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Bosnian phrasebook

From Wikitravel

Contents

• [+] Pronunciation guide
  • Vowels
  • Consonants
• [+] Phrase list
  • Basics
  • Problems
  • Numbers
  • [+] Time
    • Clock time
    • Duration
    • Days
    • Months
    • Writing time and date
  • Colors
  • Lodging
  • Money
  • Eating
  • Shopping
  • Driving

After secession from Yugoslavia, the Bosnian government declared the official language to be called "Bosnian" rather than "Serbo-Croatian." However, "Croatian," "Serbian," and "Bosnian" are considered by linguists and travellers alike to be one and the same language, with minor idiomatic differences. Bosnian (Serbo-Croatian) is a Southern Slavonic tongue in the Slavonic group of languages of the Indo-European family. It is closely related to Slovenian, Macedonian, & Bulgarian. Nouns have gender and cases, and the past tense is conjugated by gender and person while other tenses are conjugated only by person.

The language itself should not prove difficult to pronounce. Grammatical complexities will however present challenges to those not familiar with highly inflected languages, such as Latin or Russian. Inflection is the grammatical process of altering the noun to indicate its position & function in the sentence. The noun is said to have "case." Whereas English nouns are defined in the sentence through the use of prepositions - as in the sentence "Mary throws the ball to John," inflected languages alter the form of the noun, so "John" in the example would appear as the object in the sentence in the accusative case (indicated by the change in the suffix, and less frequently the prefix). The same sentence in Bosnian/S-C would have no preposition "to" as in "Mary baca loptu Johnu." Notice that "John" received a "u" as a suffix, which immediately governs the meaning of the word "Johnu" and dictates its function in the sentence. In another similarity with Latin as well as the other Balto-Slavic languages (except Bulgarian-Macedonian), Serbo-Croatian does not use articles; there ARE a few ariticles, but they are rarely used even in literature and formal speech.

Certain idiomatic differences exist in Serbian and Croatian, mostly as a result of regional applications. Some phrases, such as alahimanet and merhaba, are relatively unique in Bosnian usage, as they are a remnant of Islamic (and therefore Turkish)/Ottoman influences. Consulting separate pages on the Croatian & Serbian phrasebooks may prove beneficial to those interested in better understanding such regional differences.

[edit] Pronunciation guide

Serbo-Croatian pronounciation, like other Slavic languages, is very phonetic and straightforward. Each letter represents only one sound, and multiple sounds are produced only when several letters are combined. The letter "A" represents the sound "ah" in Bosnian/S-C, and it only represents that sounds. Unlike in English, where the letter "A" stands for numerous sounds - such as "Ah, eh, aaa, ehy" & so forth, Bosnian/SC letters only represent basic sounds. Speakers of Spanish and Italian will find most sounds in Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian to be similar to the ones in their own "languages". Keep in mind that Serbo-Croatian is the ONLY Slavic language written in both Latin and Cyrillic, the latter with considerable differences from the more popular Russian/East Slavic version. Although learning the two alphabets will keep out of trouble and endear the locals, the Latin script is more commonly used, even in Belgrade. The particles -ij and -j found in the middle of a number of words CAN be ommited due to regional applications and it would still be correct grammar.

[edit] Vowels

a 

like 'a' in "above"

e 

like 'e' in "enemy"

i 

like 'i' in "pin"

o 

like 'o' in "opera"

u 

like 'u' in "put"

Unfortunately, neither stresses (Usually it is the second or third-last one, but never the last) nor vowel lengths are marked in the written language, but the stress is more predictable than it is in Russian or Bulgarian, where it is almost obligatory to put an accent on the stressed syllable. For example, in the sentence sam sam (I am alone), the first "sam" is long, and the second is short (SAHM sam); in the clause da da (that he/she gives), it's reverse (da DAH). The most notorious example is a pun Gore gore gore gore (Up there, forests are burning worse), however, it is not likely that you will use this sentence in everyday speech. Unlike Bulgarian, Russian and other East Slavic languages, however, wrongly pronounced vowel length will seldom cause misunderstanding.

