Meaning
Not succeeding in a school test.
Cultural Background
The 'October 2' exam period is a legendary last chance for students to pass exams before the new school year. Failing an exam here often means 'falling the year'. Similar to Serbia, but there is a strong emphasis on oral exams where 'pasti' happens in front of other students, making it a public event. The term 'roknuti' is extremely common in Sarajevo student slang, often used with a sense of dark humor. Students often have 'lucky' items or rituals to avoid 'falling'. If they fail, they might blame the 'baksuz' (bad luck) of the exam room.
Gender Agreement
Remember to change 'pao' to 'pala' if you are female. This is the most common mistake for beginners.
Medical Context
Never use 'pasti' for medical results. It sounds like you physically fell in the lab.
Meaning
Not succeeding in a school test.
Gender Agreement
Remember to change 'pao' to 'pala' if you are female. This is the most common mistake for beginners.
Medical Context
Never use 'pasti' for medical results. It sounds like you physically fell in the lab.
Slang Usage
Use 'roknuti' only with friends. Using it with a professor might get you failed on purpose!
The 'Indeks'
In Serbia, if you fail, the professor usually won't write anything in your grade book. It's like the failure never happened on paper.
Test Yourself
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'pasti'.
Marija je juče ___ ispit iz istorije.
Since Marija is feminine, the past tense of 'pasti' must be 'pala'.
Which sentence is correct for failing a driving test?
Kako se kaže 'I failed the driving test'?
Both 'pao sam ispit' and 'pao sam na ispitu' are commonly used and correct.
Match the Serbian phrase with its English equivalent.
Match the following:
These are the most common academic results phrases.
Complete the dialogue with the appropriate phrase.
A: Jesi li položio matematiku? B: Ne, nažalost ___.
The speaker (B) is talking about themselves, so 'pao sam' (if male) or 'pala sam' (if female) is correct. Assuming neutral/masculine default.
Match the phrase to the context.
Where would you use 'Roknuo sam ispit'?
'Roknuti' is heavy slang and only appropriate for very informal settings.
What is the imperfective form of 'pasti'?
Ako neko stalno ne prolazi ispite, on stalno ___.
'Pada' is the imperfective form used for repeated actions.
🎉 Score: /6
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
6 exercisesMarija je juče ___ ispit iz istorije.
Since Marija is feminine, the past tense of 'pasti' must be 'pala'.
Kako se kaže 'I failed the driving test'?
Both 'pao sam ispit' and 'pao sam na ispitu' are commonly used and correct.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are the most common academic results phrases.
A: Jesi li položio matematiku? B: Ne, nažalost ___.
The speaker (B) is talking about themselves, so 'pao sam' (if male) or 'pala sam' (if female) is correct. Assuming neutral/masculine default.
Where would you use 'Roknuo sam ispit'?
'Roknuti' is heavy slang and only appropriate for very informal settings.
Ako neko stalno ne prolazi ispite, on stalno ___.
'Pada' is the imperfective form used for repeated actions.
🎉 Score: /6
Frequently Asked Questions
14 questionsNo, it's a standard neutral idiom used by everyone.
No, for a job interview use 'nisam dobio posao' (I didn't get the job).
The opposite is 'položiti ispit' (to pass an exam).
You can use 'na' (pasti na ispitu), but 'pasti ispit' is more common in speech.
Use the imperfective: 'Padam ispit'.
Yes, it is perfectly understood and used in Croatia and Bosnia as well.
Yes, 'test' is used for smaller quizzes, while 'ispit' is for big finals.
It's a slang term for 'to bang' or 'to hit', implying the exam hit you hard.
It's a metaphor for falling below the passing line or threshold.
Yes, 'pala je kiša' means it rained. The verb is the same!
Yes, 'nije položio' is the formal way to say someone failed.
No, for games use 'izgubiti' (to lose).
It means failing so many exams that you have to repeat the whole year.
Yes, but they might say 'oborio sam ga' (I failed him/I knocked him down).
Related Phrases
položiti ispit
contrastTo pass an exam
pasti godinu
builds onTo fail the entire academic year
oboriti studenta
specialized formTo fail a student (used by professors)
prijaviti ispit
similarTo register for an exam
ispitni rok
similarExam period
pasti na teme
contrastTo be shocked/surprised
