My attempt to learn Montenegrin (Here we go!)

Learn Montenegrin with me (but not if you want an expert!)

Just to remind you this is my rather random attempt to improve my existing Montenegrin, language skills, rather than be any sort of cohesive post to teach you the language.  I’ll leave that to the experts!

This week, I’m focussing on some new words to revise in the first part and then some grammar in part two.  It’s all stuff that I will have learnt years ago when I was a student in Zagreb, but my memory is so sketchy now, I need to revisit them.  I have decided to keep the bar low and ease myself into what is a pretty difficult language.  (I wonder why I didn’t buy an apartment in Spain? It would have been so much easier).

Pondering aside.  Let’s get down to some Montenegrin words first. 

Part 1. Some random Montenegrin words

For help with pronounciation check out My Languages

Gospodin – Mr (g. abbreviation)

Gospođa – Mrs (gđa. abbreviation)

Na zalošt – unfortunately

Oprostite – excuse me (use when interupting someone, for example)

Također – likewise

Upoznavati se – to get to know / meet

Ja upoznajem

Oni upozanaju

Zar ne? – is that so?

Gladan/gladna/gadno – hungry

Umoran/umorna/umorno – tired

Stol – table

Stolica – chair

Mladić – boy

Djevojka – girl

Sin – son

Kći – daughter

Otac – father

Majka – mother

Vratiti se – to return

Ja se vraćam

On se vraća

Kasnije – later

Zašto

Zato što – because

Ne toliko kao – not as much as

Previše – too much

Part 2.  A little bit of grammar

BITI – to be in Montenegrin

Biti – to be      

Ja sam – I am

Ti si      – you are                                             

On/ona/ono je  – he/she/it is

Mi smo – we are

Vi ste – you are (plural or formal)

Oni/one/ona su – They are

Short version

Jesam – I am                                                  

Tisi – you are                                                  

Jest – he/she/it is

Jesmo – we are

Jeste – you are

Jesu – they are

Negative

(Ja) nisam – I’m not                                       

(Ti) nisi – you’re not                                        (

(On/ona/ono) nije

(Mi) nismo – we’re not

(Vi) niste – you’re not

(Oni/one/ona) nisu – they’re not

Questions in Montenegrin

Why, who & what

Zašto ucite crnogroski? – why are you learning Montenegrin?

Tko ste vi? – who are you?

Što radiš ovdje? – what are you doing here?

Questions using ‘li’

Dolazite li cešto ovamo? – do you come here often

Questions using ‘da li’

Da li cešto putujete?- do you travel often?

Negative questions using ‘zar’

Zar nisi Englez? – Aren’t you english?

Zar studenti ne piju? – don’t the students drink

Ending this week’s attempt to learn Montenegrin (phew)

So that wraps up my first lesson.  I’m well and truly ready for a coffee now.  I am reminded how it feels once you reach a certain understanding of something.   You realise that you have so much more to learn!

I’ve made a start though.  (I’m giving myself a congratulatory hi-five right now). Learning something is always step by step, after all. 

So, my friend….vidimo se sljedeći put!

PS. I can’t wait to find out what will happen next in Alan and Nora’s new friendship with Miroslav…