10 phrases with verbs MAKE and DO

If you are already deep into Serbian language, you have probably been wondering how to use some phrases correctly. Constructions with verbs MAKE and DO make a lot of problems to Serbian language learners due to different verb used, so it is logical to assume that English speakers have the same difficulty.

Let’s go straight to the point!

DO the laundry - literally we would translate it „raditi/činiti veš“. However, the correct usage is PRATI VEŠ. So, the verb to be used is to wash.

Perem veš svake subote. I do the laundry every Saturday.

We also use verb prati when we talk about doing dishes, taking a shower, wash a car:

Ko je danas na redu da pere posuđe? Whos turn is to do the dishes today?

Ko će prvi da se pere? Who is going to take a shower (or a bath) first?

Danas perem auto. I’m washing a car today.

*Note: No matter how strange it may sound, there are still some people in Serbia who don’t have washing machines so they have to do their laundry manualy.

MAKE coffee/tea - „napraviti kafu/čaj“ is something that I hear very often these days, but I guess it’s due to influence of English language. The best translation is SKUVATI KAFU/ČAJ, which means that we use verb to cook.

Hoćeš li da ti skuvam kafu? Would you like me to make a cup of coffee?

Čim bih mogla da Vas uslužim? - Mogao bih da popijem jednu kafu. How can I help you? - I could drink a cup of coffee?

*Note: In Serbian culture, drinking coffee is very wide spread. It has strong social context. Invinting someone to have a cup of coffee usually means that you want to socialze, hang out, exchange gossips. It is not so rare to see someone fortunetell from the cup of coffee. 

 

DO the shopping - the right verb to use in this phrase is „ići“ or „obaviti“. The whole phrase would then sound like this: IĆI U KUPOVINU or OBAVITI KUPOVINU.

Oni idu u kupovinu. They are going shopping.

Obavili smo kupovinu. We have done our shopping.

*Note: In Serbia people don’t usually go shopping for a week or month. Maybe in cities, but it is not generally accepted way of shopping. 

MAKE a deal - I also hear translation infulenced by English - „napraviti dogovor“. I would not advise usage of this construction, but DOGOVORITI SE.

Onda smo se dogovorili. Then we have a deal. or Then we have made a deal.

Naša porodica se o svemu dogovara. Our family members always  talk about everything.

*Note: When you make a deal, you shake hands. People used to be more honest and had a lot of respect for giving a word, a promisse. 

DO your best  - I suggest two possible translations here: DATI SVE OD SEBE (includes verb to give) or UČINITI SVE ŠTO SE MOGLO (to do all that could be done). However, I prefer the first translation.

Dao je sve od sebe, ali nije uspeo da položi ispit. He gave his best, bu he didn’t succeeded in passing the exam.

Doktori su učinili sve što se moglo, ali on nije preživeo. Doctors gave their best but he didn’t survive.

*Note: Sometimes it seems that the other phrase is more often used in negative context - when you give your best, but you still fail in succeeding for some reason. There is also one simillar phrase: uraditi najbolje što se može (includes verb to do as in English version). Children often use these phrases when they write their written tasks: Uradio sam kontrolni najbolje što sam mogao. Nadam se da ću dobiti peticu. I’ve done my test the best as I could. I hope I’ll get an A. 

MAKE money - zaraditi novac is the best translation to use and it includes verb earn.  The phrase is ZARADITI NOVAC. 

On zarađuje novac držeći časove.  He makes money by giving lessons.

 

*Note: Making money is not easy. Although women got their independency a long time ago, it seems that some men still cannot accept the fact that sometimes women earn more money than they do. It is typical that men want to be the ones who bring home the bacon, but they have to and they slowly do accept that this is not always the case. However, don’t expect them to be full of respect for your achievement. :) 

MAKE an appointment - in this case you should use verb „zakazati“, which means to schedule. The most suitable translation would be ZAKAZATI SASTANAK.

Da li bih mogla da zakažem sastanak sa direktorom? Could I make an appointment with the manager?

*Note: It is not appreciated if you are late for any kind of meeting. However, we tolerate 15 minutes and we call it 15 akademskih minuta (15 academic minutes). Being on time shows respect.

DO the ironing - In Serbian language there is simple verb derived from noun „pegla“ (iron), so the translation will be PEGLATI.

