Bedeutung
Activating illumination.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The 'Balkan Dad' phenomenon: Leaving a light on in an empty room is considered a major household sin due to electricity costs. Lighting a candle (paljenje sveće) in church uses the same verb and is a core part of spiritual life. Belgrade was one of the first European cities to have electric street lighting, which changed the nightlife culture significantly. In villages, 'upaliti svetlo' might still refer to a kerosene lamp in older stories or traditional settings.
Use it for cars too
When you want someone to turn on car headlights, 'Upali svetla' is the most natural way to say it.
Avoid 'Otvoriti'
Never say 'otvoriti svetlo'. It's a classic mistake that makes you sound like a beginner.
Bedeutung
Activating illumination.
Use it for cars too
When you want someone to turn on car headlights, 'Upali svetla' is the most natural way to say it.
Avoid 'Otvoriti'
Never say 'otvoriti svetlo'. It's a classic mistake that makes you sound like a beginner.
Perfective vs Imperfective
Use 'upali' (perfective) for the command, but 'pali' (imperfective) if you are describing the action as it happens: 'On upravo pali svetlo'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'upaliti'.
Mrak je u sobi. Molim te, _______ svetlo.
We use the imperative 'upali' for a direct request to one person.
Which sentence is correct?
How do you say 'I turned on the light' (masculine)?
'Upalio sam' is the correct past tense, and 'svetlo' is the correct case.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Ništa ne vidim da čitam. B: Pa, zašto ne _______ svetlo?
The speaker is asking 'Why don't YOU turn on the light?', so 'upališ' (2nd person singular) is correct.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You are driving and it's getting dark.
In a car, you need to turn on the 'svetla' (plural) for safety.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Upaliti vs. Ugasiti
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMrak je u sobi. Molim te, _______ svetlo.
We use the imperative 'upali' for a direct request to one person.
How do you say 'I turned on the light' (masculine)?
'Upalio sam' is the correct past tense, and 'svetlo' is the correct case.
A: Ništa ne vidim da čitam. B: Pa, zašto ne _______ svetlo?
The speaker is asking 'Why don't YOU turn on the light?', so 'upališ' (2nd person singular) is correct.
Situation: You are driving and it's getting dark.
In a car, you need to turn on the 'svetla' (plural) for safety.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
6 FragenYes, colloquially you can say 'upali kompjuter', but 'uključiti' is technically more accurate.
It is neutral. It's appropriate for both a friend's house and a business office.
The opposite is 'ugasiti svetlo' (to turn off the light).
It's a linguistic carryover from the time when lights were actually fire (candles, lamps).
In Serbia (Ekavian), it is 'svetlo'. In Bosnia, Croatia, and Montenegro (Ijekavian), it is 'svijetlo'.
Yes, but it's very informal, like saying 'Give me some light'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
ugasiti svetlo
contrastTo turn off the light
uključiti svetlo
synonymTo switch on the light
upaliti auto
similarTo start a car
upaliti cigaretu
specialized formTo light a cigarette
osvetliti prostoriju
builds onTo illuminate a room
