Brojevi i kahva
Lesson goals
Vocabulary
- Count from one to twenty
- Use the café words kahva, fildžan, lokum, and molim
- Ask with the question word koliko
Grammar
- Count from one to twenty as ready-made words
- Use Koliko for how many or how much
- Reuse familiar present-tense frames from earlier lessons.
Culture
- Bosnian coffee ritual at Amira’s
- Time, copper tray, and not rushing the cup
Watch the companion video
Watch when you can, then come back for words, dialogue, and practice on this page.
How to speak Bosnian (YouTube). Companion video for Lesson 3
Kahva at Amira’s. Slow on purpose
Bosnian coffee arrives in a džezva on a copper tray, with a small fildžan and often lokum. You pour, wait a moment for the grounds to settle, and talk. Rushing the cup is missing the point. Amira’s café becomes Ana and Emir’s HQ. Mrvica patrols the chairs and occasionally steals the scene.
Lesson vocabulary
Tap a word to hear it. Use Loop and slower speed when you want to shadow.
Grammar
Numbers 1 to 20
Learn one through ten cold, then eleven through twenty as a chant. One is jedan. Two is dva. Three is tri. Four is četiri. Five is pet. Six is šest. Seven is sedam. Eight is osam. Nine is devet. Ten is deset. Then come jedanaest, dvanaest, trinaest, četrnaest, petnaest, šesnaest, sedamnaest, osamnaest, devetnaest, and dvadeset.
- jedan, dva, tri, četiri, pet: 1 to 5
- šest, sedam, osam, devet, deset: 6 to 10
- petnaest, dvadeset: 15, 20
Koliko?
Koliko? Asks how many or how much. At a café you will hear Koliko košta? For how much does it cost, and Koliko fildžana? For how many cups. Answer with a number. Say Dva.
- Koliko?: How many / how much?
- Koliko košta?: How much does it cost?
- Koliko fildžana? Dva.: How many cups? Two.
Ordering coffee as a ready line
Order with ready-made lines rather than building the sentence word by word. Kahvu, molim means “Coffee, please” (kahvu is the form you hear when ordering). Jednu kahvu, molim = one coffee please. Dva fildžana, molim = two cups please.
- Kahvu, molim.: Coffee, please.
- Jednu kahvu, molim.: One coffee, please.
- Dva fildžana, molim.: Two cups, please.
Say again
Warm up with four lines you already know.
- Ja sam Ana.: I am Ana.
- Zovem se Ana.: My name is Ana.
- Drago mi je.: Nice to meet you.
- Ti si Emir.: You are Emir.
Lesson A. Count to twenty
Say one through ten slowly, then faster. The words are jedan, dva, tri, četiri, pet, šest, sedam, osam, devet, and deset. Include the special letters in četiri and šest. Next chant eleven through twenty. The words are jedanaest, dvanaest, trinaest, četrnaest, petnaest, šesnaest, sedamnaest, osamnaest, devetnaest, and dvadeset. Point at fingers, pigeons, or lokum pieces and count aloud. Ana drills numbers while Emir checks the time. They have petnaest minuta to Amira’s.
- Master one through ten before eleven through twenty.
- Četiri and šest need accents when typing.
Match the numbers
Match each Bosnian number to the digit meaning.
Lesson B. Order at Amira’s
Walk in with Zdravo! Or Dobar dan! Order with Kahvu, molim. Or say Jednu kahvu, molim. If Emir joins, say Dva fildžana, molim. Ask Koliko košta? If you want the price. Add Hvala when the tray arrives. If Amira offers lokum, smile and say Hvala. Mrvica may appear, and Ana can say Zdravo, Mrvica! Without new grammar. Numbers, molim, and kahva are enough for your first café win.
- Keep Kahvu, molim, Dva fildžana, molim, and Koliko košta ready.
- Reuse hvala and molim from Lesson 1.
Kod Amire
Amira’s small café near Baščaršija. Copper tray, soft talk, one bold cat.
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.
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 word for 1.
Hint: Starts with je-
Write the Bosnian word for 4 (needs č).
Hint: Include the special letter for č
Write the Bosnian word for 6 (needs š).
Hint: Include the special letter for š
Write the Bosnian word for 15.
Hint: pet + -naest
How do you say ‘coffee’ in this course’s Bosnian form?
Hint: Not kafa. The form with h
Type the order. Coffee, please. (use Kahvu, molim)
Hint: Kahvu, molim
What question asks ‘how much does it cost?’ (include ?)
Hint: Koliko…?
Write the small coffee cup word (needs dž).
Hint: Needs dž
Fun facts
kahva with an h
In much of Bosnia and Herzegovina you will hear and see kahva. Related standards nearby may prefer kava or kafa. This course stays with the Bosnian café form you meet at Amira’s. Spell it with the h so your notebook matches the tray in front of you.
Fildžan is tiny on purpose
A fildžan is small because the coffee ritual is meant to last. You sip, talk, and pour again from the džezva. Quantity is not the point of Bosnian coffee service. Company is the point, and the tiny cup keeps you at the table.
Lokum on the tray
Sweet lokum often arrives with Bosnian coffee. Saying yes to one piece is friendly and normal. Eating the whole plate without asking is bold. Treat lokum as part of the coffee welcome rather than a free dessert challenge.
Mrvica means little crumb
Mrvica literally points to a little crumb. It is a fitting name for a café cat who believes every table is hers. She appears whenever sugar, lokum, or attention is available. In this course, her name is both vocabulary and a warning about unattended snacks.
Čuj Bosnu. Kahva with a Sarajevo guide
Café talk is Bosnia’s classroom. A local guide walks you through traditional Bosnian coffee.
Speaker · Meet Bosnia Tours (Edin) · Sarajevo café / kahva · focus ~60–90 seconds
Watch & listen
Meet Bosnia Tours on YouTube (YouTube Terms of Service (embed))
Listen for kahva / coffee ritual words, even in English-framed talk.
Press play on the video above. After you have listened, show the gist question.
Bosnia today
A currency without normal monetary freedom
Daily life in Bosnia and Herzegovina runs on a currency system that limits national monetary freedom. The convertible mark is managed through a currency-board arrangement tied to the euro. That setup helps keep prices more stable, but it also means the state cannot run flexible monetary policy the way many countries do. Café prices and wages therefore sit inside a postwar economic structure that traded policy freedom for stability.
Wikipedia. Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
Practice game
Match the café words
Match Bosnian to English.
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
- How to speak Bosnian (YouTube). Companion video for Lesson 3
- Next. Lesson 4. Porodica Mrvice. Family words and the café “family”
- Book 1 curriculum. See all lessons
Lesson quiz
Or open the full-page quiz: Lesson 3 quiz
Lesson 3 section quiz
1. What does ‘pet’ mean?
2. Which word means 10?
3. ‘Kahva’ in this course means…
4. A fildžan is…
5. How do you politely order coffee?
6. ‘Koliko košta?’ asks…
7. Which number is ‘dvadeset’?
8. Lokum is…
9. ‘Dva fildžana, molim’ means…
10. Best first move with a new Bosnian audio clip?
