Ljudi iz BiH

Lesson goals

Vocabulary

• Name people, country, language, and nationality terms used in simple introductions.
• Use govorim and govoriš when discussing languages.
• Ask ko and odakle questions in a respectful conversation.

Grammar

• Say Govorim bosanski or Govorim engleski.
• Ask Odakle si? And answer with Ja sam iz plus a place.
• Reuse present-tense patterns from earlier lessons.

Culture

• Keep identity talk gentle by beginning with place and language.
• Visit Brčko as a river city in the northeast.
• Understand Brčko District's distinct civic position.

Watch the companion video

Watch when you can, then come back for words, dialogue, and practice on this page.

How To Speak Bosnian Countries. This speaker resource models country and nationality vocabulary.

Kahva, language, and a view of Brčko

Ana and Emir talk over kahva about where they come from and which languages they speak. Ana is from America and is learning Bosnian. Emir is from Sarajevo and shows her photographs of Brčko, a river city in the northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its promenade and white mosque place the conversation in a real, diverse city. People across the country use many names for themselves, their communities, and closely related language standards. This lesson does not force those identities into one answer. It gives Ana gentle questions about place and language, then leaves room for each person to describe themselves.

Lesson vocabulary

Tap a word to hear it. Use Loop and slower speed when you want to shadow.

Grammar

Say again

Warm up with four lines you already know.

• Hajde da idemo u park.: Let us go to the park.
• Hoćeš li šetati?: Do you want to walk?
• Čekaj!: Wait!
• Kakvo je vrijeme?: How is the weather?

Lesson A. Ask about place and language

Begin with two questions that let another person choose how much to share. Odakle si? Asks where someone is from, while Govoriš li bosanski? Asks whether the person speaks Bosnian. Ana answers Ja sam iz Amerike and adds Učim bosanski. Emir answers Ja sam iz Sarajeva and says Govorim bosanski. Practice the city or country answer that is true for you. Then name a language you speak, study, or want to learn. The answer remains yours. These patterns are useful because they focus on personal experience. They do not require you to guess a stranger's identity from a name, accent, religion, or appearance.

• Let each person choose the place name that best answers Odakle si?
• Use govorim for your own language and govoriš when addressing one person.
• Avoid guessing a person's identity before they describe themselves.

Lesson B. Talk about people with care

Add ljudi, zemlja, jezik, narod, and ko to widen the conversation. Bosanac and Bosanka can describe a Bosnian man or woman, while Amerikanka describes Ana as an American woman. These words are useful, but no single label tells a person's whole story. Emir explains that people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have many names for themselves and may emphasize a city, region, community, or language. Ana keeps her questions simple and listens to the answer. Use Ko govori bosanski? In a classroom or café, then answer with a complete sentence. The best practice combines accurate grammar with room for personal choice.

• Treat nationality words as options that people may use for themselves.
• Use place and language questions before asking for more personal detail.
• Answer ko with a named person and a complete verb phrase.

Razgovor uz kahvu

Ana and Emir sit with kahva while Amira arranges postcards from Brčko.

Play the full scene once. Then tap a line to hear it. On some lines you can record yourself for a short Speak Check.

Practice

Fun facts

Brčko sits on the Sava

Brčko stands on the Sava River in the northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its river position helped make the city an important trade and transport point. The promenade gives residents a public place beside that wider regional route. The city connects local life with a river that crosses borders.

Čuj Bosnu with countries and origins

Bosnia today

Brčko District has a distinct civic role

Brčko District has a distinct place in the constitutional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a self-governing district held in condominium by both entities, rather than governed as an ordinary municipality within either one. An international supervisory system was created to support the postwar arbitration award and the district's multiethnic institutions. Local government in Brčko operates alongside this unusual national and international framework, a reminder that the country's civic map includes more than the two entities alone.

Wikipedia article about Brčko District

Practice game

More resources

• How To Speak Bosnian Countries. This speaker resource models country and nationality vocabulary.
• Next lesson. Lesson 14 reviews Lessons 8 through 13 at Amira's.
• Book 1 curriculum. The curriculum page lists every Book 1 lesson.

Lesson quiz

Or open the full-page quiz: Lesson 13 quiz

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