I don't think bre has anything to do with brate.. It's just a thing that got stuck in our language without a clear explanation

Momo Kapor - Bre (<--- a must read )
Čudna je ta reč bre

This sounds quite possible to me:
Bre originates from Turkish: be, bre;

be
1. Oh, you! Hey, you! (used vocatively to express reproach).
2. vulg. Hey! (used in a terminal position): Neredesin be? Hey, where are you?

and it came to Turkish from Greek word more, moros, meaning foolish, dull (SR: luda)

Serbian: ajde bre!
In Greek: "ela, re". "Ela" = 'ajde", "re" = "bre"

there goes my theory that would have been so easy to understand...
but couldn't you just anyway replace 'bre' with 'brate' without that the meaning would change considerably ?
or am i completely off the track with this ?

btw. do you know this one ?

Ganjale zeca kobre! Bježeći od njih, zec sretne dabra i poviče iz sveg glasa:
- Bježi bre dabre! Idu bre kobre!
- Ko bre?
- Kobre bre dabre!
- Kobre! Zar bre kobre?
- Da bre, kobre dabre!

Well the meaning wouldn't change because there's really no meaning of the word anyway

Ajde bre!!! - Ajde brate!!!

Brate is equally used with no meaning sometimes.. You can say "al je ovo tesko, brate!!!" (<--- talking about a heavy luggage without any relation to a brother or anyone male for that matter - just like a buzzword)

That joke was very popular in the South and East Serbia, since people often use "bre", but in shorter version, to sound more witty:

Razgovor između zeca i dabra:
- Abre dabre, idu kobre!
- Ko bre?
- Da bre!

Ajde breeeeee!!! - Hurryyyy uuup! Move your ***!

Hey I have a new question lol
what do these 2 words mean: "mangupski" and "extra riba" especially the second one I've seen many times in some comments..it's some kinda compliment for a girl or what? It sounds very funny to me ,in blg riba is fish but I guess it isn't the same here =)

Originally Posted by tedinkyyy

Hey I have a new question lol
what do these 2 words mean: "mangupski" and "extra riba" especially the second one I've seen many times in some comments..it's some kinda compliment for a girl or what? It sounds very funny to me ,in blg riba is fish but I guess it isn't the same here =)

'riba' actually is 'fish', but it is also a synonym for a 'hot girl'
be careful though, a man can say to his friend like "imam novu ribu" means "i have a new girlfriend", but never say to a girl "ti si riba"
it will be taken for the literal meaning, you have to use some positive adjective and say "ti si dobra riba".
'mangupski' means idiotic/retarded

hmm I'm confused with mangupski... mangupskim pogledom rekla mu je"da"... I doubt it's with the meaning of "idiotic"

yeah it's not idiotic

From Benson:

mangup
1. idler, loafer; delinquent, rowdy, thug, hoodlum mangupica; mangupsko a.
2. (colloq.; usu. in pl.) boys, fellows, guys; idem s ~ima u bioskop I'm going to the movies with the boys

mangupirati se A (imp.) to behave like a rowdy

But... I'd say "rascal" is the closest word for it - One that is playfully mischievous or "urchin" - A playful or mischievous youngster; a scamp. (boys playing pranks; seeking trouble)


It's often said "mislis da si mangup?" which is a rhetorical question meaning something like - you believe you're so much fun? (not!)

"Nekada je bio mangup" = He used to be a cool guy ...

If she said yes with "mangupski" pogled, means that she gave him a cheeky look (in an amusing and light-hearted way / even flirty). You know - with raised eyebrows and puzzling smile

Look at this: Srebrna krila - Mangup

(there's official video for the song as well - under the translation )

I've heard of "Srebrna krila" They promoted some albums of them on our Planeta TV few years ago (cuz it had contracts with Serbia and such things^^).I'll hear it of course
btw new question now
what does it mean "izbacim grudi" and "napucim usta" I guess grudi is chest (or in this case boobs lol) and usta is mouth of course

Napuciti usta = make your lips look full (like Angelina Jolie's )
- to do like this - click or this
But I have no idea if there's a word for it in English..

isturiti grudi = stick your chest (boobs) out (like this: female version; male version)

Hope it's ok to jump right into this thread, I'm a complete beginner but I have actually started to learn this beautiful language! I discovered it through my new addiction to Regina. I was very amazed that the language was so phonetic, and having the lyrics to a lot of the songs I found out I loved so much, I thought I might as well go deep into learning the language.

