Your task
Monday, November 2 · Mr. Petrović's apartment
Your task
Back to your first evening in Belgrade. Mr. Petrović, your landlord, has to register your address with the police, and he asks you a few questions in Serbian. Later, Jelena asks you the same things, the friendly way. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to say and write your name, where you're from and what you do, and fill in the registration form in Serbian. Before you read: what do you think he'll want to know?
One possible answer
Probably where you're from and what you do. Your name is easy: it's in your passport.
The scene
7 p.m. Mr. Petrović asks you to come down to his apartment on the ground floor. Your own lines aren't in the text. After part 1 you choose what to say; in parts 2 and 3, just imagine your answer. Read each part first, and open the translation only if you need it. Useful right now: Ja sam iz Kanade means I'm from Canada (after iz, Kanada becomes Kanade).
Part 1. Mr. Petrović at his table.
- Gospodin Petrović:Dobro veče! Izvolite, uđite. Sedite, molim Vas.
- Gospodin Petrović:Moram da Vas prijavim u policiji. Za strance je to obavezno.
- Gospodin Petrović:Ime i prezime imam iz pasoša. Recite mi, odakle ste?
Part 2. He writes, then asks about your work. You answer, and he tells you a little about his family.
- Gospodin Petrović:Lepo. A šta ste po zanimanju?
- Gospodin Petrović:Aha, dobro. Ja sam penzioner, a moja supruga Vesna je lekarka.
- Gospodin Petrović:To je sve. Hvala Vam, i dobro došli u Beograd!
Part 3. 8 p.m. Someone knocks on your door. It's Jelena from apartment 8, with her cat Mrvica in her arms. She asks you the same things, but with ti. You answer, then she talks about herself.
- Jelena:Ćao! Je l' gotova prijava?
- Jelena:Super. A odakle si ti? I šta radiš?
- Jelena:Aha! Ja sam iz Beograda, a moja mama je iz Niša.
- Jelena:Ja sam grafička dizajnerka i radim od kuće. Moj brat Luka je student.
Answer from what you read. Try it first without the translation.
Words & phrases
(Vi) marks the polite form for older people and strangers, like Mr. Petrović. (ti) is for friends, like Jelena.
Kako se zovete?
What's your name? (Vi)
Zovem se Tom.
My name is Tom.
Odakle ste?
Where are you from? (Vi)
Odakle si?
Where are you from? (ti)
Ja sam iz Amerike.
I'm from America.
Šta ste po zanimanju?
What do you do for a living? (Vi)
Šta radiš?
What do you do? (ti) Also: What are you doing?
Ja sam inženjer. Ja sam inženjerka.
I'm an engineer. (a man / a woman)
Radim od kuće.
I work from home.
How it works
Four small rules carry this whole lesson. Take them one at a time.
1. Biti (to be): yes, no and questions
ja sam · ti si · on / ona je · mi smo · vi / Vi ste · oni su | no: nisam · nisi · nije · nismo · niste · nisu | question: Da li si...? = Jesi li...? · Da li ste...? = Jeste li...?
Biti means to be. Each person has its own short form: ja sam, ti si, on je. To say no, put ni in front and write it as one word: sam becomes nisam, je becomes nije. For a yes or no question, start with Da li and the short form (Da li si...?, Da li ste...?), or with Jesi li...? (ti) or Jeste li...? (Vi). Both mean the same. You can drop ja, ti, mi and the rest, because the verb already shows who you mean. Vi ste is for one person you're polite to, and also for a group.
- 1.
Ti si iz Indije?
You're from India? (ti)
- 2.
Ona je nastavnica.
She's a teacher.
- 3.
Mi smo komšije.
We're neighbors.
- 4.
Nisam iz Engleske.
I'm not from England.
- 5.
Ivan nije programer.
Ivan isn't a programmer.
- 6.
Da li si ti iz Kanade?
Are you from Canada? (ti)
- 7.
Jeste li Vi iz Italije?
Are you from Italy? (Vi)
Ja sam Tom, not Ja je Tom
Ja je Tom. Ne sam student.
Ja sam Tom. Nisam student.