Nikada nisam volela da peglam. I have never been keen on doing the ironing.- As you may notice, word „laundry“/veš is not neccessary to use.

Šta radiš danas? - Mislila sam da peglam veš. / Mislila sam da peglam. What are you doing today? - I was about to do the ironing. 

*Note: All the housework is done by housewife. In a few last years doing the laundury reminds us more and more on western culture and their busy life. A woman cannot do everything by herself.

Also note that verb peglati in colloquial speech means to beat someone. Napeglaću te! means that someone is threatning you.

MAKE a speech - Serbian version of this collocation is (O)DRŽATI GOVOR.

Mama i tata su mi držali govor. My mum and dad told me off. - In this sentence, this phrase means that parents reprimened a child/person.

Danas je predsednik držao govor u svečanoj sali. Today the president made a speech in ceremonial hall.

 

*Note: Not only repremending is considerd by this phrase but also when someone keeps talking and talking. When someone doesn’t stop doing it without realizing that other people want to say something too, we tend to use phrase držati govor. It alludes that what we are listening to is very boring.

DO an exam - In this case, the most suitable version would be POLAGATI ISPIT. However, you may hear our students saying „idem na ispit“, which usually implies doing an exam, but in some cases only to be present and to listen to other fellow students taking their exam.

Studenti danas polažu ispit iz srpskog jezika. Students are doing a Serbian language exame.

Danas idem na ispit. Nadam se da ću ga položiti. I’m taking the exam today. I hope I’ll pass it. (idem, from verb ići - to go)

*Note: Studying in Serbia is one of the important stages in our lives. In many families, even nowadays, children are the first to be enrolled at a university.  

As you may see, there is no connection between English and Serbian verbs in most of the cases, so these should be learnt by heart. I suggest usage of cards or playing cards that you may make on your own. It will help you memorise. Also, make sure to give your own sentences since it will be easier to remeber your own ideas. Check your sentences in discussion section, ask a question using italki platform or just ask your teacher. 

I also hope that notes about every activity helped to understand better the way of life and thinking in my country. I beleive that interesting facts abouth things you learn may affect your memorising process.

10 Must-Watch Serbian Films

Serbian learners, are you film lovers? Do you feel that it’s about time to watch some movies and boost your vocabulary? I have listed my ten favourite Serbian films to watch. I hope that some of them will attract your attention and help you better understand the Serbian language.

Serbian cinematography started with the first film shown in Belgrade on June 6, 1896. The very first shots were taken by Andre Carr, representative of the Lumiere Brothers, in March, 1897. In Vojvodina, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, cinematography started to develop in my hometown of Sombor where Ernest Bošnjak opened the first cinema in 1906.

In the year 1911, the first movie was made: Život i dela besmrtnog vožda Karađorđa. After the Second World War, Serbian movie makers progressed more and more. Today, we have many very famous directors and actors. Some of the directors that you have probably heard of are Čiča Ilija Stanojević, Emir Kusturica, Zdravko Šotra, Goran Paskaljević, and Srđan Dragojević.

I believe that we can all agree that watching films is one of the most efficient ways to improve your vocabulary when learning a language. Serbian cinematography is very approachable and there are various films to choose from. If you are ready to bring your language knowledge to the next level, take a short cruise through my Serbian top ten.

Lajanje na zvezde (1998)

This is number one if you ask me. I know that a lot of Serbian people would disagree, but I consider it the best due to the language used, witticism, and play on words. The plot is not very complicated. The mood is romantic; kind of old-fashioned in a positive way.

It depicts high-school students who are about to graduate, and we watch characters in situations very typical for that age. It is easy to empathize with them. The dialogue is very interesting and different from the conversations of today’s typical teenagers. They had a lot of respect towards their teachers, but were also very inventive and bright-thinking.

Una (1984)

This is one of the best book to movie adaptations. Momo Kapor, one of the most popular modern Serbian writers, wrote a story about the complicated relationship between an intelligent and beautiful student named Una and a university professor.

As one of the best students, Una had the opportunity to hold an interview with a professor whose lectures of mass media were very popular at the University. However, it was a viciously planned plot to humiliate the professor due to his controversial ideology. One supposedly innocent interview changes the lives of two people.

This film is advisable for more advanced language students. It is also advisable to read the book.

