Learn Serbian

Friday, April 15, 2016

Common Mistakes in Serbian

I must tell you that I am more than happy that there has been more and more educational videos about the Serbian language. They cover different topics, such as:

Pronunciation of Serbian with Nada
Serbian Grammar - Jezičke nedoumice
Common mistakes in Serbian - Negujmo srpski

Today I wanted to present the series of short videos about the most common mistakes in Serbian called Negujmo srpski jezik! The first video in the series is about the words "all" and "he acted".

Common Mistakes in Serbian - sve or svo?

After listening to this video can you tell which of the mentioned words is correct (tačna) and which one is incorrect (netačna):

sve
svo
glumeo
glumio

You can use the following form to say what you think:

Mislim da je reč "svo" netačna / tačna.

Let' check the correct answers:

Learn Common Serbian Phrases with Mikela

Marina common phrases , internet phrases in serbian

If you liked the previous post about the common Serbian phrases, I am sure you will like the following set of phrases people tend to use in daily conversations when they meet the friends they haven't seen for quite a while.

I will add a translation next to the each phrase, so you can see what is only natural to ask if you have a friend who is from Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro or Croatia :) You will see that there are no "safe" topics about the weather though, lol:)

Đesi ba?* = Where are you? =what's up?
šta ima? = what's up?
kako si? = how are you?
šta radiš? = what are you doing?
ima li šta novo da me iznenadiš?
= is there anything new to surprise me?

Kad si doš'o? = When did you come back?
kad se vraćaš? = when are you coming back?
vidiš li ti ovo? = can you see what's happening?
i kako ti to shvaćaš? = and what's your take on that?

Šta planiraš danas? = What are your plans for today? (what are you gonna do?)
jesi l' sutra šta planiro? = have you planned anything for tomorrow?
što si neraspoložen? = why are you in a bad mood?
ko te iznerviro? = who bothered you?
Jes' ti diplomiro ono što si studir'o? = finished what you've been studying?
Nešto s' ti to čini mi se malo pauziro? = it seems you didn't finish it in time?

Jes' to novi telefon kupio? = Have you bought a new (cell) phone?
pošto? = how much?
ako bi ga prodavo koliko bi košto? = if you were to sell it, how much would it be?
Kol'ko mu prostora u memoriju staje? = how much memory (space=prostor) is there?
kol'ko mu dugo baterija traje? = how long does the battery last?
Jesu l' to tvoja kola? = is this your car? (The word "kola" in Serbian is always in plural)
il je rent a car? = or is it a rent-a-car?
Je l' to dizel il' benzinac? = is it using diesel fuel or gasoline?
kol'ko je star? = how old is it?

Je l' to na lizing? =Is it on lease?
il je gotovina? = or in cash?
je l' to vuče prednja ili zadnja osovina? = is it front or rear traction?

Refren 2x (* kaš = Kad ćeš)
Kaš* se žent? = When are you gonna get married (ženiti = to get married for men)?
kaš se udavat? when are you gonna get married (udavati = to get married for women)?
De mi reci pa da mogu mirno spavat! = do tell me, so I can sleep peacefully!
imaš li djece? = have any kids?
e nemaš pa što? = no? so why not?
šta čekaš više? = what are you waiting for?
što ne rješavaš to? = why aren't you working on that?

Kako ti je mama? = How's your ma?
kako ti je tata? = how's your pa?
je l' ti ono imaš sestru ili brata? = have you got a sister or brother?
(The word "ono"implies that he has forgotten about it)
Radiš li šta? = working?
i kol'ka ti je plata? = how much is your salary?
jesi l' u kreditu? = having a (bank) loan?
kol'ka ti je rata? = how much is your (monthly) installment?

Đe budeš? = Where are you staying?
đe živiš?= where do you live?
đe stanuješ sada? =where are you living now?
je l' to periferija? = is it in the suburbs?
za kolko si do grada? = how far is it from the city center?
jesi to na fejsu? = are you on Facebook?
koja ti je slika na profilu? = which is your profile photo?
je l' de da to i ti imaš viška koju kilu? = do admit it that you have put on weight!
(some (extra) kilos = koju kilu viška)

Refren 3x

*Đes ba or Gde si? here means "what's up", and is often used along with that phrase "Đes ba? Šta ima?

