Your task
Thursday, February 4 · Kafić Ugao, 7 p.m.
Your task
It's Thursday, so it's the language exchange at Ugao. Luka runs it, and tonight there's a game: everyone tells what they did last week, and the others look for the mistake. At the table: Daria, a programmer from Russia who's been in Belgrade for two years, and Tom, an Irish English teacher who's been here for five. Your goal: say when something happened (juče, prošle nedelje, pre dva dana), put sam in the right place, and tell a story in order.
By the end you can
Say when something happened, put sam right after a time word (Juče sam bio...), say how long ago with pre (pre dva dana), and tell a story in order with prvo, onda, posle toga, na kraju.
Guess first: how would you say yesterday I was in Niš?
Juče sam bio u Nišu (a man) or Juče sam bila u Nišu (a woman). Notice where sam goes: right after juče. That's the main rule of this lesson.
The scene
Read the conversation. Try it on your own first, and open the translations only if you need them. Your own turn comes at the end of the lesson.
- Luka:Dobro veče svima! Današnja igra: svako priča šta je radio prošle nedelje, a ostali traže grešku. Daria, ti si prva.
- Daria:Dobro. Prošle nedelje ja bila u Novom Sadu... Izvini: bila sam! Prošle nedelje sam bila u Novom Sadu.
- Luka:Bravo, sama si našla grešku!
- Daria:Išla sam vozom, u subotu ujutru, kod drugarice Mile. Na vokzalu... izvini, na stanici sam kupila kafu za put. Prvo sam bila na tvrđavi. Onda sam šetala pored Dunava. Posle toga sam jela ribu, a na kraju sam kupila kolače za kolege.
- Tom:Moj red! Juče bio je hladno. Ja sam išao u kafanu sa prijateljima i gledali smo fudbal.
- Luka:Stop! Tom, greška.
- Daria:Dve greške! Juče je bilo hladno.
- Tom:A, da. Bilo, ne bio. I je ide posle juče. Juče je bilo hladno!
- Luka:Tako je. A pre dva dana, u utorak? Šta si radio?
- Tom:U utorak? Radio sam od osam do osam. Uveče sam samo spavao.
- Luka:Ha-ha. Dobro. Sad ti! Pričaj po redu: prvo, onda, posle toga, na kraju.
Answer from what you read. Try it first without the translations.
Words & phrases
When did it happen?
juče
yesterday
prekjuče
the day before yesterday
sinoć
yesterday evening, last night (before bed)
jutros
this morning
noćas
during the night just gone (Noćas nisam spavao), or tonight (the context tells you which)
prošle nedelje
last week
prošlog meseca
last month
prošle godine
last year
pre dva dana
two days ago
pre nedelju dana
a week ago
razmena jezika
language exchange
Moj red! / Tvoj red!
My turn! / Your turn!
Telling it in order:
| Serbian | English |
|---|---|
| prvo | first |
| onda | then |
| posle toga | after that |
| na kraju | in the end, finally |
How it works
Time first? Then sam right after it
time word + sam / si / je / smo / ste / su + the rest
You know that sam, si, je, smo, ste and su are never the first word. When a sentence starts with a time word, they come right after it: Juče sam bio u bioskopu. A time phrase of two words counts as one: Prošle nedelje smo..., U petak je... Starting with the verb or with ja is fine too: Bio sam juče u bioskopu, Ja sam juče bio u bioskopu. What doesn't work is Juče ja sam bio or Juče bio sam. Why? These small words always take second place in the sentence, right after the first word or phrase. English has nothing like it, so give it a little practice.
- 1.
Juče sam bio u bioskopu.
Yesterday I was at the cinema. (a man)
- 2.
Juče sam bila u bioskopu.
Yesterday I was at the cinema. (a woman)
- 3.
Sinoć smo gledali film.
Last night we watched a film.
- 4.
Prošle nedelje je Jelena bila u Nišu.
Last week Jelena was in Niš.
- 5.
U petak smo bili u kafani.
On Friday we were at a kafana.
- 6.
Jutros sam bila na pijaci.
This morning I was at the market. (a woman)
- 7.
Prekjuče je Maja radila do kasno.
The day before yesterday Maja worked late.
- 8.
Prošle godine su bili u Beču.
Last year they were in Vienna.
| Right | Not right |
|---|---|
| Juče sam bio u Nišu. | Juče ja sam bio u Nišu. |
| Bio sam juče u Nišu. | Juče bio sam u Nišu. |
| Ja sam juče bio u Nišu. | Sam bio juče u Nišu. |
Juče sam, not Juče ja sam
Juče ja sam gledao film.
Juče sam gledao film.
