Your task
Thursday, November 5 · Klas bakery
Your task
Your first breakfast from Klas, the bakery across the street. Mira, the baker, is friendly but fast, and Mr. Petrović is in line in front of you. In this lesson you'll learn what to say when you don't understand: ask someone to slow down, to say it again, or to explain a word. You'll also meet molim, the most useful word in Serbian. Before you read: what do you say in English when someone talks too fast?
One possible answer
Sorry, could you slow down, please? Serbian has a short phrase for exactly that.
The scene
Read each part first, and open the translation only if you need it. Your own lines aren't in the text. After part 1 you choose what to say; in part 2, just imagine your answer.
Part 1. Mr. Petrović buys his breakfast. Then it's your turn, and Mira says her last line very fast.
- Gospodin Petrović:Dobro jutro, gospođo Miro!
- Mira:Dobro jutro, gospodine Petroviću! Izvolite.
- Gospodin Petrović:Jedan hleb i dva jogurta, molim Vas.
- Mira:Izvolite. Još nešto?
- Gospodin Petrović:Ne, hvala. To je sve. Hvala lepo!
- Mira:Molim! Prijatno!
- Mira:Izvolite, šta ćete?
Part 2. Mr. Petrović helps a little, and Mira starts again, slowly. You point at what you want.
- Gospodin Petrović:Miro, polako. Tek uči srpski.
- Mira:Izvinite! Evo, polako: šta želite? Burek? Pitu? Kiflu?
- Mira:Burek sa sirom, može. Hoćete i jogurt?
- Mira:Izvolite, burek i jogurt. Prijatno!
Answer from what you read. Try it first without the translation.
Words & phrases
These are the phrases that save a conversation.
Molim.
Please. / You're welcome.
Molim?
Sorry? Pardon? (when you didn't catch something)
Izvolite.
Here you go. / What can I get you?
Hvala lepo.
Thank you very much.
Nema na čemu.
You're welcome. / Don't mention it.
Izvinite, ne razumem.
Sorry, I don't understand.
Polako, molim Vas.
Slowly, please.
Možete li da ponovite?
Can you say that again?
Šta znači „kifla“?
What does kifla mean? (A kifla is a soft crescent roll.)
Kako se kaže „spoon“?
What's the Serbian word for spoon?
Ne govorim dobro srpski.
I don't speak Serbian well.
Govorite li engleski?
Do you speak English?
How it works
1. Molim, Izvolite, Hvala
Molim = please · you're welcome · sorry? · yes? | Izvolite = here you go · what can I get you? | Hvala / Hvala lepo → Molim / Nema na čemu
Three small words do a lot of work. Molim asks for something (please) and answers thanks (you're welcome). As a question, Molim? means sorry? when you didn't catch something, or yes? when someone calls you or you answer the phone (on the phone you'll also see Halo?). Izvolite is what you say when you hand something over, and what a shopkeeper says to mean what can I get you? Hvala is thanks; Hvala lepo is thank you very much. Why? English needs please, you're welcome and here you go; Serbian uses molim for the first two, so the situation tells you which one it is. In writing, the question mark shows it: Molim? asks, Molim. answers. With a friend, it's Izvoli and Hvala ti; with Vi, Izvolite and Hvala Vam.
- 1.
Jedan burek, molim Vas.
One burek, please.
- 2.
- Hvala lepo! - Molim.
- Thanks a lot! - You're welcome.
- 3.
Molim? Ne čujem.
Sorry? I can't hear you.
- 4.
- Jelena! - Molim?
- Jelena! - Yes?
- 5.
Izvolite, šta želite?
What can I get you?
- 6.
Izvolite, kafa.
Here you go, a coffee.
- 7.
- Hvala Vam! - Nema na čemu.
- Thank you! - Don't mention it.
Answering thanks: Molim, not Hvala
- Hvala lepo! - Hvala.
- Hvala lepo! - Molim.
When someone thanks you for something you did, answer Molim or Nema na čemu. In shops it's different: both sides often thank each other, and that's fine (Hvala! Hvala Vama, prijatno!).
