Is it easy for Turkish people to learn Serbian?

Hello dear students, how are you? I know you might be surprised with this title. Probably
because most of you would say: “Serbia = Russian“and „No, no way, they use Cyrilic, how for
the God’s sake I’m going to learn it? “ However, I must say you that you’re not right. I strongly
believe that there is the magic of the people’s goodness and love that motivate us to be willing to
learn a lot of new things. For example we learn: about culture, about language, about habit, about
that how to make a business much easier in some country etc During this learning process, we
might discover some similarities in any sense (especially similarities between different
languages). However, only determinated people with the big will power our capable to finish this
language learning process completely. In Serbian, there are more than 6000 Turkish words that
are adopted. Now, I’m going to give you some examples of the similar words between Serbian
and Turkish, and...the examples of the false friends as well.
Table 1 – Serbian alphabets

Cyrilic Latin Turkish - English

- Kiril türkce pronon.
Аа Aa Aa Aa
Бб Bb Bb Bb
Вв Vv Vv Vv
Гг Gg Gg Gg
Дд Dd Dd Dd
Ђђ Đđ Dz dz Dz dz
Ее Ee Ee Ee
Жж Žž Jj ZH zh
Зз Zz Zz Zz
Ии Ii Ii Ee
Јј Jj Yy Yy
Кк Kk Kk Kk
Лл Ll Ll Ll
Љљ Lj lj LY ly Ly ly
Мм Mm Mm Mm
Нн Nn Nn Nn
Њњ NJ nj Ny ny Ny ny
Оо Oo Oo Oo
Пп Pp Pp Pp
Рр Rr Rr Rr
Сс Ss Ss Ss
Тт Tt Tt Tt
Ћћ Ćć Çç Ty ty
Уу Uu Uu Oo oo
Фф Ff Ff Ff
Хх Hh Hh Hh
Цц Cc Ts ts Ts ts
Чч Čč Ch ch Ch ch
Џџ DŽ dž Cc Jj
Шш Šš Şş Sh sh

Note: Remember – Every letter represents only one voice. If you learn Serbian alphabets easily,
you’ll be able to read without any difficulty. Why? Because of the golden rule: Write in the same
way like you pronounce and the opposite.
In Serbian, there are no letters like: ı, ü, ö, ğ.
P.S. You can choose if you want to use Cyrilic or Latin letters, but I suggest you to use Cyrilic. If
you learn Cyrilic, you’ll write in a little bit more elegant way and you’ll learn the alphabet of
other Slavic languages much easier (for example: Russian ones). Also, you can see the names of
the: streets, institutions, ID cards, … written in Cyrilic, so if you do not know Cyrilic, you can
get lost easily.
Table 2 – Similar words between Serbian and Turkish

Serbian – sirpca Serbian – sirpca Turkish – türkce Englısh - ingilizce

Краљ Kralj (kraly) Kral King
шамар Šamar (Şamar) Şamar Slap
Бре Bre Bre expression
Гајде Gajde (gayde) Gayda Musıcal instrument
Хајде Hajde (hayde) Hade Com’on
Душманин Dušmanin Duşman Enemy
(duşmanin)
Инат Inat (İnat) Inat Despite
Зор Zor Zor Difficult
Зејтин Zejtin (zeytin) Zeytin Oil
Сокак Sokak Sokak Street
Ананас Ananas Ananas Ananas
Мајмун Majmun (maymun) maymun Monkey
Џезва Džezva (Cesva) cezve Coffee pot
Џелат Dželat (Celat) cellat executioner
Шах Šah (Şah) Şah Chess
Тоалет Toalet Tuvalet Toılet
Доктор Doktor Doktor Doctor
Памук Pamuk Pamuk Cotton
Панталоне Pantalone pantolon Pants
Јастук Jastuk (Yastuk) yastık pıllow
Чорба Čorba (Chorba) Çorba Soup
Чарапе Čarape (Charape) Çoraplar Socks
Машала Mašala (MaŞala) Mashallah Well done
Пилав Pilav Pilaf A meal from rice
Бибер Biber Biber Pepper
Чај Čaj (chay) Çay Tea
Џеп Džep (cep) Cep Pocket
Бурек Burek Börek Burek
Сарма Sarma Sarma Stuffed cabbage
Пара Para Para Money
Кравата Kravata Kravat tie
Комшија Komšija (komŞiya) Komşu Neighbor
Бојa Boje (boye) Boya Colour
Краљица Kraljica (kralyica) kraliçe queen
сирће Sirće (sirçe) Sirke Vinegar
Хајир Hajir (hayir) Hayir Luck
Кашика Kašika (kaşika) Kaşik spoon

Some of those words are old-fashioned. For example:

Mašala --- we prefer to use the Italian word: „Bravo“ – „Aferin“ or „Svaka čast – Well done“
Zejtin – we prefer to say „ulje“
Ćuza – we prefer to say „zatvor“ – jail
Ćuprija – we prefer to say „most“ - bridge
Here you are a dialogue where we can also find an old- fashioned word „zor“ instead of „na silu
– by force“

Dialogue 1:
Marko: - Kako ide posao? – How is your work going? (Senin işin nasil gidiyor)
Tanja : - Nije loše, ali ga radim zorom. --- it is not bad, but I work it by force. -- fena değil, ama
bu iş yapiyorum cünkü zorundayim.
Marko: - Ako je tako, onda promeni posao. – If it is like this, then change your job. -- Eğer
böyleyse, işini değiştir.
Tanja: U redu, hvala na savetu. – Alright, thank you for the advice. - Tamam, tavsiye için
teşekkür ederim.

