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The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Below, you will find several useful phrases and words. To the left is the English and to the far right is the Serbian translation in both Latin and Cyrillic scripts.
In the center column for each row is a play button. The recorded file will feature first English, then the Serbian in three versions: one slow, one with each syllable broken out, and a last version that will be spoken as it might be overheard in a conversation between native speakers.
10 Facts About Serbian
Status: Serbian belongs to the South Slavic subgroup of the Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is closely related to and mutually intelligible with Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin, all of which are standardized varieties of Serbo-Croatian.
Speakers: Serbian is spoken by approximately 12 million people. A little more than half that number are located in Serbia. The rest are concentrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and parts of Croatia and Kosovo. It is also spoken by Serbian diaspora communities around the world.
Diasporas: An estimated 350,000–500,000 Serbs live in the US. The largest concentration of Serbs in the US is in Chicago, where one can find a significant Serbian Orthodox presence, cultural organizations, and Serbian-owned businesses. Other major communities can be found in New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland also have sizeable Serbian populations.
Diagaphic: Serbian is one of the few languages in the world with two official alphabets: Cyrillic and Latin. Serbia has traditionally used Cyrillic, but Croats and Slovenes, who speak a similar language, traditionally used a Latin alphabet. When all three nationalities were united in Yugoslavia, both alphabets were promoted to foster unity. Today, Serbia still uses both scripts, though Cyrillic is by far more commonly used. Furthermore, most Serbs prefer Cyrillic as the script most historically and culturally tied to the Serbian language.
BCMS: Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian and often grouped together as BCMS. All four are highly mutually intelligible with relatively minor differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. There are also cultural and political differences that set them apart.
Cases: Serbian is a highly inflected language, meaning that nouns, pronouns, and adjectives change form depending on their grammatical function in a sentence. It has seven cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative, instrumental, and locative. Vocative is used when addressing someone directly.
Questions: “Да ли” is a standard question-forming construction (similar to “do” in English). “Да” has other uses, however, primarily as a word meaning “yes” or as a conjunction meaning “that.” For example: “Да ли желиш кафу?” (Do you want coffee?); “Да, желим.” (Yes, I want [it].)
Perfective and Imperfective: Serbian, like other Slavic languages, distinguishes actions that are complete (perfective) or ongoing/repeated (imperfective). So, for example, “Ја читам књигу” means “I am reading a book” while “Ја сам прочитао књигу” means “I have read the book (to completion).”
Flexible Word Order: In Serbian, cases regulate every word’s role in a sentence, allowing for very flexible word order rules. For instance, to say “I love you” in Serbian, one can say “Ја те волим,” “Те ја волим,” “Волим те ја,” or “Те волим ја.” All are correct, but emphasize different words.
To Be Or Not: Eastern Slavic languages like Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian have dropped the use of “to be” linking verbs. However, most Slavic languages have retained their use. This is seen in constructions like “Ja sam Amerikanka” (I am a (female) American) and “Gde su toaleti?” (Where are the toilets). In Serbian, “biti” (to be) conjugates in the present tense to:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| First | сам (sam) | смо (smo) |
| Second | си (si) | сте (ste) |
| Third | је (je) | су (su) |
Serbian Cyrillic vs. Latin Alphabet Comparison
Serbian is a phonetic language – each character (or character set) can make only one sound.
| Cyrillic | Latin |
Pronunciation (IPA) | Example (English meaning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| А | A | /a/ | авион / avion (“airplane”) |
| Б | B | /b/ | балон / balon (“balloon”) |
| В | V | /v/ | вода / voda (“water”) |
| Г | G | /ɡ/ | гора / gora (“mountain”) |
| Д | D | /d/ | дете / dete (“child”) |
| Ђ | Đ | /dʑ/ | ђак / đak (“student”) |
| Е | E | /e/ | екран / ekran (“screen”) |
| Ж | Ž | /ʒ/ | живот / život (“life”) |
| З | Z | /z/ | зима / zima (“winter”) |
| И | I | /i/ | игра / igra (“game”) |
| Ј | J | /j/ | јесен / jesen (“autumn”) |
| К | K | /k/ | кућа / kuća (“house”) |
| Л | L | /l/ | лед / led (“ice”) |
| Љ | Lj | /ʎ/ | љубав / ljubav (“love”) |
| М | M | /m/ | месец / mesec (“moon, month”) |
| Н | N | /n/ | ноћ / noć (“night”) |
| Њ | Nj | /ɲ/ | њива / njiva (“field”) |
| О | O | /o/ | око / oko (“eye”) |
| П | P | /p/ | пријатељ / prijatelj (“friend”) |
| Р | R | /r/ | река / reka (“river”) |
| С | S | /s/ | срце / srce (“heart”) |
| Т | T | /t/ | трава / trava (“grass”) |
| Ћ | Ć | /tɕ/ | ћерка / ćerka (“daughter”) |
| У | U | /u/ | улица / ulica (“street”) |
| Ф | F | /f/ | филм / film (“movie”) |
| Х | H | /x/ | хлеб / hleb (“bread”) |
| Ц | C | /ts/ | цена / cena (“price”) |
| Ч | Č | /tʃ/ | човек / čovek (“man”) |
| Џ | Dž | /dʒ/ | џем / džem (“jam”) |
| Ш | Š | /ʃ/ | школа / škola (“school”) |
Survival Basics
| Hello! | Zdravo! (Здраво!) *informal |
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| Hello! | Gde si!? (Где си!?) *informal (literal translation is “Where are you!?”) |
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| Yes | Da (Да) |
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| No | Ne (Не) |
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| Good morning! | Dobro jutro! (Добро јутро!) |
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| Good afternoon! | Dobar dan! (Добар дан!) |
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| Good evening! | Dobro veče! (Добро вече!) |
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| What’s up? | Šta se radi? (Шта се ради?) |
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| What’s up? | Šta ima? (Шта има?) |
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| How are you? | Kako si? (sing./informal) (Како си?) |
