

2. meaning 'additional'

pisati (write) - dopisati (add to what you've written)
Pišem knjigu (I'm writing a book)
Pisao sam pismo. (I was writing a letter)
Dopisao sam komentar (I added a comment)
Dopisao sam još jednu rečenicu (I've written one more sentence)

zidati (build) - dozidati (build some more/build up)
Zidali smo kuću pet godina (we were/have been building the house for five years)
Dozidali smo jednu sobu (we built up one more room)

dati (give) - dodati (add)
Dali su nam tortu (they gave us a cake)
Dodali smo malo šećera(we added a little sugar)

Verb Conjugations in Serbian: To Love

Marina verb conjugations in Serbian ,

VOLETI conjugations in the Present Simple:

Ja volim
Ti voliš
On, ona, ono voli

Mi volimo
Vi volite
Oni, one, ona vole

--- you can easily omit the personal pronoun:

Koju boju voliš? Volim žutu, ali ne volim crnu.

Present Simple Conjugation in Serbian

Marina verb conjugations in Serbian ,

Verb ''nositi''
= to wear + nouns
(this time Feminine only )

******with Fem. Plural nouns:
CIPELE =shoes
PANTALONE = trousers
FARMERKE = jeans
ČARAPE = socks

****** with Fem. Singular nouns:
HALJINA = dress
MAJICA = T-shirt
KOŠULJA = shirt
SUKNJA = dress

Practise: NOSIM... / NE NOSIM.... (I wear/I don't wear)

Šta nosiš kada ideš na posao ?
= What do you wear when you go to work ?

Šta nosiš kada ideš u školu ?
= What do you wear when you go to school ?

You can download the slides from www.lewinow.com

Pronunciation of the Verb To Be in Serbian

Marina Serbian pronunciation , verb conjugations in Serbian

This video is actually the audio version of this blog post covering BITI conjugations in different tenses in Serbian.

Conjugation of To Be in Serbian

Marina verb conjugations in Serbian , verb to be in Serbian

----------Present Tense of the verb TO BE - BITI in Serbian
Ja sam
Ti si
On je
Ona je
Mi smo
Vi Ste
Oni/one/ona su
---------------Past Tense of the verb TO BE - BITI in Serbian
Ja sam bio/bila
Ti si bio/bila
On je bio
Ona je bila
Ono je bilo
Mi smo bili(masc)/bile(fem)/bila (neuter)
Vi ste bili(masc)/bile(fem)/bila (neuter)
Oni su bili(masc)
One su bile(fem)
Ona su bila (neuter)
---------------------Future Tense of the verb TO BE - BITI in Serbian
Ja ću biti
Ti ćeš biti
On će biti
Ona će biti
Ono će biti
Mi ćemo biti
Vi ćete biti
Oni/one/ona će biti

Don't forget to check:

Passive Voice in Serbian

Marina Passive in Serbian ,

in The Passive Voice is not widely used in the Serbian language. That's why it doesn't have some special morphological means to express it, but uses the following:

1. Auxiliary + passive participle (-n/-t endings)
Stolica je polomljeNA. = The chair is broken.

2. Reflexive forms (impersonal structures with the impersonal pronoun 'se')
Novine se štampaju svaki dan. = Newspapers are printed every day.

3. Active forms (passive in deep structure)
Ovde piše da ... = It is written (Someone has written) that ...

Since the first structure is called 'Passive Voice' in Serbian, let's practise it!

Turn the following sentences into the Passive (I'm using only -N endings)
RULE: TO BE * + Infinitive Stem (usually) or Present Stem (prezentska osnova)** and -N suffixe
Sg. Fem. -na
Sg. Masc. -n
Sg. Neuter -no
Pl. Fem. -ne
Pl. Masc. -ni
Pl. Neuter -na

EXAMPLE:
I ate a hamburger= Ja sam pojeo hamburger.
Hamburger je pojeden.

