Click here to download all the audio and video files for Serbian Greetings and Introductions.
A first meeting needs more than a name
A useful introduction moves in small turns: greet, give your name, ask the other person’s name and react with Drago mi je. Adding where you come from or why you are here keeps the exchange alive.
Use ti forms in informal settings and Vi forms when politeness is appropriate. Kako se zoveš becomes Kako se zovete; odakle si becomes odakle ste.
Five introductions with room for an answer
| Latinica | Ћирилица | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dobro veče, zovem se Klara i dolazim iz Austrije. | Добро вече, зовем се Клара и долазим из Аустрије. | Good evening, my name is Klara, and I come from Austria. |
| Ja sam novi kolega iz računovodstva. | Ја сам нови колега из рачуноводства. | I am the new colleague from accounting. |
| Drago mi je; da li ste prvi put u Novom Sadu? | Драго ми је; да ли сте први пут у Новом Саду? | Nice to meet you; is this your first time in Novi Sad? |
| Ovo je moja prijateljica koja uči srpski. | Ово је моја пријатељица која учи српски. | This is my friend, who is learning Serbian. |
| Čime se bavite kada niste na putovanju? | Чиме се бавите када нисте на путовању? | What do you do when you are not travelling? |
Replace the script with your own details
Play the video, pause before every reply and supply your own. On the next round, invent a different identity so that the exchange does not become a memorised biography.
- Complete: Zovem ______ Leo.
- Ask politely for a name.
- Write Drago mi je in Cyrillic.
- Translate: This is my colleague.
- Ask where someone comes from.
The strangers are strangers no longer
- se
- Kako se zovete?
- Драго ми је.
- Ovo je moj kolega. / Ово је мој колега.
- Odakle ste? / Одакле сте?
Record a twenty-second introduction and remove every hesitation before adding another personal detail.
Marina Petrović