Dalogue 2:
Tamara: Darko, uči engleski. – Darko, study English. --- Darko, ingilizce çalış
Darko: Neću. – I do not want it. – Istemiyorum.
Tamara: Uči, engleski je lep i koristan jezik. --- Learn, English is nice and helpful language. ---
çalış, İngilizce güzel ve yardımsever bir dildir.
Darko: ali ja ga ne volim. – but I dislike it. – ama ben ingilizce dili sevmiyorum.
Tamara: Aman, bre, idi i uči i ne inati se sa mnom. Ako naučiš dobro engleski, vodim te u
jednu lepu poslastičarnicu. --- Oh, for the God’s sake, go and learn it, do not do the things
despite of me. If you learn English good, I’ll take you to the nice cake shop. --- Aman, bre, git
ve , ingilizce çalış, benimle inat yapma. İyi derecede İngilizce öğrenirsen, seni güzel bir
pastaneye götürürüm.
Darko: U redu, naučiću. – Ok, I’ll learn it. – Tamam, çalışacağim.
Tamara: Sjajno. Vidimo se. – Great, see you. – Harika, görüşmek üzere.
Darko: Vidimo se. – See you. – Görüşürüz.

Dialogue 3:
Sin (son, oglu) : Mama, kupio sam kola „Mercedes“ . --- Mom, I bought „Mercedes“ car. –
Anne, ben „Mercedes“ araba satin aldim.
Mama (anne) : Hajir ti bilo. – Good luck to you. --- Hayırlı olsun.
Sin (son, oglu): Hvala mama, vidimo se. – Thanks mom, see you. --- Teşekkürler anne,
görüşürüz
Mama (anne) : Vidimo se. – See you. --- Teşekkürler oğlum, görüşürüz.
In this case, we prefer to say: „Srećno ti bilo“ or just „srećno“ because „sreća“ means „luck“.
False friends:
1. Nakit:
A) Serbian – jewlery
B) Turkish – in cash
2. Baba
A) Serbian : grandmother
B) Turkish: father
3. Bol
A) Serbian – pain
B) Turkish – rich man
4. Fil
A) Serbian – a cream of the cake
B) Turkish – elephant
5. Koš - koş
A) Serbian: basketball basket
B) Turkish: RUN --- command
6. Ne
A) Serbian: Hayir
B) Turkish: What
7. Jok - yok
A) In Serbian, it is the sinonim for “No, ne – Hayir” (we prefer to say NE in a modern
Serbian)
B) In Turkish: there is/are no …
8. Ćevap - kebab
It sounds similar to “Cevap – dževap” that means “answer” in Turkish.
9. Šaka - şaka
A) Serbian – hand
B) Turkish – joke
10. Merak
A) Serbian – pleasure
B) Turkish – curiosity

Now, I’m going to give you a dialogue, where you can discover a lot of basic phrases, so you can
start speaking for a bit.
Zdravo, kako si / kako ste ? Hello, how are you? – Merhaba, nasilsin/ nasilsiniz?
Dobro sam, hvala. A ti / a Vi? I’m fine, thank you, and you? - Iyiyim, ya sen / siz?
Evo, nije loše. Kako se zoveš / zovete? – Not bad. What’s your name? – Fena degil. Adin /
adiniz ne?
Zovem se (Furkan). A ti / Vi? – My name is (Furkan ), and yours? – Benim adim (Furkan), ya
senin / sizin?
Zovem se (Suzana). Drago mi je. – My name is (Suzana), nice to meet you. – Benim adim
(Suzana). Memnum oldum?
I meni je drago. - – Nice to meet you too - Bende memnum oldum.
Zašto učiš srpski? – Why do you study Serbian? – neden sirpca ogreniyorsun?
Učim srpski jer volim srpski jezik i kulturu / zbog porodice / zbog posla --- I learn Serbian
because I love the Serbian language and the culture / because of the family / because of the work
--- Sırpça öğreniyorum çünkü Sırp dilini ve kültürünü seviyorum / ailem icin / işim icin
Super, ja učim turski jer želim posetiti Tursku, a i zbog posla. Ja sam nastavnica stranih jezika. –
Super, I learn Turkish because I want to visit Turkey and because of the work. I am the language
teacher. --- Süper, Türkçe öğreniyorum çünkü Türkiye’yi ziyaret etmek istiyorum. Ben dil
öğretmeniyim.
Vidimo se.– görüşürüz
Vidimo se. – görüşürüz