Je is for he, she or it. With ja, it's always sam. And the no form is one word: nisam, never ne sam. Why? Je is the form you see most (To je, Ona je), so it's easy to grab it. But just like I am in English, ja always goes with sam.
2. Sam goes in second place
first word or phrase + sam / si / je / smo / ste / su + the rest
The short forms sam, si, je, smo, ste and su never start a sentence. They go in second place: right after the first word, or after the first phrase (like iz Kanade). Why? They're so short that they always lean on the word in front of them. That's why Ja sam iz Kanade and Iz Kanade sam are both right, but Sam iz Kanade and Ja iz Kanade sam are not. The no forms (nisam, nije) are full words, so they can start a sentence: Nisam iz Engleske.
- 1.
Ja sam iz Kanade.
I'm from Canada.
- 2.
Iz Kanade sam.
I'm from Canada. (no ja)
- 3.
Iz Kanade sam ja.
I'm the one from Canada.
- 4.
Programer sam.
I'm a programmer.
- 5.
Nisam programer.
I'm not a programmer.
Second place, not the end
Ja iz Kanade sam.
Ja sam iz Kanade.
Sam goes right after the first word (here ja). Without ja, it goes after iz Kanade: Iz Kanade sam.
3. A man or a woman: Amerikanac, Amerikanka
a man / a woman: Amerikanac / Amerikanka · Nemac / Nemica · Englez / Engleskinja · programer / programerka · nastavnik / nastavnica
Words for nationalities and jobs have a form for a man and a form for a woman. Women's forms end in -ka, -ica or -kinja. For jobs there's a pattern: -er becomes -erka, -ar becomes -arka, -ik becomes -ica, and student becomes studentkinja. Some words are just different: prodavac, prodavačica. For nationalities there's no safe rule, so learn each pair from the table. Why? Serbian shows whether a person is a man or a woman in most words for people. Which form you use depends on you, not on the person you're talking to.
- 1.
On je Amerikanac. Ona je Amerikanka.
He's American. She's American.
- 2.
On je Nemac. Ona je Nemica.
He's German. She's German.
- 3.
On je Englez. Ona je Engleskinja.
He's English. She's English.
- 4.
On je programer. Ona je programerka.
He's a programmer. She's a programmer.
- 5.
On je nastavnik. Ona je nastavnica.
He's a teacher. She's a teacher.
- 6.
On je apotekar. Ona je apotekarka.
He's a pharmacist. She's a pharmacist.
Anna is a woman: Ruskinja
Anna: Ja sam Rus.
Anna: Ja sam Ruskinja.
Rus is the form for a man. A woman says Ruskinja. When you talk about yourself, pick the form that fits you.
4. Iz + country: iz Kanade
iz + country: Kanada → iz Kanade · Amerika → iz Amerike · Nemačka → iz Nemačke
Iz means from. After iz, a country name that ends in -a changes that -a to -e. For now, learn each country with iz as one phrase. Why? In Serbian, words change their endings after little words like iz. You'll meet the whole system later; here, -a to -e is all you need. City names change too, in their own way: Beograd, iz Beograda. The country after iz is the same for a man and a woman: both are iz Kanade.
- 1.
Ja sam iz Kanade.
I'm from Canada.
- 2.
Mei je iz Kine.
Mei is from China.
- 3.
Oni su iz Australije.
They're from Australia.
- 4.
Ona je iz Francuske.
She's from France.
- 5.
Gospodin Petrović je iz Beograda.
Mr. Petrović is from Belgrade.
Iz Amerike, not iz Amerika
Ja sam iz Amerika.
Ja sam iz Amerike.
After iz, Amerika changes its -a to -e: iz Amerike. On a form, though, the country keeps its basic form: Država: Amerika.
Countries and people. Four more countries are in More practice.
- from ...
- iz Amerike
- a man
- Amerikanac
- a woman
- Amerikanka
- from ...
- iz Engleske
- a man
- Englez
- a woman
- Engleskinja
- from ...
- iz Nemačke
- a man
- Nemac
- a woman
- Nemica
- from ...