After a time word, sam comes right after it. Ja sam gledao film juče is right too, but Juče ja sam... sounds foreign to a Serbian ear.
pre + time: ago
pre + time = ago
To say ago, put pre in front of the time: pre dva dana, two days ago. English puts ago after, Serbian puts pre before. The words after pre have endings you'll meet later, so take these as set phrases: pre dva dana, pre tri dana, pre nedelju dana (a week ago), pre mesec dana (a month ago), pre godinu dana (a year ago), pre dve godine, pre deset godina. Why bother? With pre and the time words, you can place any story in time.
- 1.
Došla sam u Beograd pre dve godine.
I came to Belgrade two years ago. (Daria)
- 2.
Jelena je došla iz Niša pre četiri dana.
Jelena came back from Niš four days ago.
- 3.
Ana je bila u Beogradu pre tri meseca.
Ana was in Belgrade three months ago.
- 4.
Kupila sam telefon pre mesec dana.
I bought a phone a month ago.
- 5.
Bio sam u Beču pre godinu dana.
I was in Vienna a year ago.
- 6.
Pre dva dana sam bila kod lekara.
Two days ago I was at the doctor's. (a woman)
Speak Russian, Ukrainian or Polish?
In Russian, неделя is only week, and in Ukrainian and Polish, неділя / niedziela is only Sunday. In Serbian, nedelja is both: prošle nedelje is usually last week, u nedelju is on Sunday, and the rest of the sentence tells you which.
Practice
New: Daria's Sunday and Tom's mistakes
Daria wrote her Sunday at Mila's on six cards for the game, and they got mixed up. Put them in order. The words prvo, onda, posle toga and na kraju will help.
Grab a card and drag it to the right spot.
One more text
Tom writes a blog in Serbian for his students. Read his newest post. Careful: Tom made two mistakes in it.
Tom's blog (in Serbian, for his students)
Pet godina u Beogradu
Došao sam u Beograd pre pet godina, u januaru, samo na jedan semestar. Prvo sam radio i nisam imao vremena ni za šta. Onda sam upoznao grad, ljude i kafane, i ostao sam.
Prve nedelje nisam znao nijednu reč srpskog. Svako jutro sam jedao burek i pio jogurt. Bilo je jeftino i lako. Srpski sam učio u kafani: konobari su bili moji prvi profesori.
Prošle godine sam prvi put išao na more sa kolegama iz škole. Prošlog meseca ja sam bio na Zlatiboru i prvi put sam skijao. Sada pijem domaću kafu i stalno kažem: Polako! Beograd je sada moj grad.
New words: upoznati = to get to know, ostati = to stay, jeftino = cheap, more = the sea, skijati = to ski.
Culture note
Culture note
Language exchanges (razmena jezika) are everywhere in Belgrade: a café table, a few people, two languages, half an hour each. They're one of the best ways to practice. One thing you'll notice: many people in Belgrade speak good English, and as soon as you hesitate, they switch to it to help you. Be friendly and ask: Možemo li na srpskom? (Can we speak Serbian?) Most people are happy to slow down. And remember Jelena's rule from your first week: Samo srpski, važi?
Your turn
Your writing goes to your instructor, who reads every one and writes back.
Yesterday, in order
Write what you did yesterday, in order, 40 to 80 words. Start with Juče, and use prvo, onda, posle toga and na kraju. After a time word, sam comes right after it: Juče sam..., Uveče sam... Write with your own form (bio / bila, išao / išla). At least 40 words. Your instructor will read it. 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 40 words. Submitting it is part of finishing this activity.
Example answer
Juče sam ustao / ustala u sedam. Prvo sam pio / pila kafu i jeo / jela kiflu. Onda sam išao / išla na posao autobusom. Radio / Radila sam do pet. Posle toga sam bio / bila u teretani sa kolegom. Uveče sam kuvao / kuvala večeru. Na kraju sam gledao / gledala film i spavao / spavala kao beba. Bilo je naporno, ali lepo.
Compare the information and how it's phrased. Your answer doesn't need to use the same words.
Check yourself
Four questions. Get three right to pass, and try again as many times as you like. The lesson is complete when you pass the quiz and send your writing task.
Quiz
Check yourself: when and in what order
4 questions · pass mark 75%
- 1.
Which sentence is right?
- 2.
How do you say: three days ago?
- 3.
Prošle nedelje means...
- 4.
Daria writes: Last night I watched a film. Which is right?
Answer every question before you submit.
What you can do now
What you can do now
You can place a story in time (juče, sinoć, prošle nedelje, pre dva dana), put sam right after a time word (Juče sam bio...), tell a story in order with prvo, onda, posle toga and na kraju, and catch mistakes in someone else's Serbian. Next: when things go wrong. A lost key, a late night, and how to explain what happened.
More practice
Match the time words.