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| How are you? | Kako ste? (pl./formal) (Како сте?) |
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| Good, thanks, and you? | Dobro, hvala, a Vi? (pl./formal) (Добро, хвала, а Ви?) |
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| Good bye! | Ćao! (Ћао!) *infomal |
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| Good bye! | Doviđenja! (Довиђења!) *formal |
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| See you later! | Vidimo se! (Видимо се!) |
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| Sorry! | Izvini! (Извини!) |
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| Open/closed | Otvoreno/zatvoreno (Отворено/затворено) |
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| Pull/push | Vući/gurati (Вући/гурати) *when referring to a door |
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| Small/big | Malo/veliko (Мало/велико) |
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| Do you speak English? | Da li govorite Engleski? (pl./formal) (Да ли говорите Енглески?) |
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| I don’t speak English. | Ja ne govorim Engleski. (Ја не говорим Енглески.) |
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| I only speak a little Serbian. | Ja samo malo govorim Srpski. (Ја само мало говорим Српски.) |
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| I understand | Ja razumem. (Ја разумем.) |
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| I don’t understand. | Ja ne razumem. (Ја не разумем.) |
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| Thank you! | Hvala! (Хвала!) |
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| Thank you very much! | Hvala puno! (Хвала пуно!) |
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| Very well, thanks! | U redu, hvala! (У реду, хвала!) |
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| Well/Good | Dobro (adv.) (Добро) |
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| Poor/Bad | Loše (adv.) (Лоше) |
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| Please | Molim Vas (pl./formal) (Молим Вас) *When asking for something politely |
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| You’re welcome! | Nema na čemu! (Нема на чему!) *when responding to “Hvala!” |
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| Enjoy! | Prijatno! (Пријатно!) *When someone is eating *formally used after “Довиђења” (meaning “have a nice day”) *it can also simply mean nice/pleasant |
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| Excuse me! | Izvinite me! (Извините ме!) |
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| A little | Malo (Мало) |
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| Could you speak more slowly? | Možete li da pričate malo sporije? (pl./formal) (Можете ли да причате мало спорије?) |
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| Could you repeat, please? | Možete li da ponovite molim Vas? (pl./formal) (Можете ли да поновите молим Вас!) |
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| Could you write that down? | Možete li to da zapišete? (pl./formal) (Можете ли то да запишете?) |
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| I would like to make an appointment. | Želim da zakažem termin/sastanak. (Желим да закажем термин/састанак?). |
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| My bag was stolen | Moja torba je bila ukradena (Моја торба је била украдена) |
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| My wallet was stolen | Moj novčanik je bio ukraden (Мој новчаник је био украден) |
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| My passport was stolen | Moj pasoš je bio ukraden. (Мој пасош је био украден). |
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| I need a doctor! | Meni treba doktor! (Треба ми доктор!). |
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| Call the police! | Zovite policiju! (pl.) (Зовите полицију!) |
Introductions in Serbian
asdf
| What is your name? | Kako se zovete? (pl./formal) (Како се зовете?) |
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| Pleased to meet you! | Drago mi je! (Драго ми је!) To which you respond “Такође” (It’s mutual). |
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| I am 25 years old. | Imam dvadeset pet godina. (Имам двадесет пет година.) |
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| How old are you? | Koliko imate godina? (pl./formal) (Колико имате година?) |
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| Where are you from? | Odakle ste? (pl./formal) (Одакле сте?) |
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| I am American. | Ja sam Amerikanka/Amerikanac. (f./м.) (Ја сам Американка/Американац) |
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| No, I am from Canada. | Ne, ja sam iz Kanade. (Не, ја сам из Канаде.) |
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| She is German. | Ona je Nemica. (Она је Немица.) |
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| He is Irish. | On je Irac. (Он је Ирац.) |
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| We are from France. | Mi smo iz Francuske. (Ми смо из Француске.) |
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| They are from Wales. | Oni su iz Velsa. (Они су из Велса.) |
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| How do you like Serbia? | Kako Vam se sviđa Srbija? (pl./formal) (Како Вам се свиђа Србија?) |
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| I like Serbia very much. | Mnogo mi se sviđa Srbija. (Много ми се свиђа Србија.) |
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| Have you ever been to Belgrade? | Jeste li ikad bili u Beogradu? (pl./formal) (Јесте ли икад били у Београду?) |
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| I have never been to Sombor before. | Ja nikad nisam bio/bila u Somboru. (m./f./sing.) (Ја никад нисам био/била у Сомбору.) |
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| This is my second time in Serbia. | Ovo mi je drugi put u Srbiji. (Ово ми је други пут у Србији.) |
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| What do you do? | Čime se bavite? (pl./formal) (Чиме се бавите?) |
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| I am a doctor | Ja sam doktor/doktorka. (m./f.) (Ја сам доктор/докторка.) |
