Though it's pricier, it's worth it in Serbian
Two neighbors discuss whether to buy a car or make do with rentals in Serbian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Размишљам да купим ауто. Иако је скуп, свакодневно ми треба.» — I'm thinking of buying a car. Though it's expensive, I need it every day. 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: two neighbors discuss whether to buy a car or make do with rentals. 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.
- Размишљам да купим ауто. Иако је скуп, свакодневно ми треба.Razmišljam da kupim auto. Iako je skup, svakodnevno mi treba.I'm thinking of buying a car. Though it's expensive, I need it every day.
- Јеси ли рачунао одржавање? Регистрација, гуме, осигурање — то се не види одмах.Jesi li računao održavanje? Registracija, gume, osiguranje — to se ne vidi odmah.Have you counted the upkeep? Registration, tires, insurance — you don't see that right away.
- Јесам, али зато не зависим од аутобуса. То ми вреди више од новца.Jesam, ali zato ne zavisim od autobusa. To mi vredi više od novca.I have; that's why I want to stop depending on the bus. That means more to me than money.
- Напротив, ја мислим да се више везујеш. Ауто тражи паркинг, време и живце.Naprotiv, ja mislim da se više vezuješ. Auto traži parking, vreme i živce.On the contrary, I think you get more attached. A car demands parking, time and nerves.
- Могуће. Али с друге стране, изнајмљивање аутомобила испада скупље на дуже стазе.Moguće. Ali s druge strane, iznajmljivanje automobila ispada skuplje na duže staze.Maybe. But on the other hand, renting a car works out more expensive in the long run.
- Зависи од тога колико возиш. Ако возиш сваки дан, у праву си.Zavisi od toga koliko voziš. Ako voziš svaki dan, u pravu si.It depends on how much you drive. If you drive every day, you're right.
- Возим свакодневно, и то на посао и назад. Упркос трошковима, исплати се.Vozim svakodnevno, i to na posao i nazad. Uprkos troškovima, isplati se.I drive every day, to work and back. Despite the costs, it pays off.
- Онда купуј. Међутим, узми половњак — нов губи вредност чим изађе са паркинга.Onda kupuj. Međutim, uzmi polovnjak — nov gubi vrednost čim izađe sa parkinga.Then buy one. But take a used car — a new one loses value the moment it leaves the parking lot.
Lines one by one
| Serbian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Размишљам да купим ауто. Иако је скуп, свакодневно ми треба. | Razmišljam da kupim auto. Iako je skup, svakodnevno mi treba. | I'm thinking of buying a car. Though it's expensive, I need it every day. |
| Јеси ли рачунао одржавање? Регистрација, гуме, осигурање — то се не види одмах. | Jesi li računao održavanje? Registracija, gume, osiguranje — to se ne vidi odmah. | Have you counted the upkeep? Registration, tires, insurance — you don't see that right away. |
| Јесам, али зато не зависим од аутобуса. То ми вреди више од новца. | Jesam, ali zato ne zavisim od autobusa. To mi vredi više od novca. | I have; that's why I want to stop depending on the bus. That means more to me than money. |
| Напротив, ја мислим да се више везујеш. Ауто тражи паркинг, време и живце. | Naprotiv, ja mislim da se više vezuješ. Auto traži parking, vreme i živce. | On the contrary, I think you get more attached. A car demands parking, time and nerves. |
| Могуће. Али с друге стране, изнајмљивање аутомобила испада скупље на дуже стазе. | Moguće. Ali s druge strane, iznajmljivanje automobila ispada skuplje na duže staze. | Maybe. But on the other hand, renting a car works out more expensive in the long run. |
| Зависи од тога колико возиш. Ако возиш сваки дан, у праву си. | Zavisi od toga koliko voziš. Ako voziš svaki dan, u pravu si. | It depends on how much you drive. If you drive every day, you're right. |
| Возим свакодневно, и то на посао и назад. Упркос трошковима, исплати се. | Vozim svakodnevno, i to na posao i nazad. Uprkos troškovima, isplati se. | I drive every day, to work and back. Despite the costs, it pays off. |
| Онда купуј. Међутим, узми половњак — нов губи вредност чим изађе са паркинга. | Onda kupuj. Međutim, uzmi polovnjak — nov gubi vrednost čim izađe sa parkinga. | Then buy one. But take a used car — a new one loses value the moment it leaves the parking lot. |
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?
“Размишљам да купим ауто. Иако је скуп, свакодневно ми треба.” (Razmišljam da kupim auto. Iako je skup, svakodnevno mi treba.) — I'm thinking of buying a car. Though it's expensive, I need it every day.. 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.