Montevideo, Bog te video! (2010)

This is also based on a book, but this time it’s by famous sports journalist Vladimir Stankovi. It takes us to Belgrade in the 1930’s. This nostalgic picture shows different values and virtues that were crucial during that post-war period. The main characters are from a young generation of actors, and to my knowledge, they managed to ignore their modern beings and transform completely into people from old Belgrade times. It was done in such a way that it was very unusual to see the main character Miloš Biković in modern clothes.

The main plot is about going on a journey to the first World Football Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1930. This year becomes vivid as we see the cobblestone streets of Čubura and feel the novel hype of electricity, the birth of the radio, and the growing trend of cabaret nightclubs and Ford Model T cars. It is quite an adventure in these modern times!

The language contains some old words and phrases, but it isn’t too complicated. Luckily, you can find the film with English subtitles.

Ko to tamo peva? (1980)

This legendary film made in 1980 represents the slow drift from the single-mindedness of communism. It is very interesting that it took only 21 days to film it with a very low budget. It is said that this is one of the greatest films that the world has ever seen. It was made by one of the most famous satirists Dušan Kovačević.

The plot takes place on a bus heading towards Belgrade just before the Second World War breaks out. On one bus, you observe and analyse the whole of Serbian society at that time. All the characters are crucial, no one is a surplus, and the roles make a lot of sense.

It’s useful for Serbian language learners because a lot of Serbian people use phrases from this film in everyday conversation. Such lines easily became idioms in our language, such as the phrase, Vozi Miško! The language is also quite simple to listen to and understand.

Put oko sveta (1964)

This contains a very unusual and interesting plot written by the famous Serbian writer Branislav Nušić. He used Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days and adjusted it to a Serbian mentality. The main character is Jovanča Micić, a merchant from Jagodina in Serbia. He travels through Hungary, America (the Wild West), becomes a prisoner of pirates, and goes to China and Persia. After a very long journey, he comes back to his home town.

The language is coloured with the local dialect typical of Jagodina. That’s why he doesn’t speak as correctly as his female counterpart, a Hungarian girl who speaks Serbian with a strong Hungarian accent and a mixture of cases and bad pronunciation. The film was released in 1964.

Mi nismo anđeli (1992)

This is another cult film from Serbian cinematography. The plot revolves around two young people. Nikola is a very attractive young man who leads a reckless life and doesn’t worry about tomorrow. Marina is a polite teenage girl. She meets him one night, ends up in bed with him, and gets pregnant. Her friend helps her make Nikola fall in love with her. It is very dynamic, interesting, and unusual. A bet between an angel and the Devil creates a rise and fall in the characters, since they are in constant clash.

During the making of the film in 1992, Yugoslavia was falling apart. The army was recruiting all available men, even actors and directors. They slept in different places every night to hide and finish the film.

The movie contains slang such as fuka, mojne... (this is called šatrovački and the point is to make inversions inside the word), a few bad words, and some lines that are very popular in everyday colloquial language (Deco, jel volite brzu vožnju?, Divan si, Đuro!). These lines are accepted not only in Serbia, but also in Croatia as part of an urban dictionary.

Parada (2011)

Parade is a modern and slightly controversial film with a plot that might seem naive. However, it offers a serious criticism on relationships among Balkan people, transition, and some political issues. The greatest controversy is due to the gay relationships shown in it.

Regarding the language, you can hear an original Belgrade dialect, some phrases very typical of this city, Croatian, and pronunciation typical for Albanians and Bosnians. It’s great to compare! There are a lot of situations from real life and phrases used in these situations without any fabrication or falsity.

Tito i ja (1992)

This is a movie which represents a period of communism in a humorous and critical way. A family of wealthy origin typical of the pre-communist period plays the main roles, and their son has been rewarded for the best written assignment dedicated to Marshal Tito. His parents are artists, and the plot is completely carried through this child’s story.

What is more interesting is his language, which is not so typical for his age. His way of speaking shows his bourgeois and educated background. Serbian is dominant, but you can also hear parts in a Croatian dialect. There are also words characteristic of the late 20th century, such as onomad and buger.

Marshal Tito and the period of communism are shown in a rather negative but indirect manner. Some scenes are made in one of the most well-known castles of Vojvodina, Fantast Castle, built by Bodan Dunđerski at the beginning of the 1900’s.

Balkan ekspres (1983)

The plot of this film takes place in 1941, during the last days of peace in Serbia before the Second World War. The main characters are completely anonymous thieves who try to steal money during those insecure times when people are confused and scared. Their disguise is the music band Balkan Express. Their characters unexpectedly grow as people, human beings, and they become heroes of the day.

