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Did you know that a night out at a Serbian kafana can help you learn Serbian quickly? Even if you are tipsy, some Serbian song will move you, and you’ll join the other guests singing, laughing, and crying. Before you know it, you’ll boost your vocabulary range in the most effortless and fun way.
Scientists agree that singing simplifies the language-learning process. If you aren’t a fan of kafana singalongs, you should visit Serbian music festivals. Not comfortable in crowded places? No worries, we’ve got a playlist for you to jam to at home.
We know that learning grammar can be frustrating and tiring. Would you bet with us that you will fall in love with Serbian music and grammar at the same time? Prepare your dancing shoes, some glasses to break, and tissues in case of tears, and let’s dive into the Serbian music hits that will push you in your learning endeavors. We recommend you open the lyrics to expedite your learning.
Ti i ja se budimo skoro svaki dan vrlo rano
Oko pola sedam dižemo se lako kao da sve ima smisla
Novac ima smisla, idemo da radimo
A znamo tačno šta radimo
Idemo, radimo, idemo, radimo
Trošimo, radimo, trošimo, radimo
Kupujemo, putujemo, diskutujemo
You and I, we wake up every day so early
Around six thirty we rise with ease as if it all makes sense
Money makes sense, we go to work
And know exactly what we’re doing
We go, we work, we go, we work,
We spend, we work, we spend, we work
We shop, we travel, we discuss
Our beloved Eurovision representative, and once a potential Grammy nominee, Konstrakta, will hypnotize you with her catchy tunes, penetrating gaze, and the abundance of Serbian verbs used in the Present Tense.
Konstrakta uses the first-person plural form of verbs while she sings about life patterns and shallow values imposed on us by the modern world. You can also see examples of reflexive verbs (budimo se, dižemo se) in Mekano (The Soft).
Ja sam se lomio i
gradio u istom trenu
u meni je zamah
leptirovih krila pravio oluje
Ja sam živeo u izmaglici
neprospavanih noći
ja sam plesao u tišini
ja sam plesao u tišini
I was breaking down and
Rising up at the same moment
A butterfly’s wingbeat
Stirred storms within me
I was living in the haze of
Sleepless nights
I was dancing in silence
I was dancing in silence
This is a more upbeat rhythm to introduce you to the Past Tense in the Serbian language. Rekla je (She said) teaches you to dance while mastering complex grammatical tenses and structures. The songs by Ničim izazvan will also present you with beautiful verses in the contemporary Serbian language.
Polomiću čaše od kristala
Počupaću bokore od lala
Otkinuću još dve žice, još dve strune
Ostaviću violinu – neka trune
I’ll break the crystal glasses
I’ll pluck the tulips
I’ll break two more strings
I’ll leave the violin to rot
If this song doesn’t make you break the nearest glass, nothing will. Miroslav Ilić is a beloved Serbian folk singer whose songs are popular in kafanas, at weddings and other celebrations. This one will demonstrate the simple future form in the first person singular. These forms can be complex as well:
Obuci papuče, dodaj mi jastuče
Nežno me zagrli i ponašaj se prirodno
Skuvaj mi kafu, napravi sendvič
Put on your slippers, pass me the cushion
Hug me gently and be yourself
Make me a coffee, make me a sandwich
Rađaj sinove, idi drugome
Samo pusti me na miru
Give birth to sons, go to another man
Just leave me alone
Zadrži svoj dah
Zažmuri u mrak
Nemoj snagu svoju bacati uz put
Hold your breath
Close your eyes into the darkness
Don’t waste your strength along the way
Serbs like giving orders. These three Serbian music titans, each in their own genre, provide you with examples of imperative forms. Depending on your taste in music, and your level of Serbian, choose one of these songs and let all kinds of emotions flood you.
Ako ima Boga, u paklu goret ćeš
If there’s god, you’ll burn in hell
These are the lines from a song by famous ex Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme (White Button).
Da nema sunca ni meseca, ja mogla bih
Da nema vode ni vazduha, ja mogla bih
I da imam gde da odem, ja ne bih otišla
Da imam šta da kažem, ja bih ćutala
If there weren’t the Sun or the Moon, I could survive
If there weren’t water or air, I could survive
And if I could go anywhere, I wouldn’t go
If I had anything to say, I would remain silent
Apart from making you cry, nostalgic ex-yu songs tell you that Serbian Conditional Clauses start with the prepositions ako or da (if). Here we have a heartbroken guy in the first song (Real Conditional), and a hopeful romantic girl in the second one (Unreal Conditional), who are addressing their SO.
Cipelice, bluzice, kompletići, šeširi
Baš je glupo biti zaljubljen u damu
Viklerčići, češljići, pomadice, parfemi
Baš je glupo biti zaljubljen u damu
We won’t translate these lyrics of this amazing song, but we’ll explain these numerous diminutive noun forms. THE pop legend in the Balkans, and the 80s heartthrob, Zdravko Čolić, prepared the diminutives in plural forms for you to dance to in the disco.
Diminutives in the Serbian language are a vast source for practicing the pronunciation of ć, č, and c sounds.
Crveno sija bakarno nebo
Krvava reka, kao da plamen podmukli izbija
Negde daleko čujem vapaj tihi
Dok sfinge nemo gledaju nebo zlatno
The red copper sun is shining
The river is crimson, as if the insidious flame was growing
Somewhere far away I can hear a muffled cry
While the sphinxes silently stare at the golden sky
If you’re into increasing your vocabulary range, you should listen to this poetry by Ivan Jegdić, a young promising Serbian musician. One of our most famous poets, Jovan Dučić, inspired Ivan to write and compose a song based on his poem of the same name. You can hear the Dučić’s poem recited here.
Now that you’ve learned new adjectives and phrases, you’re ready to impress your Serbian crush.
You can now start exploring Serbian music on YouTube, or on any other streaming platform that you prefer. Add a little spice to your regular learning habits and improve your listening skills. We know that learning the Serbian language can be challenging and hard at times, so why not have some fun and facilitate the process? Our free study materials will help you break down the most complex structures in Serbian. If you want to further expand your knowledge and have a talk partner, contact us for online lessons.
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