Well, so far, it's really quite difficult, of course! But I still like that it's phonetical even if I have problem pronouncing.

I know it's a difficult question because of the recent history, but I would like to know which language I'm studying! I've heard you can call it "naški", is that true.
And should I then say "Utičim naški" even if it is really not MY language??

And another problem - how do I type the things above c, z, s??( I now copied and paste from another place, not very fast...)

Originally Posted by Kejo

And another problem - how do I type the things above c, z, s??( I now copied and paste from another place, not very fast...)

You can follow the steps here, it will allow you to put more languages to your keybord.
After you're finished with those steps you can switch between the languages using ALT+SHIFT when you need it.

that's a good question, ehm, i think the term 'serbo-croatian' is the most commonly used.
it would be indeed odd if you would use the term "naski"
we really need a new unifying name for our language(s)...

for the accents...check out this link:
http://www.conversationexchange.com/...d-language.php

Hvala!
I didn't know it was ok to say "serbocroatian" anymore, but if it is I'll use that term.

And how do you say "I'm Swedish (female)"?

well, i think with normal people it is.
if you meet 'special' people they will say like "this is impossible, you either learn serbian or croatian, not both".
if you want to avoid this, well, than when you meet croatians you say 'i learn croatian', when you meet serbs you say 'i learn serbian' and with everybody else you should have no problems using the term 'serbo-croatian'.
or how about: 'i learn serbian, croatian, bosnian and montenegrin" ? sounds impressive, doesn't it ?

"And how do you say "I'm Swedish (female)"?" = Ja sam šveđanka

"Naški" is ok in Serbia, a very colloquial word for NAŠ=our, meaning you share something with a person you speak, a sign of closeness (po naški - in our way, naški jezik- naš jezik = our language...) "Učim naški"

č is like tsch in German

I'm Swedish (f) = Ja sam Šveđanka (Švedjanka)

Originally Posted by miki444

how about: 'i learn serbian, croatian, bosnian and montenegrin" ? sounds impressive, doesn't it ?

What about herzegovinian, shouldn't that be mentioned as well


Anyway I saw the expression "balkanski" today, but Balkan is bigger than your language anyway

funny with the keyboard, even z and y changed places. Have to get used to that

This is a problem, I agree.
In my case I used in the beginning the term "Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian" – but it tends to confuse our Swedish fellows, so I started to use only one of them.
But Mikis advice is the best one.
So, if you're with Serbs – then you speak Serbian. If you're with Bosnian muslims (Bošnjaci) – then you speak Bosnian. And if you're with Croats – then you speak Croatian!
I prefer to use the term "vaš jezik" (your language). Then you don't upset anyone
I guess that a majority in Hercegovina say they speak Croatian – but it really depends who you ask.

Originally Posted by Zahal

So, if you're with Serbs – then you speak Serbian. If you're with Bosnian muslims (Bošnjaci) – then you speak Bosnian. And if you're with Croats – then you speak Croatian!
I prefer to use the term "vaš jezik" (your language). Then you don't upset anyone .

Thank you! I think I will use the term serbo-croatian when speaking to people that are not from the region. And otherwise, I think "vaš jezik" was splendid, because it seems very tricky to figure out if a person is Serb, Bosnian or
Croatian, if they haven't told me. If I for example go to Sarajevo - will everyone there be "Bosnian" because they live in the country of Bosnia, or they still stick to their family heritage. Maybe the ethnic split is fulfilled, so only Bosnians in Bosnia, Serbs in Serbia, Croates in Croatia?

I guess I'll just learn to say vaš jezik to be on the safe side. And hope I can make it to Sarajevo soon (and learn some more before that)