What are we cooking for lunch? in Serbian
The kitchen, two people cook lunch and check the recipe in Serbian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Шта кувамо данас? Имамо јунетину и мало поврћа.» — What are we cooking today? We have beef and some vegetables.; «Гулаш. Очисти поврће, а ја ћу да исечем месо.» — Goulash. Peel the vegetables, and I'll cut the meat. 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: the kitchen, two people cook lunch and check the recipe. 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.
- Шта кувамо данас? Имамо јунетину и мало поврћа.Šta kuvamo danas? Imamo junetinu i malo povrća.What are we cooking today? We have beef and some vegetables.
- Гулаш. Очисти поврће, а ја ћу да исечем месо.Gulaš. Očisti povrće, a ja ću da isečem meso.Goulash. Peel the vegetables, and I'll cut the meat.
- Колико белог лука иде? У рецепту пише два чена.Koliko belog luka ide? U receptu piše dva čena.How much garlic goes in? The recipe says two cloves.
- Стави три, нећемо да штедимо. И промешај дрвеном кашиком.Stavi tri, nećemo da štedimo. I promešaj drvenom kašikom.Put in three; let's not skimp. And stir with a wooden spoon.
- Густо је. Да додам воде или слатке павлаке?Gusto je. Da dodam vode ili slatke pavlake?It's thick. Should I add water or cream?
- Воде. Павлака иде на крају, иначе се сос разводни и постане светао.Vode. Pavlaka ide na kraju, inače se sos razvodni i postane svetao.Water. The cream goes in at the end, otherwise the sauce will thin out and turn pale.
- Јесам ли посолио? Не сећам се. Боље да пробам него да пресолим.Jesam li posolio? Ne sećam se. Bolje da probam nego da presolim.Did I salt it? I don't remember. Better to taste than to oversalt.
- Пробај и стави поклопац. За сат времена — добар тек.Probaj i stavi poklopac. Za sat vremena — dobar tek.Taste it and put the lid on. In an hour — enjoy your meal.
Lines one by one
| Serbian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Шта кувамо данас? Имамо јунетину и мало поврћа. | Šta kuvamo danas? Imamo junetinu i malo povrća. | What are we cooking today? We have beef and some vegetables. |
| Гулаш. Очисти поврће, а ја ћу да исечем месо. | Gulaš. Očisti povrće, a ja ću da isečem meso. | Goulash. Peel the vegetables, and I'll cut the meat. |
| Колико белог лука иде? У рецепту пише два чена. | Koliko belog luka ide? U receptu piše dva čena. | How much garlic goes in? The recipe says two cloves. |
| Стави три, нећемо да штедимо. И промешај дрвеном кашиком. | Stavi tri, nećemo da štedimo. I promešaj drvenom kašikom. | Put in three; let's not skimp. And stir with a wooden spoon. |
| Густо је. Да додам воде или слатке павлаке? | Gusto je. Da dodam vode ili slatke pavlake? | It's thick. Should I add water or cream? |
| Воде. Павлака иде на крају, иначе се сос разводни и постане светао. | Vode. Pavlaka ide na kraju, inače se sos razvodni i postane svetao. | Water. The cream goes in at the end, otherwise the sauce will thin out and turn pale. |
| Јесам ли посолио? Не сећам се. Боље да пробам него да пресолим. | Jesam li posolio? Ne sećam se. Bolje da probam nego da presolim. | Did I salt it? I don't remember. Better to taste than to oversalt. |
| Пробај и стави поклопац. За сат времена — добар тек. | Probaj i stavi poklopac. Za sat vremena — dobar tek. | Taste it and put the lid on. In an hour — enjoy your meal. |
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?
“Шта кувамо данас? Имамо јунетину и мало поврћа.” (Šta kuvamo danas? Imamo junetinu i malo povrća.) — What are we cooking today? We have beef and some vegetables.. 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.