The dialogue is not too complicated, as they predominantly try to use facial expressions. This is due to the fact that all actions are supposed to be secret and hidden from the Nazis. You may notice the drummer, as he was the only messenger of those times.

Miroslavljevo jevanđelje (U početku beše reč, 2007)

This is for advanced students. It is documentary about the oldest document written in Cyrillic. Both the language and the narrative are quite complicated. The film is very intriguing and interesting though, with a lot of old Serbian music and scenery. Some modern and old political influences might be seen.

There are more Serbian films outside this list that are considered to be cult films or a must see. However, I have tried to choose films from different times and with various themes. I hope that you will be able to pick one and enjoy learning Serbian. After watching, share your thoughts!

Also published by italki.com

Ten God phrases in Serban language that you can’t find in textbooks

Serbs are pretty religious people and that is why it is no wonder to find phrases related to God in colloquial language. I will list ten very common ones and remember that there are also variations of them in accordance to different part of Serbia. Every phrase is followed by an explanation and examples.

 

1. koštati Boga i oca - exactly the same meaning as in English „to cost an arm and a leg“; something that is very expensive, maybe more than one could imagine.

Komšija je kupio nov auto. Kaže da košta Boga i oca.

2. pričati, ostati, šetati... Bogu i svetu - to talk, stay somewhere, walk for a very long time;

Ne volim da ga sretnem. Priča o politici Bogu i svetu.

3. uhvatiti Boga za bradu - to consider yourself invincible, privileged, better than others; maybe something like „to think someone is God's own cousin“

Viđam ga često po kafanama. Ponaša se bahato prema svima - kao da je uhvatio Boga za bradu.

4. dar od Boga - gift from above; something very hard or impossible to get or obtain unless hire forces help you out a bit;

Nakon nekoliko godina su dobili ćerku, kao da je dar od Boga.

5. Bogu iza nogu - to be very distant;

Hoćemo li da odemo peške do tamo? - Ma, ne! Oni su Bogu iza nogu, na drugom kraju grada.

6. Bog zaboravi na nekoga - something very distant in time, so distant that even God has forgotten about it;

Mama, odoh do drugara. - Dobro, samo nemoj da Bog zaboravi na tebe!

7. biti Bogom dan - similar meaning as phrase number 3, but the slight difference is that in this case you are very special right from the beginning whereas in phrase number three you had to make an effort to achieve something great, but you have too idealistic perception of yourself; a God-given right

Leži i ništa ne radi po ceo dan, kao da je Bogom dan.

8. ~ do Boga - same as „do neba“, which means in great quantity, for example to love or to be dumb; it might be compared with „to the moon and back“;

Volim svoju decu do Boga!

Objašnjavam mu nekoliko puta i ne vredi. Glup je do Boga. 

9. Bog zna - God only knows! what, when, how something will happen or how long might something last; 

Moj muž je otišao na poslovni sastanak. Bog zna koliko će ostati tamo.

10. pokazati nekom Boga - to reprimand, to beat someone up as a substitute for explanation or discussion in a dispute, row, misunderstanding etc; usually used with possessive pronoun (his/her/their God);

Deca su slomila prozor. Pokazaću im njihovog Boga.

Mostly, they represent something of higher level, great amount, quantity, quality using God as suprime being and bearing in mind that there is no better/higher/nicer/more beautiful than him. These phrases are commonly found in everyday speech and literature.

Vežbamo opisivanje!

If you have gone through some basic cases, it is time to check how it works in conversation. Sometimes you need to describe some things such as a room where you spend your time, a place that you have visited. 

The first picture contains hints such as names of things, useful phrases and prepositions. Don't forget to put the words into the right form. Prepositions listed under the photo usually require Genitive and Accusative case.

opiši sobu

Prepositions to be used:

ISPOD / under

IZNAD/ above

U / in(to)

NA/ at/on

ISPRED/ in front of

IZA/ behind

PORED/ next to

KOD/ at

DO/ to

OD/ from

POSLE/ after

IZ/from

SA/ from

KROZ/through

ZA/for

Now, try the same with the photo which has no hints of any kind. However, it will be good to consult list of prepositions above.

You can use any other photos to practice. If you want to practice with me, don't hesitate to contact me.