When you get stuck, one of these will save you.
| When you get stuck | Say this |
|---|---|
| They talk too fast | Polako, molim Vas. |
| You didn't catch it | Molim? Možete li da ponovite? |
| You don't know a word | Šta znači „...“? |
| You need the Serbian word for something | Kako se kaže „...“ na srpskom? |
| You want the spelling | Kako se piše? |
| Nothing works | Govorite li engleski? |
2. With Vi and with ti
Vi: Izvinite · Možete li · da ponovite · molim Vas · Izvolite | ti: Izvini · Možeš li · da ponoviš · molim te · Izvoli
Most phrases in this lesson are in the Vi form, for shopkeepers, older people and strangers. With friends like Jelena, use the ti form. Vi verbs end in -te: Izvinite, možete, ponovite. Ti verbs end in -i or -š: Izvini, možeš, ponoviš. Careful: in molim te, te is a separate word that means you (ti); the Vi version is molim Vas. Keep the whole sentence in one form. Why? A mixed sentence sounds polite and casual at the same time, and people notice.
- 1.
Izvinite, možete li da ponovite?
Sorry, can you say that again? (Vi)
- 2.
Izvini, možeš li da ponoviš?
Sorry, can you say that again? (ti)
- 3.
Polako, molim Vas.
Slowly, please. (Vi)
- 4.
Polako, molim te.
Slowly, please. (ti)
- 5.
Izvolite, sedite.
Here, have a seat. (Vi)
- 6.
Izvoli, uzmi.
Here, take it. (ti)
One form for the whole sentence
Izvini, možete li da ponovite?
Izvinite, možete li da ponovite?
Izvini is ti, možete is Vi. With Mira, it's all Vi: Izvinite, možete, ponovite.
Four short answers you'll use every day.
| Short answers | English |
|---|---|
| Može. | Sure. / OK. (yes to an offer) |
| Važi. | OK, deal. |
| Nema problema. | No problem. |
| Nema veze. | Never mind. / It doesn't matter. |
Practice
What does molim mean here? Match each line with its meaning.
New: save the conversation
Three short moments when the conversation gets stuck. Read what happens, then choose the phrase that saves it.
Moment 1. Mira tells you what's fresh today. She says all of it in about two seconds.
- Mira:Danas imamo burek sa sirom, burek sa mesom, pitu sa višnjama, pitu sa jabukama i kifle, sve je toplo!Today we have cheese burek, meat burek, sour cherry pie, apple pie and rolls, and it's all warm!
Moment 2. Mira packs your burek and asks you something slowly, but there's a word you don't know.
- Mira:Treba li Vam kesa?
Moment 3. Just as Mira tells you the price, the coffee machine behind her roars. She speaks at a normal speed, but you miss most of it.
- Mira:To je ... (BRRRRR) ... dinara.That's ... (the coffee machine roars) ... dinars.
One more text
While you're still at the bakery, Jelena sends you a text message. Read it first, then open the translation if you need it.
- Jelena:Ćao! Jesi li još u pekari?
- Jelena:Uzmi mi jednu kiflu, molim te. Važi?
- Jelena:Hvala ti! Vidimo se gore. Lift opet ne radi!
Culture note
Culture note
Burek with a cup of plain drinking yogurt is a classic Belgrade breakfast. Burek is a flaky pastry with cheese, meat or spinach. Many bakeries open very early, and some never close. Šta ćete? (What will you have?) can sound abrupt, but at a busy counter it's normal and friendly. One small thing that makes you sound polite: when you didn't catch something, say Molim?, not Šta? On its own, Šta? sounds a bit rude. And in shops, both sides often thank each other: Hvala! - Hvala Vama, prijatno!
Your turn
Your lines at the bakery
Write what you say at the bakery, in Serbian, from start to finish: say good morning, tell Mira you don't understand and ask her to slow down, order something, thank her and say goodbye. Use the Vi forms. 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
Dobro jutro! Izvinite, ne razumem. Polako, molim Vas. Jedan burek sa sirom i jogurt, molim Vas. Hvala lepo! Doviđenja!
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.
Mira hands you your burek. What does she say?
- 2.
You hold the door for Mr. Petrović. He says Hvala lepo! What do you answer?
- 3.
You don't know what ajvar means. What do you ask?
- 4.
Jelena says something, but the street is loud. What do you say to her?
Answer every question before you submit.
What you can do now
What you can do now
You can save a conversation when you get stuck: Polako, molim Vas; Možete li da ponovite?; Šta znači...?; Kako se kaže...? You know the four jobs of molim, when to say Izvolite, how to answer Hvala, and how to keep a sentence all Vi or all ti. You can buy breakfast at a bakery. Next: numbers and your new phone number.
More practice
Extra practice. Nothing here goes to your instructor.
Problem and phrase
Match each problem with the phrase that solves it.
At the bakery, in order
Put the conversation in order.
Grab a card and drag it to the right spot.