Serbian phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Serbian with translation. | Free & useful
Serbian phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.
They are an important part of Serbian culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.
Serbian phrases you should know
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Serbian phrases and dialogues today.
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Greet someone in Serbian
If you want to greet someone in Serbian, it’s actually quite easy:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome! | Dobrodošli! | [dǒbrodǒʃli] |
| Good day to you! | Dobar dan! | [dôbar dǎːn] |
| Good morning to you! | Dobro jutro! | [dǒbro jûtro] |
| Good evening! | Dobro veče! | [dǒbro vɛ̂tʃe] |
| Good to see you. | Drago mi je da te vidim. | [drâɡo mi jɛ da tɛ ʋîdim] |
| I’m glad to see you. | Drago mi je što te vidim. | [drâɡo mi jɛ ʃtɔ tɛ ʋîdim] |
If you are greeted in Serbian, the best way to respond is as follows:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Have a nice day too! | Prijatan dan i tebi! | [prǐjataŋ dǎn i têbi] |
| Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. | Hvala, i meni je drago da te vidim. | [xʋǎːla i měni jɛ drâɡo da tɛ ʋîdim] |
How is my dialogue partner?
As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| How are you doing? | Kako si? | [kâko si] |
| Are you doing well? | Jesi li dobro? | [jěsi li dǒbro] |
If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for asking, I am fine. | Hvala što pitaš, dobro sam. | [xʋǎːla ʃtɔ pǐtaʃ dǒbro sam] |
| Thank you, I am fine. | Hvala, dobro sam. | [xʋǎːla dǒbro sam] |
| Thank you, I am not doing so well. | Hvala, nisam baš dobro. | [xʋǎːla nǐsam baʃ dǒbro] |
| Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? | Hvala, dobro sam. Kako si ti? | [xʋǎːla dǒbro sam kâko si ti] |
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How do I say goodbye to someone in Serbian?
Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Serbian is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye! | Zbogom! | [zbɔ̂ɡɔm] |
| Take care of yourself! | Pazi na sebe! | [pǎzi na sɛ̂bɛ] |
| Goodbye | Doviđenja | [dɔʋid͡ʑěːɲa] |
| See you tomorrow | Vidimo se sutra | [ʋîdimo sɛ sûtɾa] |
| See you soon | Vidimo se uskoro | [ʋîdimo sɛ ǔskɔɾɔ] |
| See you later | Vidimo se kasnije | [ʋîdimo sɛ kǎsniɛ] |
| Good night | Laku noć | [lâku nɔ́t͡ɕ] |
| Sleep well | Spavaj lepo | [spǎʋaj lêpɔ] |
| Talk to you later. | Čujemo se kasnije. | [t͡ʃǔjɛmo sɛ kǎsniɛ] |
| Nice to have met you! | Drago mi je što smo se upoznali! | [drâɡo mi jɛ ʃtɔ smɔ sɛ ǔpɔznaːli] |
How do I introduce myself in Serbian?
When travelling in Serbia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Serbian and know who you’re talking to.
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Jonas. | Zovem se Jonas. | [zǒʋɛm sɛ jônas] |
| What is your name? | Kako se zoveš? | [kâkɔ sɛ zǒʋɛʃ] |
| What is your surname? | Kako se prezivaš? | [kâkɔ sɛ prɛzǐʋaʃ] |
| What is your first name? | Kako ti je ime? | [kâkɔ ti jɛ ǐmɛ] |
| What is your surname? | Kako ti je prezime? | [kâkɔ ti jɛ prɛ̂zimɛ] |
If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you come from? | Odakle si? | [ɔdǎkle si] |
| I am from London. | Ja sam iz Londona. | [jâ sam iz lɔndǒna] |
| Are you from Birmingham? | Jesi li iz Birmingema? | [jěsi li iz bǐrmingɛma] |
| No, I’m from Madrid. | Ne, ja sam iz Madrida. | [nɛː jâ sam iz madrǐda] |
| Great, I’m from Madrid too. | Super, i ja sam iz Madrida. | [sûpɛr i jâ sam iz madrǐda] |