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| I am a teacher | Ja sam učitelj/učiteljica. (m./f.) (Ја сам учитељ/учитељица.) |
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| I am a student. | Ja sam student. (Ја сам студент.) |
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| I am on vacation. | Ja sam na odmoru. (Ја сам на одмору). *If you’re working |
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| I am on vacation. | Ja sam na raspustu. (Ја сам на распусту). *If you are a student on break |
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| I am here on business. | Ja sam ovde poslovno. (Ја сам овде пословно). |
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| I am studying here. | Ja ovde studiram. (Ја овде студирам) |
Asking Directions
| Where are the toilets? | Gde su toaleti? (Где су тоалети?) |
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| Men | Muški (toalet) (Мушки ) |
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| Women | Ženski (toalet) (Женски) |
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| Where is the nearest bank? | Gde je najbliža banka? (Где је најближа банка?) |
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| Where is the nearest post office? | Gde je najbliža pošta? (Где је наближа пошта?) |
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| Where is the nearest train station? | Gde je najbliža železnička stanica? (Где је најближа железничка станица?) |
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| Where can I find Wi-Fi? | Gde mogu da nađem Wi-Fi? (Где могу да нађем Wi-Fi?) |
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| Do you know the Wi-Fi password? | Da li znate lozinku za Wi-Fi? (Да ли знате лозинку за Wi-Fi) |
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| How can I order a taxi? | Kako mogu da naručim taksi? (Како могу да наручим такси?) |
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| Straight ahead! | Samo pravo! (Само право!) |
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| Take a right! | Skrenite desno! (pl./formal) (Скрените десно!) |
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| Take a left! | Skrenite levo! (pl./formal) (Скрените лево!) |
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| After the stoplight | Posle semafora (После семафора) |
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| Next/First/Last | Sledeće/Prvo/Poslednje |
Shopping
| How much does that cost? | Koliko to košta? (Колико то кошта?) |
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| The menu, please! | Mogu li da dobijem jelovnik/meni? (Могу ли да добијем јеловник/мени?) |
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| I’d like a beer, please | Želim pivo, molim Vas (pl./formal). (Желим пиво, молим Вас). |
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| I’d like the bill, please. | Može li račun, molim Vas? (pl./formal) (Може ли рачун, молим Вас?) |
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| Do you accept credit cards? | Primate li keditne kartice? (Примате ли кредитне картице?) |
Counting
| 0 | nula (нула) |
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| 1 | jedan (један) |
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| 2 | dva (два) |
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| 3 | tri (три) |
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| 4 | četiri (четири) |
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| 5 | pet (пет) |
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| 6 | šest (шест) |
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| 7 | sedam (седам) |
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| 8 | osam (осам) |
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| 9 | devet (девет) |
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| 10 | deset (десет) |
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| 11 | jedanaest (једанаест) |
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| 12 | dvanaest (дванаест) |
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| 13 | trinaest (тринаест) |
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| 14 | četrnaest (четрнаест) |
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| 15 | petnaest (петнаест) |
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| 16 | šesnaest (шеснаест) |
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| 17 | sedamnaest (седамнаест) |
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| 18 | osamnaest (осамнаест |
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| 19 | devetnaest (деветнаест) |
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| 20 | dvadeset (двадесет) |
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| 21 | dvadeset jedan (двадесет један) |
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| 22 | dvadeset dva (двадесет два) |
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| 30 | trideset (тридесет) |
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| 40 | četrdeset (четрдесет) |
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| 50 | pedeset (педесет) |
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| 60 | šezdeset (шездесет) |
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| 70 | sedamdeset (седамдесет) |
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| 80 | osamdeset (осамдесет) |
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| 90 | devedeset (деведесет) |
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| 100 | sto (сто) |
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| 111 | sto jedanaest (сто једанаест) |
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| 125 | sto dvadeset pet (сто двадесет пет) |
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| 200 | dvesta (двеста) |
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| 300 | trista (триста) |
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| 400 | četiristo (четиристо) |
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| 500 | petsto (петсто) |
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| 600 | šeststo (шестсто) |
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| 700 | sedamsto (седамсто) |
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| 800 | osamsto (осамсто) |
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| 900 | devetsto (деветсто) |
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| 1000 | hiljadu (хиљаду) |
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