1. Mi smo primili pismo.
2. Sonja je ispravila imeil.
3. Ja sam popila vodu.
4. Sestra je istukla brata.
5. Marko je zaprosio Anu.

--------
* TO BE (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su)
** Present Stem is formed by omitting the suffix in the Present Simple third person plural

Telling Time In Serbian

Marina telling time in Serbian ,

What's the time ? Koliko je sati ?

11.00 Tačno (je) jedanaest sati. Jedanaest je sati.
12.05 Dvanaest i pet. Dvanaest i pet minuta.
01.10 Jedan i deset.
02.15 Dva i petnaest.
03.20 Tri i dvadeset.
04.25 Četiri i dvadeset pet.
05.28 Pet i dvadeset osam.
06.30 Šest i trideset. Pola sedam.
07.35 Sedam i trideset pet. Dvadeset pet do osam.
08.37 Osam i trideset sedam. Dvadeset tri do devet.
09.40 Devet i četrdeset. Dvadeset do deset.
10.45 Petnaest do jedanaest.
10.50 Deset do jedanaest.
11.55 Pet do dvanaest.

This text used to have a few mistakes which are recorded in this video. Can you spot them in the video?
For more details about numbers check out this link.

Practise Personal Pronouns in Serbian

Marina comprehension exercises , Listening comprehension

Pronoun for the First Person Plural:
WE = mi

mi
nas (from us)
nama (to us)
nas (us)
mi
s nama (with us)
o nama (about us)

Possessive Adjective for the
First Person Plural:
OUR = naš
Singular
Fem. naša sestra
Masc. naš brat
Neuter. naše dete

Plural
Fem. našE sestrE
Masc. našA braćA
Neuter. našA decA

Now, enjoy listening to this 'ancient' song and filling the gaps:

Ljubav _______ (to us) više nije prijatelj
ponekad svrati ___________ (only) kao gost
zašto se ljubav gubi _________ (without) traga
__________ (my) draga?

Do juče smo se lepo __________ (we lied)
i verovali slepo u ________ __________ (that lie)
____________ (why) se ljubav gubi bez traga
moja ________________ (darling)?

Chorus:

_________ (where) je sad tvoj Beograd
gde _________ (is) sad moj Beograd
_________ _______ (where is) sad tvoj Beograd
a gde _______ (are) sada _____ (you)
a gde _______ (am) sada ______ (I) ?

Sreća nam _________ (more) nije dobar drug
sa __________ (us) trči poslednji put
zašto se ljubav ___________ (it disappears) bez traga
________ (my) draga?

Sad život __________ (our) ne vredi kao pre
a i vreme kao da _____________ (to us) izmiče
zašto se ljubav gubi bez ____________ (trace)
___________ (my) draga ?

Chorus

Listening Comprehension Exercise - Weather Phrases in Serbian

Marina Listening comprehension ,

Jot down the Serbian phrases you hear:

Serbian For Beginners, Perica At School

Marina Serbian for beginners ,

Perica: Učiteljice, nisam zaslužio da mi date keca na kontrolnom zadatku!

Učiteljica: U pravu si, ali manje nisam mogla da ti dam!

*** v o c a b u l a r y ***

1. učiteljica = teacher
2. zaslužiti da = deserve to (nisam zaslužio - I haven't deserved)
3. mi (meni) = me (to me)
4. dati = give
5. kec (sl.) = failing grade (one)
6. na kontrolnom zadatku = in the test
7. u pravu si = you are right
8. ali =but
9. manje = fewer/less
10. moći = can (nisam mogla = I couldn't)

*** a u d i o ***

*** practice ***
Verb ZASLUŽITI (deserve) - Write the negative form of the verb:

ja=I
Zaslužio sam =__________ zaslužio
Zaslužila sam = __________ _________

ti=you
Zaslužio si =__________ _________
Zaslužila si =__________ _________

on/ona = he/she
Zaslužio je =__________ _________
Zaslužila je = __________ _________

mi= we
Zaslužili smo = __________ _________
Zaslužile smo =__________ _________

vi = you
Zaslužili ste= __________ _________
Zaslužile ste= __________ _________

oni/one/ona = they
Zaslužili su=__________ _________
Zaslužile su =__________ _________
Zaslužila su =__________ _________

Serbian for Beginners, Jokes about Perica

Marina Serbian for beginners , Serbian vocabulary

Perica: Mama, rekao sam ti sto puta da ne volim sir s rupama!
Mama: Ti onda jedi sir, a rupe ostavi.