[edit] Consonants

Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian consonants are crisper than their counterparts in the English language. Approximating the corresponding consonants in Italian or Russian is closer to their true pronunciation.

b 

like 'b' in "bed"

c 

like 'ts' at the end of "cats" (never like an "s" or "k")

č 

pronounced like "ch" as in "church", but with the tongue up on the roof of the mouth

ć 

like "ch" as in "chile", but softer, with tongue behind top front teeth

d 

like 'd' in "dog"

dž 

very close to "j" as in judge, with tongue up on the roof of the mouth; very seldom used

đ 

like "j" as in "judge", but softer, with tongue behind top front teeth; hardly used at the beginning of the word

f 

like 'ph' in "phone"

g 

like 'g' in "go" (never pronounced like the "g" in "large")

h 

a little more emphasized than the 'h' in "help". Somewhat close to the Spanish jota (j), pronounced in the throat

j 

like 'y' in "yellow"

k 

like 'k' in "kite"

l 

like 'l' in "love"

lj 

like the "lya" sound in "million". Combo of the Bosnian/SC "l" "j" sounds together

m 

like 'm' in "mother"

n 

like 'n' in "nice"

nj 

like "ny" in "Sonya"

p 

like 'p' in "pappy"

r 

rolled slightly, like the Spanish r in "pero"

s 

like 'ss' in "hiss"

š 

like "sh" in "sheep", with tongue raised toward roof of mouth

t 

like 't' in "top"

v 

like 'v' in "victory"

z 

like 'z' in "haze"

ž 

like the "s" in "measure", with tongue raised toward roof of mouth

[edit] Phrase list

[edit] Basics

Hello/Good Day. 

Dobar dan (DOH-bahr dahn)

Hello. (informal) 

Zdravo. (ZDRAH-voh) or Merhaba (MEHR-hah bah)

How are you? 

Kako ste? (formal), (KAH-koh steh) Kako si? (informal) (KAH-koh see)

Fine, thank you. 

Dobro sam, hvala. (DOH-broh sahm, HVAH-lah)

What is your name? 

Kako se zovete? (formal) (KAH-koh seh ZOH-veh-teh)

What is your name? 

Kako se zoveš? (informal) (KAH-koh seh ZOH-vehsh)

My name is ______ . 

Zovem se ______ . (ZOH-vehm seh____.)

I am _____. : Ja sam ______. (yah sahm)

Nice to meet you. 

Drago mi je. (DRAH-goh mee yeh)

Please. 

Molim. (MOH-leem)

Thank you. 

Hvala. (HVAH-lah)

Thank you very much

Hvala lijepo (HVAH-lah LEE-yeh-poh)

You're welcome. 

Nema na čemu. (NEH-mah nah CHEH-moo)

Yes. ("formal") 

Da (dah)

Yes. ("informal") 

Ja (yah)

No. 

Ne.(neh)

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

Oprostite. (oh-prohs-TEE-teh)

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

Izvinite. (EEZ-vee-nee-teh)

I'm sorry. 

Oprostite. (oh-prohs-TEE-teh)

I'm sorry. ("expressing condolence"): Žao mi je. (zhao mee yeh)

Goodbye 

Alahimanet (religious implication) or Zbogom or Do Vidjenja.

Goodbye (informal) 

do viđenja (doh vee-jeh-nyah) or ćao (chaoo) or Zdravo. (ZDRAH-voh)

I can't speak Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian [well]. 

Ne govorim dobro bosanski/srpskohrvatski. (neh goh-VOH-reem DOH-broh boh SAHN-skee/ Surps-koh-hur-VAHTS-kee)

Do you speak English? 

Da li govorite engleski? (dah lee goh-VOH-ree-teh ehn-GLEHS-kee)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Da li iko ovdje govori engleski? (dah lee EE-koh ohvd-yeh GOH-voh-ree ehn-GLEES-kee)

Help! 

Upomoć! (OOPOH-mohtch)

Look out! 

Pazite! (PAH-zee-teh)

Good morning. 

Dobro jutro. (DOH-broh YOO-troh)

Good evening. 

Dobro većer. (DOH-broh VEH-chehr)

Good night. 

Laku noć. (LAH-koo nohtch)

Good night (to sleep) 

Laku noć. (LAH-koo nohtch)

I don't understand. 

Ne razumijem. (neh RAH-zoo-mee-yehn)

Where is the toilet? 

