Telefonski poziv
Lesson goals
Vocabulary
- Open and continue a phone call with alo, broj, and veza.
- Use ko, šta, kada, and zašto to gather facts.
- Describe an urgent missing-pet problem.
Grammar
- Use Alo? And Ko je tamo? As phone openers.
- Ask šta, kada, and zašto in the present.
- Signal urgency with Hitno je! And polite help requests.
Culture
- Place phone talk beside Sarajevo tram streets.
- See a clear connection as part of everyday city life.
- Link phone habits to diaspora care and remittance ties.
Watch the companion video
Watch when you can, then come back for words, dialogue, and practice on this page.
Bosnian Grammar. How to Say I am. Self-introduction lines help you answer Ko je tamo?
Calls beside the tram
Sarajevo trams slide past cafés where people still step outside to take a call in clearer air. Ana phones Emir when Mrvica disappears near the tracks, and suddenly every question word matters. Ko, šta, kada, and zašto turn her panic into a checklist she can repeat under stress. Mobile connection is ordinary now, yet the voice on the line still carries real care across a noisy street. A simple Alo? Can open both small talk and a true emergency, before anyone even explains the problem. Phone phrases like these belong on a noisy street, not just in a quiet classroom.
Lesson vocabulary
Tap a word to hear it. Use Loop and slower speed when you want to shadow.
Grammar
Phone openers with Alo and Ko je tamo?
Start a call with Alo? Then ask Ko je tamo? When you need a name. Keep both lines short and clear. Present-tense phone talk is enough, even for an urgent cat emergency.
- Alo?: Hello?
- Ko je tamo?: Who is there?
- Ja sam Ana.: I am Ana.
Šta, kada, and zašto
Use šta for what, kada for when, and zašto for why. Pair each question word with a present verb you already know. These three help you gather facts fast on a call.
- Šta se desi?: What is happening?
- Kada dolaziš?: When are you coming?
- Zašto zoveš?: Why are you calling?
Urgent present lines
Hitno je! Flags urgency. Nestala describes a feminine missing subject, such as Mrvica. Add Molim vas when you ask a stranger for help, by phone or on the street.
- Hitno je!: It is urgent!
- Mrvica je nestala!: Mrvica is missing!
- Pomozite, molim vas!: Help, please!
Say again
Warm up with four lines you already know.
- Sretan Bajram!: Happy Eid!
- Sretan Božić!: Merry Christmas!
- Molim vas.: Please.
- Gdje je Mostar?: Where is Mostar?
Lesson A. Phone questions that gather facts
Start with the phone words: telefon, poziv, alo, broj, and veza, before the emergency story begins. Practice Alo? And Ko je tamo? Until both openers sound natural on the first try. Then drill šta, kada, and zašto with short present-tense answers so the facts come out in order. Ana calls from near a tram stop while Emir asks for details without wasting time. Keep the lines sharp. A missing cat won't wait for a grammar lesson. Try asking all four question words out loud, then answer each one in one calm present-tense sentence. Keep that checklist order steady even under pressure.
- Start with Alo? Before you ask anything else.
- Use one question word at a time.
- Answer with a short present-tense sentence.
Match phone words
Match each Bosnian phone word with its English meaning.
Lesson B. The Mrvica emergency call
Build the emergency call as a sequence you can run even when you feel rushed. Say Hitno je! Then Mrvica je nestala! Then ask for help with molim vas in a clear voice. Use Čujem te dobro when the connection is good and you want to slow the other person down. Amira joins the search on another line, and the tram keeps moving beside the café windows. Close the call with a plan, still in the present: Idemo sad. Practice until the question words feel like a calm checklist instead of a scramble of panic. Try running through the full call once without looking at your notes.
- Say Hitno je! Early if the problem is urgent.
- Add molim vas when you ask for help.
- Confirm the connection with Čujem te dobro.
Gdje je Mrvica?
Ana calls Emir in a panic. Amira searches the café while Mrvica finally answers from under a chair.
Play the full scene once. Then tap a line to hear it. On some lines you can record yourself for a short Speak Check.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Practice
Your keyboard may not have č ć š ž đ. Tap the accent buttons under each box to insert them.
Write the Bosnian phone hello.
Hint: One short word with a question mark.
Write Who is there? In Bosnian.
Hint: Begin with Ko.
Write Why are you calling? In Bosnian.
Hint: Begin with Zašto.
Write It is urgent! In Bosnian.
Hint: Use hitno.
Write Mrvica is missing! In Bosnian.
Hint: Use nestala.
Write I hear you well. In Bosnian.
Hint: Begin with Čujem.
Write Help, please! In Bosnian (polite).
Hint: Use molim vas.
Write the Bosnian word for tram.
Hint: It begins with tram.
Fun facts
Alo is the phone hello
Bosnian phone calls often open with Alo? Rather than a street greeting. The short sound checks the line and invites the other person to speak. Keep it separate from Zdravo. The medium changes the first word.
Trams frame everyday calls
Sarajevo trams run through central corridors where people move between errands and cafés. Taking a call beside the tracks is a normal city scene. The tram keeps this emergency story local and on the move. Background noise on the line becomes part of the listening practice.
Question words form a checklist
Ko, šta, kada, and zašto help a panicked speaker slow down. Each word asks for one kind of fact. Used together, they organize an urgent conversation. Book 1 teaches them as present-tense tools you can use right away, not as abstract grammar labels.
Mrvica keeps the stakes personal
A missing cat is a comic emergency with real feeling behind it. The cast cares, so you care enough to repeat the lines. That personal stake is what makes phone phrases stick. Humor and urgency can share the same call.
Čuj Bosnu with introduction lines for callers
A teacher models Ja sam lines you can reuse when someone asks who is calling.
Speaker · Lingo Hero · Self-introduction for phone identity · focus ~45-90 seconds
Watch & listen
Lingo Hero on YouTube (YouTube Terms of Service (embed))
Listen for Ja sam and name yourself as if you are answering a call.
Press play on the video above. After you have listened, show the gist question.
Bosnia today
An opaque U.S.-linked gas deal bypassed normal tender rules
An urgent phone call home still travels through a country that depends on outside energy patrons. Bosnia and Herzegovina imports nearly all of its natural gas along a Russian-linked route through neighboring systems. In 2026 the Federation moved to name a U.S. Company linked to Trump-aligned investors as developer of the Southern Interconnection, without a normal open tender. European Union officials warned that the special law could threaten transparency standards and aid. The pipeline fight shows how big contracts can be decided by political pressure rather than a fair, open contest.
RFE/RL article on the EU warning over the U.S. Gas project
Practice game
True or false on the call
Decide whether each sentence matches the lesson.
Alo? Is a common phone opener.
Zašto means when.
Mrvica is missing in the dialogue.
Hitno je! Signals urgency.
Quick review
A few words from this lesson, plus ones you missed before. Flip the card, then mark how it went.
Card 1 / 5
More resources
- Bosnian Grammar. How to Say I am. Self-introduction lines help you answer Ko je tamo?
- Next lesson. Lesson 21 reviews frames from Lessons 15 to 20.
- How to speak Bosnian channel. Keep a playlist of real speakers ready after the phone emergency.
Lesson quiz
Or open the full-page quiz: Lesson 20 quiz
Lesson 20 section quiz
1. What does Alo? Mean on the phone?
2. Which word asks who?
3. Which word asks why?
4. What happened to Mrvica?
5. Which sentence flags urgency?
6. What does čujem mean?
7. Which city vehicle appears in the culture scene?
8. What civic pressure sits behind urgent calls home in this lesson?
9. Which polite ask fits an urgent stranger call?