********AUDIO************
I told you = rekao sam ti (Masc.)rekla sam ti (Fem.)
Hundred times = sto puta
I don't like/love = ne volim
cheese = sir
with = s
holes = rupe (with holes = s rupama)

Serbian Verb Conjugations Free Listening Exercise

Marina serbian conjugations , verb conjugations in Serbian

Vino točim
by Miroslav Ilić

Exercise 1: Write down the conjugations of the verbs below
Past Tense for First Person Sg. Masculine of the following verbs:

SRESTI = meet
ZNATI = know
ŽELETI = want
DATI = give

Exercise 2: Present Tense for First Person Singular of the following verbs:

TOČITI = pour
PITI = drink
KRITI = hide
LJUBITI = kiss
GUBITI = lose, waste

Exercise 3: Negative form of 'there is'

Exercise 4: Present Tense for Third Person Singular of the following verbs:

KRITI = hide
UZDISATI = sigh
ČUVATI = save/take care of
MIRISATI = smell

Now, check your answers:

Ja sam do sad mnoge žene _____________ (I met)
al' za ljubav ipak nisam _____________ (I knew)
ljubio sam sve sto sam _______________ (I wanted)
al' sam samo tebi srce _______________ (I gave)
ljubio sam sve sto sam _______________ (I wanted)
al' sam samo tebi srce _______________ (I gave)

Chorus 2x

Vino ____________ (I'm pouring), a vino __ ________________ (I'm not drinking)
srce imam, osećanja __________________ (I'm hiding)
usne imam, al' koga ___ _______________ (to kiss (I))
kad si s drugim, a ja mladost _________________ (I'm wasting)

_____________ (there's no) vina da mi bole smiri
_____________ (there's no) pesme da srce umiri
_____________ (there's no) noči da mi oči sklopi
hej ljubavi, ti mi dušu opi

_____________ (there's no) noči da mi oči sklopi
hej ljubavi, ti mi dušu opi

Chorus 2x

Što se ljubi kad se ljubav ______________ (is hiding)
što se voli kad srce ____________________ (is sighing)
što se čuva cvece najmilije ______________ (is saving/taking care of)
kad ga drugi bere i _______________ ((he) smells)

Chorus 2x

Future Tense in Serbian - exercise

Marina comprehension exercises , exercises in Serbian

Future Tense in Serbian

RULE: infinitive stem + Future tense suffix, depending on the person

Future Tense suffixes:

-ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će

Example: to sing=pevati ---> peva+ćeš

Now, you do the same for the first (I= ja) and second person singular (you=ti) for these verbs:

to have = imati

to play = igrati

to kiss = ljubiti

to be = biti

Great! Now, listen to this song and check your answers:

______________ (You'll have) ih mnogo _______________ (you'll play) se njima
______________ (You'll kiss) ih mnogo ali ne daj se baš svima
U ponoć _____________ (I'll be) tu i _____________ (I'll kiss) te tad
U ponoć poželi tvoj deda-mraz sam ______ (I).

Nove godine zato _______________ (are coming)
Nove godine u pravi čas za ______ (us).

Nove __________ (years) zato dolaze
Nove __________ (years) u pravi čas za nas.

______________ (You'll have) ih mnogo _______________ (you'll play) se njima
______________ (You'll kiss) ih mnogo ali ne daj se baš svima
U ponoć _____________ (I'll be) tu i _____________ (I'll kiss) te tad
U ponoć poželi tvoj deda-mraz sam ______ (I).

Chorus

Chorus

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