Gdje je WC? (gdyeh yeh WC?)

[edit] Problems

Leave me alone. 

Pusti me na miru. (POOS-tee meh nah MEE-roo)

Don't touch me! 

Ne diraj me! (neh DEE-rah-yuh meh!)

I'll call the police. 

Zvaću policiju. (ZVAH-chuh poh-LEE-tsee-yoo)

Police! 

Policija! (poh-LEE-tsee-yah!)

Stop! Thief! 

Stanite! Lopov! (STAH-nee-teh! LOH-pohv!)

I need your help. 

Treba mi vaša pomoć. (TREH-bah mee VAH-shah POH-mohch)

It's an emergency. 

Hitno je. (HEET-noh yeh)

I'm lost. 

Izgubio [m] (EEZ-goo-bio) izgubila [f] (EEZ-goo-bee-lah) sam se. (sahm seh)

I lost my bag. 

Izgubio [m] (EEZ-goo-bio) izgubila [f] (EEZ-goo-bee-lah) sam torbu. (sahm TOHR-boo)

I lost my wallet. 

Izgubio [m] (EEZ-goo-bio) izgubila [m] (EEZ-goo-bee-lah) sam novčanik. (sahm NOHV-chah-neek)

I'm sick. 

Bolestan [m] (BOH-lehs-tahn) /bolesna [f] (BOH-lehs-nah) sam. (sahm)

I've been injured. 

Povrijedio [m] (pohv-REE-yeh-dio) /povrijedila [f] (pohv-REE-yeh-dee-lah) sam se. (sahm seh)

I need a doctor. 

Treba mi doktor. (TREH-bah mee DOHK-tohr)

Can I use your phone? 

Mogu li se poslužiti telefonom? (MOH-goo lee seh POHS-loo-zhee-tee teh-LEH-foh-nohm?)

[edit] Numbers

1 

jedan (...)

2 

dva/dvije (...)

3 

tri (...)

4 

četiri (...)

5 

pet (...)

6 

šest (...)

7 

sedam (...)

8 

osam (....)

9 

devet (...)

10 

deset (...)

11 

jedanaest (...)

12 

dvanaest (...)

13 

trinaest (...)

14 

četrnaest (...)

15 

petnaest (...)

16 

šesnaest (...)

17 

sedamnaest (...)

18 

osamnaest (...)

19 

devetnaest (...)

20 

dvadeset (...)

21 

dvadeset jedan (...)

22 

dvadeset dva/dvije (...)

23 

dvadeset tri (...)

30 

trideset (...)

40 

četrdeset (...)

50 

pedeset (...)

60 

šezdeset (...)

70 

sedamdeset (...)

80 

osamdeset (...)

90 

devedeset (...)

100 

sto (...)

200 

dvjesta (...)

300 

trista (...)

400 

četiristo ("...")

500 

petsto ("...")

600 

šeststo ("...")

700 

sedamsto ("...")

800 

osamsto ("...")

900 

devetsto ("...")

1000 

hiljadu/tisuću (...); both are correct and used equally often (The first one is a Greek loanword for the same number, while the latter is the Slavic word) (...)

2000 

dvije hiljade/tisuće (...)

1,000,000 

milion (...)

1,000,000,000 

one thousand million in UK, one billion in USA: bilion/milijarda

1,000,000,000,000 

one billion in UK, one trillion in USA: trilion

number _____ (train, bus, etc.) 

broj_____ (voz, autobus, itd.)

half 

pola (...)

less 

manje (...)

more 

više (...)

[edit] Time

now 

sad(a)(...)

later 

kasnije(...)

before 

prije(...) or after : poslije(...)

morning 

jutro(...)

afternoon 

popodne(...)

evening 

veče(...)

night 

noć(...)

[edit] Clock time

one o'clock AM 

jedan sat ujutro (...)

two o'clock AM 

dva sata ujutro (...)

noon 

podne (...)

one o'clock PM 

jedan sat poslije podne (...)

two o'clock PM 

dva sata poslije podne (...)

six o'clock PM

šest sati uvečer (...)

midnight 

ponoć (...)