Common Phrases in Serbian

Marina common phrases ,

Common Phrases in Serbian

I am sure you liked the previous post where you could practice pronouncing "Laku noć" which means "Good night". Today we are going to practice saying "Dobro jutro" or "Good morning" with this fun commercial:

It is actually based on a well known song by Bajaga, called "Dobro jutro, džezeri".
Džezeri is short for "jazz players", but in this ad this word is changed to "džezVeri", because the word "đezva" or "džezva" means a specific coffee pot, like this one:

At the very end you are also going to hear how chicken's "piu-piu" is used in the meaning of "they drink" = Piju (to drink = piti: conjugations>>> pijem - piješ - pije // pijemo - pijete - piju)

Now, here comes Bajaga's song with the lyrics, so you can compare the two:

New Lesson to Practice Accusative in Serbian

Marina Accusative in Serbian ,

After two months of adjusting an old course of mine to the new set of quality criteria at Udemy, Serbian 102 has been approved and is visible for anyone interested in learning Serbian at pre-intermediate level. I'm adding now additional new video lessons such as this one:

Accusative in Serbian

and quizzes:

Quizzes with Accusative in Serbian

TEST - 15 rečenica

Example with Sg. JA + IĆI + CRKVA >>> Idem u crkvu
Example with Pl. TI + VIDETI + MOSTOVI >>> Vidiš mostove

LEARN

SPACERACE

Pronunciation of Exercise

You can record a similar story with www.Vocaroo.com

Most Common Phrases in Serbian

Marina common phrases , Serbian for beginners

Common Phrases when Saying Goodnight

Here comes a fun commercial which is great for you to practice authentic language, especially the word "laku noć" = goodnight, you'll see why :)

I couldn't resist creating a short exercise based on it! Simply pull the words listed above to the appropriate gaps.

Common Phrases Task - Saying Goodnight in Serbian

International Mother Language Day

Marina Serbian as a Foreign Language ,

Today is the International Mother Language Day. Mother tongue is part of the cultural identity of a people, the point of recognition, diversity, tolerance and understanding. Taking care of the mother tongue is a way of proving the people's awareness of their own identity.

The legacy of the Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja says: "My dear child, guard your language as your country. Word can be lost as a city, as a country, as a soul. And what is a people if it loses its language, country, soul? Do not take someone else's word in your mouth. If you take a foreign word, know that you didn't conquer it, you've actually alienated yourself. It's better to lose the biggest and the toughest city of your country than the smallest and the least significant word of your language. People who lose their own words cease to exist as people."

***Many thanks to Meet the Serbs FB page for this post and translation:

Данас је Међународни дан матерњег језика. Матерњи језик је део културног идентитета народа, тачка препознавања, различитости али и толеранције и разумевања. Брига о матерњем језику је начин доказивања свести народа о властитом идентитету.

Завештање Стефана Немање каже: „Чувајте, чедо моје мило, језик као земљу. Реч се може изгубити као град, као земља, као душа. А шта је народ изгуби ли језик, земљу, душу? Не узимајте туђу реч у своја уста. Узмеш ли туђу реч, знај да је ниси освојио, него си себе потуђио. Боље ти је изгубити највећи и најтврђи град своје земље, него најмању и најнензнатнију реч свога језика. Народ који изгуби своје речи престаје бити народ“. („Завештања великог жупана српског Стефана Немање свом сину светом Сави“, аутора Милета Медића).

Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Marina Accusative in Serbian , serbian conjugations

The topic of today's lesson is the verb IĆI U/NA(to go to) followed by different places. Because of the preposition U/NA, which mean in/at/on in English, students tend to make a mistake and use the Locative case of a noun instead of the Accusative. However, since IĆI U is the verb which denotes movement, we can translate it with GO TO and then it is followed by the Accusative.

So, with today's Quizlet set we will be practicing:

different conjugations of the verb IĆI in its imperfective form: idem (sada) = I am going to (now).
prepositions U vs. NA
Accusative Singular nouns (there is a change only with the Feminine nouns, which drop the final A and add U)

Learning Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Practicing Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Test with Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Serbian for Beginners in Cyrillic and Latin Alphabet

Marina Serbian for beginners ,

Yesterday I made two brand new Quizlet exercises as a follow up of the following video Serbian exercise for beginners, both in the Serbian Cyrillic script and Latin alphabet.

If you are not sure what some words mean, do check them out with the following flash cards:

Once you feel confident about the meaning of the words, feel free to do the following exercises in the Cyrillic script:

or Latin Alphabet:

How to Pronounce Serbian R?

