Where exactly is it? in Serbian
On the phone: explaining how to find a house on the edge of the settlement in Serbian. 9 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Стигао сам у насеље, али не видим твоју кућу. Где је то тачно?» — I've arrived in the settlement, but I can't see your house. Where exactly is it? Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: on the phone: explaining how to find a house on the edge of the settlement. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Стигао сам у насеље, али не видим твоју кућу. Где је то тачно?Stigao sam u naselje, ali ne vidim tvoju kuću. Gde je to tačno?I've arrived in the settlement, but I can't see your house. Where exactly is it?
- Кућа је на ивици села, последња пре шуме. Видиш ли водоторањ?Kuća je na ivici sela, poslednja pre šume. Vidiš li vodotoranj?The house is at the edge of the village, the last one before the forest. Do you see the water tower?
- Видим га у даљини, али не знам да ли да идем нагоре или надоле.Vidim ga u daljini, ali ne znam da li da idem nagore ili nadole.I see it in the distance, but I don't know whether to go up or down.
- Иди нагоре. Кад прођеш поред школе, скрени десно у прву улицу.Idi nagore. Kad prođeš pored škole, skreni desno u prvu ulicu.Go up. When you pass the school, turn right into the first street.
- Има ли пречица? Не бих да обилазим цело насеље пешке.Ima li prečica? Ne bih da obilazim celo naselje peške.Is there a shortcut? I'd rather not walk around the whole settlement.
- Има, пречицом кроз парк. Али немој ноћу, тамо је мрак и рупе на стази.Ima, prečicom kroz park. Ali nemoj noću, tamo je mrak i rupe na stazi.There is, straight through the park. But not at night; it's dark there and the path has potholes.
- Идем пречицом. А улаз је са стране или спреда?Idem prečicom. A ulaz je sa strane ili spreda?I'll go straight through. And is the entrance on the side or in front?
- Са стране, кроз двориште. Капија је тик уз гаражу.Sa strane, kroz dvorište. Kapija je tik uz garažu.On the side, through the yard. The gate is right up against the garage.
- Разумео сам. За десетак минута сам код тебе.Razumeo sam. Za desetak minuta sam kod tebe.Got it. I'll be at your place in about ten minutes.
Lines one by one
| Serbian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Стигао сам у насеље, али не видим твоју кућу. Где је то тачно? | Stigao sam u naselje, ali ne vidim tvoju kuću. Gde je to tačno? | I've arrived in the settlement, but I can't see your house. Where exactly is it? |
| Кућа је на ивици села, последња пре шуме. Видиш ли водоторањ? | Kuća je na ivici sela, poslednja pre šume. Vidiš li vodotoranj? | The house is at the edge of the village, the last one before the forest. Do you see the water tower? |
| Видим га у даљини, али не знам да ли да идем нагоре или надоле. | Vidim ga u daljini, ali ne znam da li da idem nagore ili nadole. | I see it in the distance, but I don't know whether to go up or down. |
| Иди нагоре. Кад прођеш поред школе, скрени десно у прву улицу. | Idi nagore. Kad prođeš pored škole, skreni desno u prvu ulicu. | Go up. When you pass the school, turn right into the first street. |
| Има ли пречица? Не бих да обилазим цело насеље пешке. | Ima li prečica? Ne bih da obilazim celo naselje peške. | Is there a shortcut? I'd rather not walk around the whole settlement. |
| Има, пречицом кроз парк. Али немој ноћу, тамо је мрак и рупе на стази. | Ima, prečicom kroz park. Ali nemoj noću, tamo je mrak i rupe na stazi. | There is, straight through the park. But not at night; it's dark there and the path has potholes. |
| Идем пречицом. А улаз је са стране или спреда? | Idem prečicom. A ulaz je sa strane ili spreda? | I'll go straight through. And is the entrance on the side or in front? |
| Са стране, кроз двориште. Капија је тик уз гаражу. | Sa strane, kroz dvorište. Kapija je tik uz garažu. | On the side, through the yard. The gate is right up against the garage. |
| Разумео сам. За десетак минута сам код тебе. | Razumeo sam. Za desetak minuta sam kod tebe. | Got it. I'll be at your place in about ten minutes. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Serbian in this situation?
“Стигао сам у насеље, али не видим твоју кућу. Где је то тачно?” (Stigao sam u naselje, ali ne vidim tvoju kuću. Gde je to tačno?) — I've arrived in the settlement, but I can't see your house. Where exactly is it?. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.