[edit] Duration

_____ minute(s) 

_____ minuta(-) (...)

_____ hour(s) 

_____ sat(i) (...)

_____ day(s) 

_____ dan(a) (...)

_____ week(s) 

_____ sedmica(-) (...)

_____ month(s) 

_____ mjesec(i) (...)

_____ year(s) 

_____ godina(-) (...)

[edit] Days

today 

danas (...)

yesterday 

juče (...)

tomorrow 

sutra (...)

this week 

ove sedmice (...)

last week 

prošle sedmice (...)

next week 

sljedeće sedmice (...)

Sunday 

nedjelja (...)

Monday 

ponedjeljak (...)

Tuesday 

utorak (...)

Wednesday 

srijeda (...)

Thursday 

četvrtak (...)

Friday 

petak (...)

Saturday 

subota (...)

[edit] Months

If speakers of the language commonly use a calendar other than the Gregorian, explain it here and list its months. See Hebrew phrasebook for an example.

January 

Januar / Siječanj (...)

February 

Februar / Veljača (...)

March 

Mart / Ožujak (...)

April 

April / Travanj (...)

May 

Maj / Svibanj (...)

June 

Juni / Lipanj (...)

July 

Juli / Srpanj (...)

August 

August / Kolovoz (...)

September 

Septembar / Rujan (...)

October 

Oktobar / Listopad (...)

November 

Novembar / Studeni (...)

December 

Decembar /Prosinac (...)

[edit] Writing time and date

Bosnian time is standard 24 hour time, so midnight is 00:00 while 1 pm would be 13:00 just like US military time.

[edit] Colors

black 

crna (...)

white 

bijela (...)

gray 

siva (...)

red 

crvena (...)

blue 

plava (...)

yellow 

žuta (...)

green 

zelena (...)

orange 

narandžasta (...)

purple 

ljubičasta (...)

brown 

smeđa (...)

[edit] Lodging

Do you have any rooms available? 

Imate li slobodnih soba? (...)

How much is a room for one person/two people? 

Koliko košta soba za jednu osobu/dvije osobe? (...)

Does the room come with... 

Da li u sobi ima... (...)

...bedsheets? 

...čaršafa? (...)

...a bathroom? 

...kupatilo? (...)

...a telephone? 

...telefon? (...)

...a TV? 

...televizor? (...)

May I see the room first? 

Mogu li prvo pogledati sobu? (...)

Do you have anything quieter? 

Imate li nešto tiše? (...)

...bigger? 

...veće? (...)

...cleaner? 

...čišće? (...)

...cheaper? 

...jeftinije? (...)

OK, I'll take it. 

U redu, uzeću je. (...)

I will stay for _____ night(s). 

Ostaću _____ noć(i). (...)

Can you suggest another hotel? 

Možete li mi preporučiti drugi hotel? (...)

Do you have a safe? 

Imate li sef? (...)

...lockers? 

...ormariće? (...)

Is breakfast/supper included? 

Da li je doručak/večera uključen/a? (...)

What time is breakfast/supper? 

Kada je doručak/večera? (...)

Please clean my room. 

Molim, očistite mi sobu. (...)

Can you wake me at _____? | Možete li me probuditi u_____? (...)

I want to check out. 

Želim se odjaviti. (...)

[edit] Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? 

Prihvatate/Primate li američke/australijske/kanadske dolare? (...)

Do you accept British pounds? 

Prihvatate/Primate li britanske funte? (...)

Do you accept credit cards? 

Prihvatate/Primate li kreditne kartice? (...)

Can you change money for me? 

Možete li mi razmijeniti novac?? (...)

Where can I get money changed? 

Gdje mogu razmijeniti novac? (...)

Can you change a traveler's check for me? 

Možete li mi razmijeniti putnički ček? (...)

Where can I get a traveler's check changed? 

Gdje mogu zamijeniti putnički ček? (...)

What is the exchange rate? 

Koliki je kurs? (...)

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? 

Gdje je bankomat? (...)

[edit] Eating

A table for one person/two people, please. 

Molim Vas, sto za jedno/dvoje.. (...)

Can I look at the menu, please? 

Mogu li pogledati meni/jelovnik? (...)

Can I look in the kitchen? 

Mogu li pogledati kuhinju? (...)

Is there a house specialty? 

Imate li specijalitet kuće? (...)

Is there a local specialty? 

Iate li lokalni specijalitet? (...)

