Learn Serbian

Monday, February 17, 2014

Tourism in Serbia in Serbian

Marina Advanced Serbian , Listening comprehension

While making a short video exercise based on one of our previous lessons I also came across this short video which can teach you a variety of common collocations connected with tourism and hospitality. Let's listen to the video and try to jot them down.

In case it's too fast, do watch my subtitles in Serbian, which will be integrated in the videos on this blog from now on :)

Talking about your childhood dreams in Serbian

Marina Listening comprehension , past tense in serbian

You may remember some of the funny Kefalica videos from my past posts. This time, the video is about "Kafana", which is combined with very nice story about what a pop singer wanted to become when she was a little girl. I added subtitles under her story in this video:

If you want to enjoy the whole story and hear what the kids are saying in between, do watch the video on Youtube.

Don't Miss Naša Snajka on Youtube

Marina Listening comprehension , Serbian holidays

Finally a great Youtube channel dedicated to teaching you both the Serbian language and customs :)

Besides English subtitles, you can also choose French, Italian, Russian, German and Spanish!!!

Please do support Naša Snajka by sharing her videos and liking her FB page with anyone interested in learning Serbian :)
Hvala, Martina!
*****
Edit: Here is the same video with the Serbian subtitles:

How to Use to Use in Serbian :)

Marina Serbian collocations , Serbian language 365

One of the ways to express that you "use" something or something is "useful" in Serbian is to learn all the speech parts of the verb #koristiti, which is connected with our previous post with Present Simple conjugations.

If you use it as a verb: KORISTITI, možete ga koristiti kroz različita vremena i oblike:

Present Simple conjugations: koristim- koristiš- koristi // koristimo-koristite-koriste (For example: Koji program koristiš za obradu slika? Koristim "Paint", ali mi se ne sviđa. Da li si video Miletove fotografije? On sigurno koristi nešto drugo!)
Radni glagolski pridev - the form used in Past Simple: koristio-koristila-koristilo//koristili-koristile-koristila (e.g. Ma i Mile je koristio "Paint", ali je išao na neki kurs gde su svi koristili "Korel", pa je i on naučio da radi u njemu... a i ja sa njim, tako da sada koristimo isti program.)
Trpni glagolski pridev - the form which equals the Past Participle in English, used either in the Passive or as an adjective: korišćen-korišćena-korišćeno//korišćeni-korišćene-korišćena (e.g. Šta je korišćeno pri izradi? ) as well as korišten-korištena-korišteno//korišteni-korištene-korištena
Always check this great Logos Conjugator when searching for Serbian verb conjugations!

If you use it as an adjective: KORIStAN. Here are a few examples

Ovaj savet je koristan = The advice is very useful.
Čuo sam veoma korisnu priču = I heard a very useful story:

If you use it as a noun: KORIST = benefit, or KORIŠĆENJE (upotreba) = use.

Here comes a list of clever thoughts (mudre misli) with this noun - check the link. Meni je najkorisnija i najzabavnija bila ova: (To me the most useful and funniest was this one)

Čovjeku koji je intelektualno viši od drugih, samoća pruža dvogubu korist; prvu, što je sam, i drugu, što nije s drugima :))))

Here are a few interesting common phrases and idioms with koristiti & korist:

Gde se dvojica svađaju, treći se koristi (verb=glagol) = two dogs strive for a bone, and a third runs away with it (similar to "zavadi pa vladaj" = divide and rule, which is more often used)
Izvući korist iz nečega = to turn sometning to good account (Moj prijatelj iz svake situacije izvuče korist )
Raditi u korist nečega =in favour of someone, to someone's benefit/advantage (Sud je doneo presudu u našu korist)

For more similar posts, check out the "Serbian Collocations" tag

Practicing Cyrillic Script

Marina Cyrillic script , Serbian language 365

If you need to practise writing Serbian Cyrillic script, it's a good idea to either

read these beautiful poems by Mika Antić...

...and type down while reading...

or simply click pause and write it in your diary :)

If you want a more difficult practice, simply listen Mika and jot down what he's saying :)

Improving your Listening Comprehension Skills

Marina Listening comprehension , Serbian language 365

In order to develop your Serbian listening comprehension skills, it's of vital importance to listen to Serbian on a daily basis. It would be perfect if you can also understand what the speakers are saying and what the subject matter is. That surely increases your motivation :) Unfortunately, there aren't many youtube videos with subtitles in English, like this one:

with Serbian translated into English in subtitles or like this one in English translated into Serbian.

I spend a few hours weekly in search for good, quality listening material for my students. It's not only enough to find a video with a catchy title, but also for a speaker to pronounce Serbian at a normal speed and speak about an appropriate topic for a lesson. I say that I spend hours looking for useful videos, not because I'm too picky, but because I tend to get fascinated with some stupid or bizarre stuff which usually happens to be listed first on Youtube. Unfortunately, the real gems are usually sitting on the third or fourth page. One of the examples, besides the first video with Zoran Milivojević, is this insightful interview with Aleksandar Ćirković:

I'll transcribe the first part of the interview and make an exercise. Until then, can you listen to the first three minutes and try to answer the following questions:

1. Ko je oduševljen "dunavskim raftingom"?
a. Amerikanci b. Nemci c. Englezi

2. Koliko dugo postoji DR (Dunavski Rafting)?
a. 4 god b. 9 godina c.3 godine

3. Za koliko ljudi je DR?
a. 1-2 ljudi b. preko 20 ljudi c. 12-15 ljudi

4.Da li postoji ruta Novi Sad - Beograd?
a. da b. ne c. ne znam

5.Šta gosit mogu da dožive na DR?
a. stres b.umor c.opuštanje

The answers are under this beautiful song about the Danube:

Verb Conjugations in Serbian - koristiti

Marina Accusative in Serbian , Serbian language 365

Here comes a brand new video lesson with the verb "koristiti" or "to use". This verb is commonly followed by the Accusative case and you can practise using both singular and plural form of the nouns while watching this video:

This sounds very simple until you want to make more complicated sentences or to say what is useful to you (šta TI koristi?) and similar. That's why my next post will cover collocations and phrases with this verb used in many different contexts, similar to the previous ones.

