Learning with music: Severina & Učiteljice - Generale

 

You already know this section: where I share a Croatian song, the lyrics, and useful vocabulary.

Learning through music is not only fun and engaging, but it also helps improve your listening skills, pronunciation, and cultural understanding.

Croatian music is rich and full of emotion, and it’s a great way to hear the language as it’s really spoken.

Let’s enjoy the rhythm, discover new words, and learn Croatian in a natural, musical way!

Text with lyrics of the song in Croatian and English

Generale

Koliko dugo mi glumis postenje

a spavas pored nje

i nosis ruze i bombonjere

i lazi skrivene

Koliko puta sam rekla da nisam

ja jucer rodjena

il’ idi drugoj il’ voli k’o musko

trece mi ne treba

Ref.

To je ljeto kad sam ostavljena bila

pamtit’ cu te suze dvjesto godina

platila za sve, a nisam bila kriva

ovo mi je kazna jer sam voljela

To je ljeto kad sam ostavljena bila

pamtit’ cu te suze dvjesto godina

generale moj, ti pucas u civila

gledaj me u oci kad me ostavljas

ostavljas

Toliko puta sam cekala sama

sa svojim suzama

jer znam da diras i nju, a i mene

tim istim rukama

Ref. 2x

General

How long have you been pretending to be honest

while you sleep next to her

and you carry roses and chocolates

and lie behind

How many times have I said that

I wasn't born yesterday

or go to someone else or love like a man

I don't need a third

Ref.

That was the summer when I was abandoned

I'll remember those tears for two hundred years

I paid for everything, and it wasn't my fault

This is my punishment because I loved

That was the summer when I was abandoned

I'll remember those tears for two hundred years

My general, you shoot civilians

Look me in the eyes when you leave me

You leave me

So many times I waited alone

With my tears

Because I know you touch her and me

With those same hands

Ref. 2x

Vocabulary of new words and meanings:

glumiš – GLU-meesh – you pretend poštenje – posh-TEN-ye – honesty spavaš – SPA-vash – you sleep pored – PO-red – next to ruže – ROO-zhe – roses bombonjere – bom-bon-YE-re – chocolate boxes laži – LA-zhi – lies skrivene – skree-VE-ne – hidden jučer – YOO-cher – yesterday rođena – RO-dje-na – born (fem.) drugoj – DROO-goy – to another (woman) voli – VO-lee – (he/she) loves muško – MOOSH-ko – man / male ostavljena – os-ta-VYE-na – abandoned / left (fem.) pamtit’ ću – PAM-teet choo – I will remember suze – SOO-ze – tears dvjesto – DVYE-sto – two hundred kriva – KREE-va – guilty (fem.) kazna – KAZ-na – punishment civila – tsee-VEE-la – civilian

Thank you and see you next time!