One person, two ways to say “you”
Serbian asks you to choose between ti and Vi. Use ti with a friend, a child, a close relative or someone who has invited you to be informal. Use Vi with an adult you do not know, a client, an older person or anyone you wish to address politely. The capital letter in Vi is especially common in direct written communication.
The verb reveals the relationship even when the pronoun is omitted. Kako si? is singular and informal; Kako ste? is formal singular or ordinary plural. Listen for -š in informal questions and -te in polite ones.
Questions at five different doors
| Latinica | Ћирилица | English |
|---|---|---|
| Izvinite, da li Vi čekate profesora? | Извините, да ли Ви чекате професора? | Excuse me, are you waiting for the teacher? |
| Jesi li poneo knjigu, Marko? | Јеси ли понео књигу, Марко? | Did you bring the book, Marko? |
| Gospođo, gde stanujete? | Госпођо, где станујете? | Madam, where do you live? |
| Da li voliš da učiš uz podkast? | Да ли волиш да учиш уз подкаст? | Do you like learning with a podcast? |
| Možete li da ponovite poslednju rečenicu? | Можете ли да поновите последњу реченицу? | Could you repeat the last sentence? |
Let the verb choose the distance
Pause the recording before each question. Decide who is speaking to whom, then predict the ending of the verb. Repeat the line twice: first exactly as heard, then change it from ti to Vi or from Vi to ti.
A café full of social clues
- Address a close friend: Kako ___? (biti)
- Address a new client: Odakle ___? (biti)
- Make this polite: Gde živiš?
- Make this informal: Da li govorite srpski?
- Write in Cyrillic: Možete li da mi pomognete?
Who received which question?
- Kako si?
- Odakle ste?
- Gde živite? / Где живите?
- Da li govoriš srpski? / Да ли говориш српски?
- Можете ли да ми помогнете?
If you are unsure, begin politely. It is easy to move from Vi to ti after the other person suggests it.
Marina Petrović