Srećan septembar, dragi prijatelji! Autumn is the perfect time to get back to work with your Serbian - and today I have a short, friendly exercise you can do in five minutes, right from your chair.
What is this exercise?
It is a simple gap-fill. You will see a short Serbian text with blanks. Your job is to choose the correct verb form from the pairs in brackets. To make it easier, the verbs are conjugated above the text, so you can peek at the "cheat sheet" any time you need it. There is no time limit and no grades - just read, choose, and learn.
Hear it (carried forward)
Before you start, listen to the pronunciation once or twice. Hearing the endings is half the battle - Serbian verb endings are much easier to remember when your ear knows them.
A conjugation to help you
Here is the present tense of the verb raditi (to work). Keep it open while you do the gap-fill below - that is exactly what it is there for.
| Serbian | English |
|---|---|
| ja radim | I work |
| ti radiš | you work (singular) |
| on/ona radi | he/she works |
| mi radimo | we work |
| vi radite | you work (plural / formal) |
| oni rade | they work |
The gap-fill
Now fill in the blanks with the correct form. Write your answers in a comment below - I correct every single one, personally.
Svaki dan ___ (radim/radi) u vrtu. Moja sestra ___ (radi/rade) u školi. Mi ___ (radimo/radite) zajedno. Moji roditelji ___ (radite/rade) u kući. Ti ___ (radim/radiš) brzo i lepo. Ja ___ (radim/radite) sa zadovoljstvom!
More Serbian examples
Want a little more practice before you write? Read these sentences out loud, slowly, and pay attention to the endings:
- "Ja učim srpski svaki dan." - I learn Serbian every day.
- "Ti si dobar učenik." - You are a good student.
- "Oni žive u Beogradu." - They live in Belgrade.
Say them three times each - once quietly, once normally, and once with a big smile. It really helps the endings stick.
FAQ
Do I have to know all six forms before I start?
No. The conjugation table above the text is your cheat sheet - use it as much as you need. The exercise is meant to teach, not to test.
What if I am not sure which form is correct?
Write your best guess anyway. Every answer in the comments gets corrected with a short explanation, so mistakes are welcome - they are how we learn.
Can I use other verbs after this?
Absolutely. Once you feel comfortable with raditi, try the same pattern with učiti (to learn) or živeti (to live) - the endings follow the same rhythm.
Hvala što učite sa mnom! Write your answers in the comments and I will check them for you - every one of them. Remember, a little bit of Serbian every day beats a long session once a month. Srećno!
Mnogo pozdrava iz Beograda,
Marina Petrović