# BCS: ma ja ba



## vatreno

I have heard this phrase a few times (conversational/ colloquial BCS)
_ma ja ba_. or some times _"ma ja..."_

Can anyone provide their thoughts on how this translates into English. I think it is used something like "well yea" or some kind of expression for agreement...


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## Maja

vatreno said:


> I think it is used something like "well yea" or some kind of expression for agreement...


 You are right, it means someting like "Yeah".


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## Duya

I'd say it maps nearly 100% to "yeah, right"* -- far more often than not, it's sarcastic.

*) sometimes cited as an example where "double positive" yields a negative


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## natasha2000

Well, "ma ja ba" sound more like a very common swaer typical for all BCS speakers...


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## Duya

natasha2000 said:


> Well, "ma ja ba" sound more like a very common swaer typical for all BCS speakers...



 Not to me. It does not even sound like "jeb-" swearwords.

It is typical for Bosnia. If you want a Serbian translation, it is "ma da bre" (though in Bosnian it is used more frequently and idiomatically).


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## natasha2000

Yes, you're right. It sounds more like "ma daj bre". And I am not sosure that it is more frequent in Bosnia than in Serbia...


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## Duya

natasha2000 said:


> Yes, you're right. It sounds more like "ma daj bre". And I am not sosure that it is more frequent in Bosnia than in Serbia...



Similar, but not identical. A closer "translation" of "ma ja ba" is "kako da ne!" (although the latter is in a higher register).


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## natasha2000

Одакле ти испаде од "ма ја ба" "како да не"????


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## Duya

"Ja" ili "jah" znači "da" (ne znam tačno kojeg je porijekla, ali nije ni bitno). Dakle, ako uduzmemo emfatičko _ba_, "ma ja" znači "ma da". Zar izrazi "ma da" i "kako da ne" ne znače (gotovo) isto?


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## natasha2000

А оно БА? Да ли је то оно босанско "ба"?


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## Duya

Ma ja ba


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## Cuius

Ba je jednostavno skraćenica za "bolan"


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## TriglavNationalPark

Cuius said:


> Ba je jednostavno skraćenica za "bolan"


 
I'm curious, what is the meaning and etymology of *bolan* in Bosnian? I'm familiar with the common BCS meaning of *bolan* = sick, which also exists in Slovenian and other Slavic languages, but what is it's role and meaning in the context you describe? I usually encounter it when people try to mimic the way Bosnians speak; they just add "bolan" to the end of sentences.

Also, is the word used primarily by Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), or is it common among all Bosnians?


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## natasha2000

I wouldn't know to say anything about the ethymology of "bolan", but for sure all Bosnians use it, no matter what nation or religion rhey belong to...


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## Cuius

Jednostavno, "ba" je skraćenica od "bolan" i "bolan" je skraćenica od "bolan ne bio". Znači u biti to je nešto dobronamjerno koje želiš drugom, a to što je poslije to postalo nekako mahalski govor, je sasvim druga priča.

Kao što vjerujem znate, ženi bi se reklo "bona", izbacujući ono "l" od riječi "bolna" (bolna ne bila). Svaki put kad se koristi "ba", "bolan" ili "bolan ne bio" (i svaka od ovih 3 varijanti se upotrebljava) iskazuje se potpuno isto značenje.


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## TriglavNationalPark

Cuius said:


> Jednostavno, "ba" je skraćenica od "bolan" i "bolan" je skraćenica od "bolan ne bio". Znači u biti to je nešto dobronamjerno koje želiš drugom, a to što je poslije to postalo nekako mahalski govor, je sasvim druga priča.


 
Hvala za objašnjenje (or is it "na objašnjenju"?), Cuius i natasha2000! Sad mi je sve jasno!


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