Marina How to pronounce Serbian letters , Serbian pronunciation

How to Pronounce Serbian R?

If you patiently listen to Nada Zeković until the very end of the video below, you'll find out what is the secret of the accurate pronunciation of the Serbian "r". Verovali ili ne, the secret is in its vibration :) Watch, listen, repeat and practice!

The position of the tip of the tongue is upfront, behind the upper front teeth.
Besides, there's a slight vibration. (Listen to Nada comparing Spanish and Serbian name "Oskar" )

Advice on How to Pronounce Serbian R?

According to Nada, the best way is to practice by :

simply running round the house saying the vibrant "rrrrr" :)
focusing on sound clusters such as "pr" (pravo, prvi, pre, preko, prošlo...), and later on other words with this sound!

Best of luck!

How to Congratulate Orthodox Christmas in Serbian?

Marina Božić , Christmas in Serbian

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating it today! Today and in the next seven days, until Serbian New Year, I want to give you a Christmas gift of a free online course!

I also want to share with you the best Christmas SMS or IMs to be sent on this day which I found on various websites:

Christmas SMS for religious family and friends

In the Cyrillic Script via Duhoviti website

Лепшег јутра од данашњег нема, ко је верник за Божић се спрема. Срце твоје љубав нека води, мир Божији и Христос се роди! Ту где се бадњак данас ложи, у том дому срећа нек се множи, нека срећна звезда кроз живот вас води Мир Божији и Христос се роди!

In the Latin Alphabet

Lepšeg jutra od današnjeg nema, ko je vernik za Božić se sprema. Srce tvoje ljubav neka vodi, mir Božiji i Hristos se rodi!

Tu gde se badnjak danas loži, u tom domu sreća nek se množi, neka srećna zvezda kroz život vas vodi Mir Božiji i Hristos se rodi!

Informal Christmas SMS

In the Cyrillic Script via Opušteno

Догорева Бадњак свети и полако ватром тиња, пуно здравља и среће желим теби и твојима. Христос се роди! Срећан Божић!

In the Latin Alphabet

Dogoreva Badnjak sveti i polako vatrom tinja, puno zdravlja i sreće želim tebi i tvojima. Hristos se rodi! Srećan Božić!

Formal Christmas SMS

In the Cyrillic Script via Stihovi

Нек Вам сребрне зраке Божићног јутра под бором осветле поклон исплетен од здравља, среће, мира и љубави… Срећан Божић!

In the Latin Alphabet

Nek Vam srebrne zrake Božićnog jutra pod borom osvetle poklon ispleten od zdravlja, sreće, mira i ljubavi… Srećan Božić!

Serbian Online Course about Animals

Marina serbian online course ,

Brand New Serbian Online Course

If you have followed my previous posts about using different groups of vocabulary to build up more complicated sentences in Serbian, I am sure you will like my new mini course which focuses on vocabulary (here comes the Christmas discount link). It is called Expanding Serbian Vocabulary - Animals and right now it covers all levels, from the beginner to advanced. You will be using the same sets of words in different contexts and with different grammar structures, starting with the verb to be, to the past tense, Accusative, Genitive, comparisons to conditionals.

This course is perfect for all the students of Serbian at different levels, who would like to expand their vocabulary in different contexts. It is based the vocabulary describing domestic and wild animals

Serbian Online Course - Structure

Each section consists of:

intro video lesson with me pronouncing the words
video lesson without my pronunciation
video lessons with exercises where you have to supply the missing words
quizzes and grammar exercises
speaking practice video with lots of questions and a link where you can record/write your answers

Serbian Online Course about Animals - Free Lesson

Reading Comprehension Exercises for Advanced Learners

Marina Advanced Serbian , reading comprehension

I'd like to share an authentic text about a teenage inovator from Novi Sad, Jovana Kondić. I made a few exercises based on this interesting story and I'm sure you'll like them!

Reading Comprehension Exercises for Advanced Learners

Right Order

Click below to access the activity. (Opens in a new window on touch devices.)

Click here to open the above activity in a new window.

Missing Words

Click below to access the activity. (Opens in a new window on touch devices.)

Click here to open the above activity in a new window.

Earn some Money :D

Click below to access the activity. (Opens in a new window on touch devices.)

Click here to open the above activity in a new window.