I'm a vegetarian. 

Ja sam vegetarijanac. (...)

I don't eat pork. 

Ja ne jedem svinjetinu. (...)

I don't eat beef. 

Jan e jedem govedinu. (...)

I only ; supper 

Ja samo; večeru (...)

I want _____. 

Želim _____. (...)

I want a dish containing _____. 

Želim jelo sa _____. (...)

chicken 

piletinom (...)

beef 

govedinom (...)

fish 

ribom (...)

ham 

šunkom (...)

sausage 

kobasicom (...)

cheese 

sirom (...)

eggs 

jajima (...)

salad 

salatom (...)

(fresh) vegetables 

(svježe) povrće (...)

(fresh) fruit 

(svježe) voće (...)

bread 

hljeb (...)

toast 

tost (...)

noodles 

rezancima (...)

rice 

rižom (...)

beans 

grahom (...)

May I have a glass of _____? 

Mogu li dobiti čašu _____? (...)

May I have a cup of _____? 

Mogu li dobiti šolju _____? (...)

May I have a bottle of _____? 

Mogu li dobiti flašu _____? (...)

coffee 

kafe (...)

tea (drink) 

čaja (...)

juice 

soka (...)

(bubbly) water 

kisele vode (...)

water 

vode (...)

beer 

pivo (...)

red/white wine 

red/white wine (...)

May I have some _____? 

Mogu li dobiti _____? (...)

salt 

so (...)

black pepper 

crni biber (...)

butter 

puter (...)

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

Oprostite, konobar? (...)

I'm finished. 

Završio sam. (...)

It was delicious. 

Bilo je ukusno. (...)

Please clear the plates. 

Molim Vas, odnesita tanjure. (...)

The check, please. 

Račun, molim. (...)

[edit] Shopping

Do you have this in my size? 

Da li imate ovo u mojoj veličini? (...)

How much is this? 

Koliko je ovo? (...)

That's too expensive. 

To je preskupo. (...)

Would you take _____? 

Da li biste uzeli _____? (...)

expensive 

skupo (...)

cheap 

jeftino (...)

I can't afford it. 

Ne mogu to priuštiti. (...)

I don't want it. 

Neću to. (...)

You're cheating me. 

Varate me. (polite and formal)

I'm not interested. 

Nisam zainteresovan(m)/zainteresovana(f). (...)

OK, I'll take it. 

U redu, uzeću. (...)

Can I have a bag? 

Mogu li dobiti kesu? (...)

Do you ship (overseas)? 

Da li dostavljate robu (u Ameriku/Kanadu)? (...)

I need... 

Treba mi (s) / Trebaju mi (pl)... (...)

...toothpaste. 

...pasta za zube. (...)

...a toothbrush. 

...četkica za zube. (...)

...tampons. 

...tamponi. (...)

...soap. 

...sapun. (...)

...shampoo. 

...šampon. (...)

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) 

...lijek protiv bolova. (...)

...cold medicine. 

...lijek protiv prehlade. (...)

...stomach medicine. 

...lijek za stomak. (...)

...a razor. 

...žilet. (...)

...an umbrella. 

...kišobran. (...)

...sunblock lotion. 

...losion za sunčanje. (...)

...a postcard. 

...razglednica. (...)

...postage stamps. 

...poštanske markice. (...)

...batteries. 

...baterije. (...)

...writing paper. 

...papir za pisanje. (...)

...a pen. 

...hemijska olovka. (...)

...English-language books. 

...Knjige na engleskom jeziku. (...)

...English-language magazines. 

...Časopisi na engleskom jeziku. (...)

...an English-language newspaper. 

...Novine na engleskom jeziku. (...)

...an English-English dictionary. 

...jednojezični engleski rječnik. (...)

[edit] Driving

I want to rent a car. 

Želim da iznajmim auto. (...)

Can I get insurance? 

Mogu li dobiti osiguranje? (...)

stop (on a street sign) 

stop (...)

one way 

jednosmjerna ulica (...)

yield 

pustiti prvenstvo prolaza (...)

no parking 

zabranjeno parkiranje (...)

speed limit 

oganičenje brzine (...)

gas (petrol) station 

benzinska pumpa (...)

petrol 

benzin (...)

diesel 

dizel (...)