Advanced family vocabulary
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Advanced family vocabulary
tašta – wife’s mother
tast – wife’s father
svekrva – husband’s mother
svekar – husband’s father
Now some people ask me how gay people use these words. I believe that if we take two gay men as an example, they would both have svekrva and svekar as their in-laws because they’re both men. Logically, two gay women would both have tašta and tast as their in-laws.
snaja (snajka) – son’s, grandson’s, or brother’s wife
zet – daughter’s, granddaughter’s, or sister’s husband
You see, snaja and zet are being called this by people from the partner’s side of the family, actually by any member of the partner’s side of the family.
If you’re male, you are zet to any of your partner’s relatives. You’re zet, that’s just they call you.
If you’re female, you are snajka to any of your partner’s relatives. Now, I have to admit, this is sometimes confusing for me, so I can imagine this can be a bit tricky for you guys. So let me use examples. I have a wife. Her name is Jovana. Her mom is my tašta. Her dad is my tast. My mom is Jovana’s svekrva, and if I had a dad Jovana would have svekar. Not that he’s dead, last time I heard my father is alive, I’ve just never been in contact with him throughout my entire life, so I don’t really have a dad, hence my wife doesn’t have svekar.
Moving on.
dever – husband’s brother
jetrva – husband’s brother’s wife
Imagine two brothers. Their wives are jetrva to one another.
Moja jetrva je napravila ovu tortu. =
My husband’s brother’s wife made this cake.
zaova – husband’s sister
svojak – husband’s sister’s husband
I have to be honest. I don’t remember ever hearing anyone use this word in real life.
šurak – wife’s brother
šurnjaja – wife’s brother’s wife
svastika – wife’s sister
Many people would ask me why we use this bizarre word for a close family member?
Some research has been conducted but it was inconclusive – Serbian historians and folklorists were not sure.
But we do know that before Hitler and the Nazis, swastika was a symbol that had been used in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism centuries before. It was a global symbol, it was even found in the Roman ruins here in my hometown of Niš. Niš was the birthplace of the Roman emperor, Constantine the Great. Anyway, the swastika symbolized prosperity, good luck, and divine power. The word swastika comes from Sanskrit and it means well-being or good fortune.
To finish my digression, Hitler heard of the symbol and he became aware of the research that pointed to this symbol as proof of the migration of the Indo-Europeans, so called Aryans. That’s why the Nazi leader chose it as his own symbol, pathologically and delusionally pointing out his Aryan origin.
svastika – wife’s sister
pašenog (paša, badža) – wife’s sister’s husband
I remember my close friend said one time:
Moraš da budeš dobar sa pašom. On će ti biti najbolji drug. =
You have to be good (in good relations) with your paša. He is going to be your best friend.
He said that suggesting that life is hard and once you have kids you’ll have no time for your friends. Eventually, you’ll always make time to see your family and paša will be there as an entity that is not so close to your wife’s family, really.
So you’ll never actually be friends with your in-laws, that would be awkward.
So you strike a balance by befriending your paša.
I find that sad and funny and kind of somewhat comforting at the same time.
I mean sometimes you do have to spend all Sunday with your in-laws. That’s not an easy feat.
svastić – wife’s sister’s son
svastičina – wife’s sister’s daughter
prija – daughter’s husband’s mother or son’s wife’s mother
prijatelj – daughter’s husband’s father or son’s wife’s father
Let me help here. You have a spouse. Their parents and your parents call one another prija and prijatelj.
Spouses’ mothers are prije.
Spouses’ fathers are prijatelji.
Example sentences:
Have you called your wife’s husband? =
Da li si pozvao tasta?
My husband’s mother loves me. =
Svekrva me voli.
Kako si, zete? (your wife’s grandma asking you) =
How are you son-in-law?
Kako mi je snajka? (husband’s dad asking about his daughter-in-law) =
How is my daughter-in-law?
Gledam utakmicu sa pašom. =
I am watching the game with my wife’s sister’s husband.
Mi smo jetrve. Naši muževi su braća. =
We are “jetrve”. Our husbands are brothers.
I have to help my wife’s brother tomorrow. =
Moram da pomognem šuraku sutra.