Listening Exercise about Large Kolo for Guinness

Marina Listening comprehension , serbian kolo

Let me introduce you to my nephew Aca who participated in the event called "Large Kolo for Guinness" which took place exactly a week ago in Novi Sad, Serbia. While watching and listening to this video you can do the following tasks:

A. Watch the video without listening to it at first (mute the audio) and try to guess:

Kako se Aca oseća?
Po čemu znate da se Aca tako oseća?

B. Now watch and listen to the video focusing on the words and phrases which confirm your previous answers.

C. Now watch and listen to the video for the third time and try to answer the following questions:

Odakle je Aca?
Kako je sve proteklo?
Čega su se učesnici bojali?
Zašto je ova manifestacija bitna?
Koje izraze Aca koristi da iskaže zahvalnost što je sve dobro pošlo?

D. To expand your vocabulary try to recall which synonyms and phrases Aca uses instead of:

"proteklo"
"bojati se"
"bitan"

Grammar Exercise:

Guinness World Record Largest Folk Dance in Serbia

Marina Folk Dance in Serbia , serbian kolo

Guinness World Record Largest Folk Dance in Serbia

Over 12.000 participants prepares to break the Guinness World Record by simultaneously dancing a Kolo (a traditional dance from the Balkan states) in Novi Sad. The same string of participants stretched for kilometers and encircled several city blocks.

The organization of the Veliko Kolo (Great Kolo) took months and it gathered organizations from 12 different countries in the region. The participants were coordinated by local staff and by a system of loudspeakers. Additionally, all those participating were assigned a barcode, which was then read by the event's officials at the end of the event and the results sent to the Guinness commission.

Preparation for Guinness Largest Kolo

Serbian Kolo, Novi Sad 4th October 2015

Listening Comprehension Exercise

Koliko folkloraša učestvuje u Velikom kolu?
Gde se održava svečano otvaranje?
Iz kojih zemalja su učesnici?
Koliko kilometara je dugačko kolo?
Kada će biti završena ova manifestacija?

Koliko autobusa je pristiglo u Novi Sad 4. 10. 2015.?
Kog uzrasta su učesnici?
Koliko kola su folkloraši igrali?
Odakle je prvi sagovornik?
Odakle je drugi sagovornik?
Odakle je treći sagovornik?
Iz koliko ukupno zemalja su učesnici?
Koji uslovi moraju da se ispune da bi se oborio rekord?
Kada će se dobiti zvanični izveštaj da li je rekord oboren?

Speaking Exercise

While watching the following video try do describe what you can see and what you know about this event:

Relative Pronoun and Question Word Koji in Serbian

Marina question word koji , relative pronoun koji

If you ever wondered how to practice when to use kojI, kojA, kojE etc. both when asking questions and connecting sentences, here comes an easy exercise, based on the intro video about animals:

There is a similar video, where you have to fill in the gaps with "koji", but in the appropriate form:

Along with an online exercise:

Verb to be in Serbian - Video Exercise

Marina verb to be in Serbian ,

If you liked the video about animals I posted last month, I bet you'll enjoy practising* the verb TO BE with the following video. *The verb forms which are missing are as follows:

JE
SU
NIJE
NISU

If you are not sure about the answers, you can check it here:

Google Tag Head

Friday, April 15, 2016

Common Mistakes in Serbian - sve or svo?

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Friday, March 04, 2016

Common Phrases in Serbian

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Accusative in Serbian

Quizzes with Accusative in Serbian

Pronunciation of Exercise

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Common Phrases when Saying Goodnight

Common Phrases Task - Saying Goodnight in Serbian

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Learning Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Practicing Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Test with Serbian Verb to Go to with Places

Monday, February 15, 2016

Sunday, January 24, 2016

How to Pronounce Serbian R?

Advice on How to Pronounce Serbian R?

Thursday, January 07, 2016

Christmas SMS for religious family and friends

Informal Christmas SMS

Formal Christmas SMS

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Brand New Serbian Online Course

Serbian Online Course - Structure

Serbian Online Course about Animals - Free Lesson

Friday, November 13, 2015

Reading Comprehension Exercises for Advanced Learners

Right Order

Missing Words

Earn some Money :D

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Grammar Exercise:

Monday, October 05, 2015

Guinness World Record Largest Folk Dance in Serbia

Preparation for Guinness Largest Kolo

Serbian Kolo, Novi Sad 4th October 2015

Listening Comprehension Exercise

Speaking Exercise

Monday, September 14, 2015

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Advanced Serbian - Srpski kao drugi jezik

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