Bedeutung
Wasting money on useless things.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In the Balkans, calling someone's purchase 'bacanje para' is often a sign of closeness. It shows you care about their financial well-being enough to be brutally honest. Paradoxically, giving large tips to musicians in a tavern is rarely called 'bacanje para' by the person doing it; it's seen as 'merak' (soulful pleasure). Due to hyperinflation in the 90s, Serbians developed a 'spend it now' mentality because money lost value overnight. 'Bacanje para' became a way to distinguish between enjoying life and being truly foolish. With the rise of shopping malls in Serbia, older generations frequently use 'bacanje para' to describe the shopping habits of the youth.
Use 'Čisto'
Add the word 'čisto' (pure) before 'bacanje para' to sound more like a native speaker when you are really annoyed.
Don't use with 'Novac'
While 'bacati novac' is grammatically correct, it sounds a bit too formal for an idiom. Stick with 'pare' for the natural feel.
Bedeutung
Wasting money on useless things.
Use 'Čisto'
Add the word 'čisto' (pure) before 'bacanje para' to sound more like a native speaker when you are really annoyed.
Don't use with 'Novac'
While 'bacati novac' is grammatically correct, it sounds a bit too formal for an idiom. Stick with 'pare' for the natural feel.
The 'Kroz prozor' variant
If someone is wasting huge amounts of money, use 'bacati pare kroz prozor' to show you are truly shocked.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing word in the idiom.
Kupio si pokvaren kompjuter? To je čisto ______ para!
The correct verbal noun for this idiom is 'bacanje' (throwing).
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose the most natural sentence:
The idiom is used for wasting money on something useless, like a car that can't be fixed.
Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom.
Marko: 'Idem u kockarnicu.' Jelena: 'Nemoj, Marko! Opet ćeš ______ ______.'
After 'ćeš' (future tense auxiliary), we use the infinitive 'bacati pare'.
Match the situation to the response.
Situation: You paid for a 1-year subscription to a magazine you never read.
Paying for something you don't use is the definition of 'bacanje para'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenKupio si pokvaren kompjuter? To je čisto ______ para!
The correct verbal noun for this idiom is 'bacanje' (throwing).
Choose the most natural sentence:
The idiom is used for wasting money on something useless, like a car that can't be fixed.
Marko: 'Idem u kockarnicu.' Jelena: 'Nemoj, Marko! Opet ćeš ______ ______.'
After 'ćeš' (future tense auxiliary), we use the infinitive 'bacati pare'.
Situation: You paid for a 1-year subscription to a magazine you never read.
Paying for something you don't use is the definition of 'bacanje para'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenIt is informal, but so common that everyone uses it, including news anchors in casual segments. It's not 'vulgar' slang.
No, for time we say 'gubiti vreme' (losing time) or 'traćiti vreme' (wasting time). 'Bacati vreme' is not used.
It is always 'para' (genitive plural) in this context.
Yes, that is the past tense. 'Bacio sam pare na ovaj krš' (I wasted money on this junk).
It can be. It's a direct critique of their judgment. Use it with friends, not your boss.
The opposite would be 'pametno uložiti novac' (to invest money wisely) or 'uštedeti' (to save).
Yes, even for a 1-euro coffee if it's bad.
No, it applies to credit cards, bank transfers, and crypto too.
Historically, 'para' was a smaller unit, and wasting many small units felt like a continuous act of waste.
Yes, 'neracionalno trošenje novca'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Trošiti kapom i šakom
similarTo spend money very liberally/generously.
Plaćati ceh
relatedTo pay the bill / to pay the price for a mistake.
Štedeti na sitno
contrastTo be stingy with small amounts.
Kupiti mačku u džaku
builds onTo buy a pig in a poke (something without looking).