Revising Serbian Phrases

Marina Serbian language 365 , Serbian phrases

It's true that it might be difficult to understand some of the Serbian phrases if pronounced quite fast and somewhat incomprehensibly, but the real challenge is surely how to respond appropriately!

That's why I recorded a new video lesson for you, which can be used at all levels (click stop when you are out of your depth). You can use it in different ways:

To check how well you can understand fast speech, simply listen to the phrases and try to jot them down, without watching the video below!
If it is too easy, try to hear the phrase and then respond to it, as fast as you can, without clicking the pause button.
If you are not sure if you understood the phrases, play the video while watching it.
Now, if you are sure what all the phrases mean, try to respond to them, even try to write down/practice with your language partner, how you'd continue the conversation.
Have fun!

Serbian Slava Sveti Sava

Marina Serbian holidays , Serbian language 365

Let's celebrate Saint Sava Slava on January, 27th by sharing these insightful sites:

A must watch BBC video about St. Sava Slava (hvala D.)
About St. Sava by Istorijska Biblioteka site in Serbian
About Serbian Slava in English by Baba Mimi
About Serbian Orthodox faith in English

Don't miss the previous years' posts which include:

Serbian Pronunciation Practice with Đ and DŽ

Marina Serbian language 365 , Serbian pronunciation

If you started learning Serbian and you are confused as to what might be the difference between DŽ and Đ sounds, let me help you by taking you through these five steps:

Step 1:

Which of these two sounds is softer to your ear ?

Dž/dž (or Џ џ in Cyrillic)

Đ / đ (or in Cyrillic script: Ђ ђ)?

Step 2: If you don't hear ANY difference, let me tell you that the sound Đ is much softer than DŽ.

*You'll get this sound to be softer, i.e. produce Đ, by pressing the tongue onto the lower teeth. Repeat "đ" several times and feel the tongue low, behind the teeth, touching them.

*To get the harsh "DŽ" curl your tongue behind the upper teeth, slightly above them. You'll notice that the sound becomes less soft as you raise your tongue upwards. (even curling it backwards). Now repeat it several times.

Step 3: Try to contrast the soft Đ with harsh DŽ, paying attention to the tongue position and listening to yourself. Can you hear the difference ?

Now it's time to practise with minimal pairs and not-so-minimal pairs, because there aren't that many words with Đ and DŽ:

Step 4:

Listen and repeat:

đak džak
leđa odžak
đinđuva dživdžan
ceđenje karakondžula
đubre dželat
đurđevak džanarika
đakonije džangrizalo
đavo džem
đevrek džemper

Step 5:

Encircle the word you hear me say:

đubre džak đak odžak
đevrek džaba đavo džem
džoker đon džomba đozluci
džudo đevrek džukela đuveč
ceđenje dživdžan đinđuva dželat

For more pronunciation practice visit the previous blog posts tagged "pronunciation in Serbian"

Serbian Christmas Customs and Songs

Marina Christmas in Serbian , Serbian holidays

Let me wish you a Merry Christmas = Срећан Божић / Srećan Božić

by sharing this beautiful story about Serbian Orthodox Christmas by Baba Mim :)

Dok slušate ovu božićnu pesmu, you can read more about Christmas Eve customs in Serbia and Christmas Eve dinner on this page.

Happy Holidays !

Marina Christmas in Serbian , Serbian holidays

Happy holidays or "Srećni (novogodišnji) praznici" to all the faithful followers of LearnSerbianBlog blog and SerbianLesson.com site :)

About St Nicholas and Krsna Slava in Serbian

Marina Advanced Serbian , Serbian holidays

Today, on St Nicholas day, I wanted to share with you this beautiful video called "Tropar Svetom Nikoli"

as well as this link to Serbian frescoes dedicated to the life of Saint Nicholas. For all of you interested in what "Krsna Slava" is, check our this page.

Let's Practice Serbian Cyrillic Script - Answer to Part 2

Marina easy Serbian , serbian conjugations

Sorry for the "late tomorrow" answer key video :)

Let's Practice Serbian Cyrillic Script - Part 2

Marina going shopping in Serbian , Serbian language 365

A student of mine suggested I could integrate practising the Cyrillic script into the grammar test video lessons. Let's give it a try today with the following lesson which is a part of Serbian 102 course:

As usual, the answer key will be here tomorrow :) For more Serbian phrases in Cyrillic with really slow pronunciation check out this course.

Grammar Tests in Serbian - Key to Test 1

Marina genitive in Serbian , locative in Serbian

If you thought you could say "obećanje ludom radovanje" about my yesterday's promise, let's see...

How well did you do this grammar test in Serbian ? Was it too easy ?

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