The device repair shop in Serbian
At the workshop: the projector overheats and the flash drive won't read in Serbian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Добар дан, пројектор из сале нам је престао да ради.» — Good afternoon, the projector from the hall stopped working. 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: at the workshop: the projector overheats and the flash drive won't read. 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.
- Добар дан, пројектор из сале нам је престао да ради.Dobar dan, projektor iz sale nam je prestao da radi.Good afternoon, the projector from the hall stopped working.
- Добар дан. Да ли се уопште пали или се пали па се гаси?Dobar dan. Da li se uopšte pali ili se pali pa se gasi?Good afternoon. Does it turn on at all, or does it turn on and then go dark?
- Пали се, али слика нестане после два минута.Pali se, ali slika nestane posle dva minuta.It turns on, but the picture disappears after two minutes.
- Вероватно се прегрева. Проверићу вентилатор, то је најчешћи квар.Verovatno se pregreva. Proveriću ventilator, to je najčešći kvar.It's probably overheating. I'll check the fan; that's the most common failure.
- Може ли данас? Презентација нам је сутра у десет.Može li danas? Prezentacija nam je sutra u deset.Can it be today? Our presentation is tomorrow at ten.
- Може, али морам да наручим део. Највероватније стиже до три сата.Može, ali moram da naručim deo. Najverovatnije stiže do tri sata.It can, but I need to order a part. Most likely it will arrive by three o'clock.
- У реду. Још нешто: рачунар не препознаје ову флеш меморију.U redu. Još nešto: računar ne prepoznaje ovu fleš memoriju.Okay. One more thing: the computer doesn't recognize this flash drive.
- Оставите је, скенираћу је. Ако не проради, податке ћемо извући другим уређајем.Ostavite je, skeniraću je. Ako ne proradi, podatke ćemo izvući drugim uređajem.Leave it with me; I'll scan it. If it doesn't work, we'll pull the data out with another device.
Lines one by one
| Serbian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Добар дан, пројектор из сале нам је престао да ради. | Dobar dan, projektor iz sale nam je prestao da radi. | Good afternoon, the projector from the hall stopped working. |
| Добар дан. Да ли се уопште пали или се пали па се гаси? | Dobar dan. Da li se uopšte pali ili se pali pa se gasi? | Good afternoon. Does it turn on at all, or does it turn on and then go dark? |
| Пали се, али слика нестане после два минута. | Pali se, ali slika nestane posle dva minuta. | It turns on, but the picture disappears after two minutes. |
| Вероватно се прегрева. Проверићу вентилатор, то је најчешћи квар. | Verovatno se pregreva. Proveriću ventilator, to je najčešći kvar. | It's probably overheating. I'll check the fan; that's the most common failure. |
| Може ли данас? Презентација нам је сутра у десет. | Može li danas? Prezentacija nam je sutra u deset. | Can it be today? Our presentation is tomorrow at ten. |
| Може, али морам да наручим део. Највероватније стиже до три сата. | Može, ali moram da naručim deo. Najverovatnije stiže do tri sata. | It can, but I need to order a part. Most likely it will arrive by three o'clock. |
| У реду. Још нешто: рачунар не препознаје ову флеш меморију. | U redu. Još nešto: računar ne prepoznaje ovu fleš memoriju. | Okay. One more thing: the computer doesn't recognize this flash drive. |
| Оставите је, скенираћу је. Ако не проради, податке ћемо извући другим уређајем. | Ostavite je, skeniraću je. Ako ne proradi, podatke ćemo izvući drugim uređajem. | Leave it with me; I'll scan it. If it doesn't work, we'll pull the data out with another device. |
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?
“Добар дан, пројектор из сале нам је престао да ради.” (Dobar dan, projektor iz sale nam je prestao da radi.) — Good afternoon, the projector from the hall stopped working.. 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.