| Where do you live? | Gde živiš? | [ɡdɛ ʒǐʋiʃ] |
| I live in Berlin. | Živim u Berlinu. | [ʒǐʋim u bɛrlǐːnu] |
If you have problems with your Serbian, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Govoriš li engleski? | [ɡɔʋǒriʃ li ěŋɡlɛski] |
| Yes, I speak English. | Da, govorim engleski. | [dâ ɡɔʋɔrǐm ěŋɡlɛski] |
| Yes, I speak some English. | Da, govorim malo engleskog. | [dâ ɡɔʋɔrǐm mâlɔ ěŋɡlɛskɔɡ] |
| No, I do not speak any English. | Ne, ne govorim engleski. | [nɛː nɛ ɡɔʋɔrǐm ěŋɡlɛski] |
| I only speak English. | Govorim samo engleski. | [ɡɔʋɔrǐm sâmo ěŋɡlɛski] |
| I understand some Serbian. | Razumem malo srpskog. | [razǔmɛm mâlɔ sr̩̂pskɔɡ] |
Useful sentences with ‘I am…’
The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Serbian and express your wishes and concerns:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I am English. | Ja sam Englez. | [jâ sam ɛŋɡlɛ̂z] |
| I am injured. | Povređen sam. | [pɔʋrěd͡ʑɛn sam] |
| I am here. | Ovde sam. | [ǒːʋdɛ sam] |
| I am hungry. | Gladan sam. | [ɡlǎdan sam] |
| I am thirsty. | Žedan sam. | [ʒědan sam] |
| I am a single person. | Slobodan sam. | [slɔbɔdǎn sam] |
| I need help! | Treba mi pomoć! | [trěba mi pǒmoɕ] |
| I am tired. | Umoran sam. | [ûmɔran sam] |
| I am happy. | Srećan sam. | [srɛ̂t͡ɕan sam] |
| I am sad. | Tužan sam. | [tûʒan sam] |
| I am in love. | Zaljubljen sam. | [zaljûbljɛn sam] |
| I am ill. | Bolan sam. | [bǒlan sam] |
| I am ready. | Spreman sam. | [sprêman sam] |
| I am busy. | Zauzet sam. | [zǎuzɛt sam] |
| I am lost. | Izgubljen sam. | [ǐzɡubljɛn sam] |
| I am a tourist. | Turista sam. | [tǔrista sam] |
| I am new here. | Nov sam ovde. | [nɔ̂ːʋ sam ǒːʋdɛ] |
| I am confident. | Samouveren sam. | [samuʋɛ̌rɛn sam] |
| I am proud. | Ponosan sam. | [pǒnɔsan sam] |
| I am a teacher. | Učitelj sam. | [ǔt͡ʃitɛj sam] |
| I am late. | Kasnim. | [kǎsniːm] |
| I am 30 years old. | Imam trideset godina. | [ǐmam trǐdɛsɛt ɡɔ̌dina] |
| I am in a hurry. | Žurim. | [ʒǔriːm] |
| I am happy. | Srećan sam. | [srɛ̂t͡ɕan sam] |
| I am surprised. | Iznenađen sam. | [iznɛnǎːd͡ʑɛn sam] |
| I am angry. | Ljut sam. | [ʎût sam] |
Apologising in Serbian
Here’s how to apologise to a Serbian speaker:
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I apologise. | Izvinjavam se. | [izʋǐɲaʋam sɛ] |
| Sorry, that was not the intention. | Izvini, to nije bila namera. | [izʋǐni tɔ nǐjɛ bǐla nǎmɛra] |
| Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. | Izvini, nisam to uradio namerno. | [izʋǐni nǐsam tɔ ǔradiɔ nǎmɛrnɔ] |
| Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. | Izvini, to je bilo veoma nespretno s moje strane. | [izʋǐni tɔ jɛ bǐlɔ ʋɛǒma nɛsprɛ̂tnɔ s mɔjɛ strǎːnɛ] |
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Useful signs and notices in Serbian
Useful signs and messages in Serbian that you will often see.
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Ulaz | [ǔlaz] |
| Toilet | Toalet | [tɔalɛ̂t] |
| Exit | Izlaz | [ǐzlaːz] |
| Attention! | Pažnja! | [pǎʒɲa] |
| Police | Policija | [pɔlǐt͡sija] |
| Emergency services | Hitna pomoć | [xǐtna pǒmoɕ] |
| Fire brigade | Vatrogasci | [ʋatrɔɡǎːst͡si] |
| Passage forbidden. | Prolaz zabranjen. | [prôlaz zabrǎɲɛn] |
| Caution! | Oprez! | [ǒprɛz] |
| This building is under video surveillance. | Ova zgrada je pod video nadzorom. | [ɔʋǎ zɡrǎda jɛ pɔd ʋǐdɛɔ nǎdzɔrɔm] |
Numbers to 25 in Serbian
Counting in Serbian is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Serbian from 1 to 25.
