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Learn Hardcore Serbian: Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu. - The nurse measures my temperature.

Hardcore Serbian
/At the doctor
/Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

Word

Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

Meaning

The nurse measures my temperature.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Serbian

Lesson

Breakdown of Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

temperature or fever

medicinska sestra

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Questions & Answers about Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

Why is it medicinska sestra and not medicinski sestra?

Because medicinska is an adjective, and it has to agree with sestra in gender, number, and case.

sestra is feminine singular nominative
so the adjective also becomes feminine singular nominative: medicinska

This is the same kind of agreement you see throughout Serbian:

dobar lekar = a good doctor, male
dobra doktorka = a good doctor, female
medicinska sestra = nurse

Does medicinska sestra literally mean medical sister?

Yes, literally it looks like medical sister, but as a fixed expression it means nurse.

This is completely normal Serbian usage. A learner should treat medicinska sestra as the standard term for nurse, not translate it word-for-word in actual use.

What does meri mean, and what verb does it come from?

Meri means measures or, in this context, is measuring.

It comes from the verb meriti = to measure.

Here, meri is:

3rd person singular
present tense

So:

ja merim = I measure / am measuring
ti meriš = you measure / are measuring
on/ona meri = he/she measures / is measuring

In the sentence, the subject is medicinska sestra, so the verb is meri.

Why is it temperaturu and not temperatura?

Because temperaturu is in the accusative case.

The noun temperatura is the basic dictionary form, called the nominative:

temperatura = temperature

But here it is the direct object of the verb meri:

the nurse measures what?
temperaturu

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative singular ends in -u:

knjiga → knjigu
voda → vodu
temperatura → temperaturu

Is temperaturu here just temperature, or does it mean body temperature?

In this medical context, it normally means body temperature.

So Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu would naturally be understood as:

The nurse is taking the patient’s temperature
or The nurse is measuring the temperature

Serbian often leaves some context unstated when it is obvious from the situation.

Why is there no word for the or a?

Because Serbian does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So:

medicinska sestra can mean a nurse or the nurse
temperaturu can mean a temperature or the temperature

The exact meaning depends on context.

In a real situation, this sentence would usually be understood as:

The nurse is measuring the temperature or
The nurse is taking the temperature

Why is there no pronoun like ona for she?

Because Serbian often omits subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form meri already tells you it is:

3rd person singular = he/she/it measures

And the noun medicinska sestra already names the subject, so adding ona would usually be unnecessary.

Serbian commonly says:

Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

rather than:

Ona meri temperaturu.

unless you want special emphasis on she.

Is this sentence in the present tense, and can it also mean is measuring?

Yes. Serbian present tense often covers both:

simple present: measures
present continuous: is measuring

So meri can mean either, depending on context.

In this sentence, English would usually translate it as:

The nurse is measuring the temperature because it sounds like an action happening right now.

Is meriti imperfective? Would a perfective verb also be possible?

Yes. Meriti is an imperfective verb, which is very natural here because it focuses on the process or ongoing action.

A related perfective verb is izmeriti = to measure completely / to take a measurement.

So:

Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu. = The nurse is measuring the temperature.
Medicinska sestra je izmerila temperaturu. = The nurse measured / has taken the temperature.

For an action happening right now, meri is the normal choice.

Is the word order fixed, or can it change?

The word order can change, because Serbian word order is fairly flexible.

The neutral, most straightforward order is:

Medicinska sestra meri temperaturu.

But you may also hear:

Temperaturu meri medicinska sestra.
Meri temperaturu medicinska sestra.

These alternatives change the focus or emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For a learner, the safest default is:

subject + verb + object

How do you pronounce this sentence?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Medicinska ≈ meh-dee-TSIN-ska
sestra ≈ SEH-stra
meri ≈ MEH-ree
temperaturu ≈ tehm-peh-ra-TOO-roo

A few helpful points:

c in Serbian is usually like ts
r is rolled or tapped
each written letter is pronounced clearly

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

meh-dee-TSIN-ska SEH-stra MEH-ree tehm-peh-ra-TOO-roo

Could sestra by itself mean nurse?

Sometimes in context, yes, but medicinska sestra is the full standard expression.

On its own, sestra primarily means sister. In hospitals or informal speech, context may make sestra understood as nurse, but for learners it is best to remember:

sestra = sister
medicinska sestra = nurse

That will help you avoid confusion.

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