Activities:
1. Introduce yourself and tell your reason, why do you study Serbian?
2. In this song there is one word similar to the Turkish word, recognize it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW8S0Bu8Ais
3. In this song there are two word similar to the Turkish word, recognize it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpp8lHoxm88
4. In this song there is one word similar to the Turkish word, recognize it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mKdXXJi2fg

Answer key:
2. Nataša Bekvalac – hajde
Po prvi put moj najdraži - This is the first time, my dear
ja ne kuvam kafu za dvoje - That I'm not making coffee for two persons
dok na zidu pokvaren sat - While the broken wall clock
kuca za oboje - Beats for the both of us

Po prvi put u krevet naš - This is the first time that in our bed
samoća kraj mene je legla - By my side is loneliness
umesto tebe barem sam nju - Instead od you, I'm embracing her
umornim rukama stegla - With my tired hands

Ref.
Hajde baš da vidim - Come on, I want to see
kako ćeš bez mene - How you're going to
jutrom da se budiš - Wake up without me
dana zavrsiš - How you'll come to the end of the day
hajde samo nek te krene - Come on, I want to see you doing it well
kada iza sebe vrata zalupiš - After you has slammed the door

Prvi put ja ne plačem - This is the first time I'm not crying
a znas da to ženama ide - And you know that women are good in it
ni luda ne bih dopustila - Even if I were crazy, I wouldn't let
da zidovi takvu me vide - The walls see me like that

Al' zadnji put moj najdraži - This is the last time, my dear
ja razmišljam eto o nama - That I'm thinking about us
kad sve saberem i oduzmem - When I count it all
bolje je da budem sama - It's better for me to be alone

Ref.

3. Marinko Rokvić – Mašala

Mislio sam ima vremena - I thought there is time

i da čekaćeš me dovijeka - and that you'll wait for me forever
od oka daleko, srcu je još dalje - far from eye, from heart is even further
sada znam da takva ljubav ne traje - now I know that this kind of love don't last

Onaj što ti biješe utjeha - The one has been your solace
postao je tvoja sudbina - he became your destiny
dok me nije bilo, sve se promjenilo - while I wasn't there, everything changed
kašika mu u med upala - his spoon fell into honey

REF.
Mašala, mašala, sina si rodila - Mashalla, Mashalla (Well done, well done), you gave birth to a son
onom kog nisi voljela - with the one you didn't love
kad nekom smrkne, drugome sine - when it darkens for someone, it brightens up for someone else
on se sad dici njime - now he boasts with it

Mašala, mašala, njemu si pružila - Mashalla, Mashalla (Well done, well done), you handed him
ono što meni si nekad nudila - what you once offered me
neka te naša ljubav sad mine - shall our love leave you now
al’ daj mu makar moje ime - but at least give him my name

Dok vas gledam kako slavite - While I look at you celebrating

mojoj duši ranu pravite - you give my heart wounds
al’ nemam ja prava da kvarim tu sreću - but i have no rights to ruin this happiness
ovdje se zbog tebe ja vratiti neću - I'm not coming back here for you

Ulica tvoja nek zaboravi - Your street should forget

na mene kog si zvala ‘jedini’ - me the one you called "only one"
vratiću se tamo gdje sam do sad bio - I'll go back there where I have been until now
jer znam da sam tebe zauvijek izgubio - because I know that I lost you forever

REF.

4. Halid Bešlić – Kad zaigra srce od meraka

Sve od Peste pa do Stambola - From Pest to Istanbul

nije majka takvu rodila - there didn't any mother give birth to a woman like you
kad zasvira tambura - when the drum starts to play
zaigraj na stolu mom - you start dancing at my table
zadrmaj, zatresi, udari k'o grom - start shaking, hit me like a lighting
cini mi se da, ostacu bez dukata - i think that i will lose all my money

Ref:
Kad zaigra srce od meraka - When your heart starts to play because of the pleasure
niz ulicu do tvoga sokaka - down the street to your block
ja draga, draga, oko moje - i my dear, my dear
ženiću te, gotovo je - will marry you, and it will be over

Kad zasvira tambura - when the drum starts to play

zaigraj na stolu mom - you start dancing at my table
zadrmaj, zatresi, udari k'o grom - start shaking
čini mi se da - hit me like a lighting
ostadoh bez dukata - i think that, i've lost all my money
Ref 2x

I hope you liked my article. If there is anything you do not understand, please feel free to ask me.
Also, any kind of feedback is always more than welcome, because I am here ONLY for you, my
dear students.

Good luck with your Serbian.

References:
1. Ljubo Mićunović – Rečnik stranih reči i izraza (The dictionary of the foreign words
and phrases)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfIv_e4QPk
3. https://unsplash.com/photos/GuqyZfjDmD0 by https://unsplash.com/@bokcily