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | jedan | [jědan] |
| 2 | dva | [dvâ] |
| 3 | tri | [trî] |
| 4 | četiri | [t͡ʃětiri] |
| 5 | pet | [pêt] |
| 6 | šest | [ʃêst] |
| 7 | sedam | [sědam] |
| 8 | osam | [ɔ̂sam] |
| 9 | devet | [děʋɛt] |
| 10 | deset | [děsɛt] |
| 11 | jedanaest | [jɛdǎnaɛst] |
| 12 | dvanaest | [dʋǎnaɛst] |
| 13 | trinaest | [trǐnaɛst] |
| 14 | četrnaest | [t͡ʃɛtr̩nâɛst] |
| 15 | petnaest | [pɛ́tnaɛst] |
| 16 | šesnaest | [ʃɛ́snaɛst] |
| 17 | sedamnaest | [sɛdǎmnaɛst] |
| 18 | osamnaest | [ɔsǎmnaɛst] |
| 19 | devetnaest | [dɛʋɛ́tnaɛst] |
| 20 | dvadest | [dvǎdɛst] |
| 21 | dvadest jedan | [dvǎdɛst jědan] |
| 22 | dvadest dva | [dvǎdɛst dvâ] |
| 23 | dvadest tri | [dvǎdɛst trî] |
| 24 | dvadest četiri | [dvǎdɛst t͡ʃětiri] |
| 25 | dvadest pet | [dvǎdɛst pêt] |
The colours in Serbian
The most common colours in Serbian with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Red in Serbian | Crvena | [tsrʋěna] |
| Blue in Serbian | Plava | [plǎːʋa] |
| Green in Serbian | Zelena | [zɛlɛ̌na] |
| Yellow in Serbian | Žuta | [ʒûːta] |
| Black in Serbian | Crna | [tsr̩̂na] |
| White in Serbian | Bela | [bɛ̌ːla] |
| Orange in Serbian | Narandžasta | [narǎnd͡ʒasta] |
| Purple in Serbian | Ljubičasta | [ʎubǐt͡ʃasta] |
| Brown in Serbian | Braon | [brǎɔn] |
| Gray in Serbian | Siva | [sǐːʋa] |
Days of the week, months and seasons in Serbian
Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Serbian and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Serbian.
| English | Serbian | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Days of the Week | ||
| Monday in Serbian | Ponedeljak | [pɔnɛdɛ̌ʎak] |
| Tuesday in Serbian | Utorak | [ûtɔrak] |
| Wednesday in Serbian | Sreda | [srɛ̌ːda] |
| Thursday in Serbian | Četvrtak | [t͡ʃɛtv̞r̩̂tak] |
| Friday in Serbian | Petak | [pěːtak] |
| Saturday in Serbian | Subota | [sǔbɔta] |
| Sunday in Serbian | Nedelja | [nɛdɛ̌ʎa] |
| Months | ||
| January in Serbian | Januar | [jǎnuar] |
| February in Serbian | Februar | [fɛ̌bru̞ar] |
| March in Serbian | Mart | [mǎrt] |
| April in Serbian | April | [ǎpril] |
| May in Serbian | Maj | [mâj] |
| June in Serbian | Jun | [jûːn] |
| July in Serbian | Jul | [jûːl] |
| August in Serbian | Avgust | [ǎʋɡust] |
| September in Serbian | Septembar | [sɛptɛ̌mbar] |
| October in Serbian | Oktobar | [ɔktɔ̌bar] |
| November in Serbian | Novembar | [nɔʋɛ̌mbar] |
| December in Serbian | Decembar | [dɛt͡sɛ̌mbar] |
| Seasons | ||
| Spring in Serbian | Proleće | [prɔlɛ̌t͡ɕɛ] |
| Summer in Serbian | Leto | [lɛ̌tɔ] |
| Autumn / Fall in Serbian | Jesen | [jɛ̌sɛn] |
| Winter in Serbian | Zima | [zǐːma] |
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Serbian phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Serbian phrases and dialogues.
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More information about the Serbian Business Course.
Additional links
- The different ways of learning languages
- Learning vocabulary successfully
- Motivated language learning
- It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
- Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
- The different types of learners when learning languages
More information about the Serbian Course for Children.