Language/Bosnian/Vocabulary/Introducing-Yourself
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In this lesson, you will learn how to introduce yourself in Bosnian. You will learn how to share basic information about yourself, such as your name, age, and nationality, and practice forming sentences to describe yourself and others. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to confidently introduce yourself to others and start basic conversations in Bosnian.
Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: House & Describing Relationships.
Basic Phrases
Before we dive into how to introduce yourself, let's first take a look at some basic Bosnian phrases that you can use in everyday conversations:
| Bosnian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dobar dan | DOH-bahr dahn | Good day |
| Zdravo | ZDRAH-voh | Hello / Hi |
| Hvala | HVAH-lah | Thank you |
| Molim | MOH-leem | Please |
| Izvinite | eez-VEE-nee-teh | Excuse me / Sorry |
Introducing Yourself
Now, let's move on to introducing yourself in Bosnian. The most basic way to introduce yourself is to simply say "Ja sam" followed by your name. For example, "Ja sam Ana" means "I am Ana". Here are some more examples:
- Ja sam Marko. || YAH sahm MAHR-koh. || I am Marko.
- Ja sam Lejla. || YAH sahm LAY-lah. || I am Lejla.
In addition to your name, you may also want to share your age and nationality. Here are some examples of how to introduce yourself with this additional information:
- Ja sam Emina i imam 25 godina. Ja sam iz Bosne. || YAH sahm EH-mee-nah ee EE-mahm DVAA-s-eet lee-mee-dah. YAH sahm eez BOHS-neh. || I am Emina and I am 25 years old. I am from Bosnia.
- Ja sam Amir i imam 30 godina. Ja sam iz Hrvatske. || YAH sahm AH-meer ee EE-mahm TREEN-ees-eet lee-mee-dah. YAH sahm eez HR-vaht-skeh. || I am Amir and I am 30 years old. I am from Croatia.
Notice that after "Ja sam" we added "i imam" to say "and I have" followed by the age. We also added "Ja sam iz" to say "I am from".
You may also want to ask someone else to introduce themselves. You can use the following phrases:
- Kako se zovete? || KAH-koh seh zoh-VEH-teh? || What is your name? (formal)
- Kako se zoveš? || KAH-koh seh zoh-VEH-sh? || What is your name? (informal)
To answer this question, you can say "Ja sam..." followed by your name and any additional information you want to share, as we mentioned earlier.
Practice
Now it's time to practice! Here are some exercises to help you form sentences to introduce yourself and others:
- Write five sentences introducing yourself, including your name, age, and nationality.
- Write five sentences introducing someone else, including their name and nationality.
- Have a conversation with a classmate, introducing yourselves and asking about each other's names and nationalities.
Don't worry if you make mistakes at first. Keep practicing and you will improve quickly!
Cultural Facts
Bosnian culture is a mix of Eastern and Western influences, with elements of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Yugoslav cultures. Here are some interesting cultural facts you may find useful when visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- When meeting someone for the first time, it's common to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.
- Bosnians are known for their hospitality and generosity towards guests. It's not unusual for them to offer food and drinks when someone visits their home.
- Bosnians value personal relationships and often take time to get to know someone before doing business with them.
- Coffee is a staple of Bosnian social life. Bosnians take their coffee seriously and often take the time to enjoy it in a relaxed setting with friends and family.
Conclusion
In this lesson, you learned how to introduce yourself in Bosnian, including sharing your name, age, and nationality. You also practiced forming sentences to describe yourself and others. Remember to keep practicing and using these phrases in everyday conversation to improve your Bosnian language skills. In the next lesson, we will cover more useful vocabulary for common daily situations. Good luck!
Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Common Hobbies & Greetings and Introductions.
Other Lessons
- Ordering at a Restaurant
- Animals
- Greetings and Introductions
- Weather and Climate
- Family
- Common Greetings
- City
- Sports and Games
- Numbers
- Vegetables
Sources
| ◀️ Common Greetings — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Noun Gender and Plurals ▶️ |