- iz Rusije
- a man
- Rus
- a woman
- Ruskinja
- from ...
- iz Kine
- a man
- Kinez
- a woman
- Kineskinja
- from ...
- iz Indije
- a man
- Indijac
- a woman
- Indijka
- from ...
- iz Kanade
- a man
- Kanađanin
- a woman
- Kanađanka
- from ...
- iz Australije
- a man
- Australijanac
- a woman
- Australijanka
- a man
- programer
- a woman
- programerka
- a man
- inženjer
- a woman
- inženjerka
- a man
- nastavnik
- a woman
- nastavnica
- a man
- prodavac
- a woman
- prodavačica
- a man
- dizajner
- a woman
- dizajnerka
- a man
- student
- a woman
- studentkinja
Practice
New: the registration form
Here is a simple version of the registration form, prijava boravka. The real one also asks for things like your passport number and date of birth. On a form, the country is in its basic form: Kanada, not iz Kanade.
| Prijava boravka | Registration of stay |
|---|---|
| Ime i prezime | First and last name |
| Država | Country |
| Zanimanje | Job |
| Adresa u Srbiji | Address in Serbia |
One more text
Luka, Jelena's brother, helps at a language exchange for foreign students. He posts this in the group chat. Read it first, then open the translation if you need it.
- Luka:Ćao svima! Ja sam Luka, iz Beograda.
- Luka:Student sam. Studiram elektrotehniku.
- Luka:Nisam programer, ali volim kompjutere.
- Luka:Moja sestra Jelena je dizajnerka. Vidimo se u četvrtak!
Culture note
Culture note
Prijava boravka (registration of stay): every foreigner in Serbia has to be registered at the address where they stay, within 24 hours of arriving. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel does it. If you rent an apartment, the landlord usually does it, like Mr. Petrović. And get ready for curious questions: people here often ask where you're from and why you came. Zašto baš Srbija? (Why Serbia, of all places?) is a friendly question, and Ja sam iz... is a great start to your answer.
Your turn
Introduce yourself in writing
Write 3 to 5 short sentences in Serbian about yourself: your name, where you're from, what you do and where you live (Živim u Beogradu means I live in Belgrade). Where Serbian has two forms (programer / programerka), use the one that fits you. At least 12 words. Your text goes to your instructor. Open the example only after you try.
Write it in your own words. Without an account, you can save your answer in this tab. Closing the tab deletes it.
Main writing task · at least 12 words. Submitting it is part of finishing this activity.
Example answer
Zovem se Alex Miller. Iz Kanade sam. Programer sam / Programerka sam i radim od kuće. Živim u Beogradu, na Vračaru.
Compare the information and how it's phrased. Your answer doesn't need to use the same words.
Check yourself
Quiz
Check yourself
4 questions · pass mark 75%
- 1.
Someone asks you: Kako se zovete? Your name is Tom. What do you say?
- 2.
Sara, a woman from America, introduces herself. Which sentence is right?
- 3.
Marko, a man, is not a student. How does he say it?
- 4.
You want to ask Mr. Petrović if he's from Belgrade. What do you say?
Answer every question before you submit.
What you can do now
What you can do now
You can say and write your name (Zovem se...), where you're from (Ja sam iz Kanade) and what you do (Ja sam programer / programerka), and ask the same with ti or with Vi. You know all the forms of biti (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su), where sam goes in a sentence, how to say no (nisam) and how to ask Da li si...? You can fill in the main fields of the registration form. Next: Molim? The phrases that save you when you don't understand.
More practice
Extra practice. Nothing here goes to your instructor.
Four more countries
- from ...
- iz Ukrajine
- a man
- Ukrajinac
- a woman
- Ukrajinka
- from ...
- iz Turske
- a man
- Turčin
- a woman
- Turkinja
- from ...
- iz Italije
- a man
- Italijan
- a woman
- Italijanka
- from ...
- iz Francuske
- a man
- Francuz
- a woman
- Francuskinja
From where?
Match each country with the Serbian phrase for from there.
Word order
Put the words in order to say: I'm from Canada. More than one order is right.
Grab a card and drag it to the right spot.