A little gift is waiting for you this New Year
Every year the most generous thing a language teacher can do is lower the barrier to entry just a little bit more. So this December, as a New Year present to the wonderful, patient, curious people who have been following LearnSerbianBlog through 2011, I put together something I hope will make your first conversations in Serbian feel less daunting and a great deal more fun.
The gift? A free e-book packed with Serbian phrases - ready to download, ready to print, ready to carry with you wherever you go. No strings, no sign-up wall, just useful Serbian in your hands. Srećna Nova godina!
What is this e-book?
The Serbian Phrases free e-book is a New Year present from me to you - my faithful readers and followers of LearnSerbianBlog. It collects the most practical, most frequently used Serbian phrases for everyday situations: greetings, farewells, polite requests, small talk, and much more. Whether you are planning a trip to Serbia, trying to impress a Serbian friend, or simply building a solid foundation before tackling grammar, this little book is for you.
The e-book is designed to be clean and easy to use - no clutter, no jargon, just Serbian phrases with their English meanings and pronunciation guidance. Keep it open on your phone while you practice, or print it out and stick it on the fridge. Whatever works for you, works for me!
How to get the most from it
The single best way to use a phrase book is to say everything out loud - do not just read the phrase with your eyes, let your mouth and ears do the work too. Read a phrase, cover the English, try to recall it, say it again, and move on; five minutes a day like this will take you further than an hour of passive reading. If you would like to hear the pronunciation of the same phrases spoken by a native Serbian speaker, join the Serbian Phrases course and your ear will catch up with your eye very quickly.
A few phrases inside
Here is a small taster of the kind of phrases you will find in the e-book. Notice the Serbian spellings - every diacritic matters, and the e-book keeps them all!
| Serbian phrase | English meaning | Quick note |
|---|---|---|
| Zdravo | Hello | Casual and friendly - use with anyone you know |
| Hvala | Thank you | Short and sweet; say it often! |
| Molim | Please / You're welcome | One word, two jobs - context tells you which |
| Izvolite | Here you go | Used when handing something to someone |
| Kako si? | How are you? | Informal; use Kako ste? to be polite |
| Doviđenja | Goodbye | Formal enough for a shop, warm enough for a friend |
Notice Doviđenja - that D with a stroke (Đ/đ) is its own letter in Serbian, pronounced roughly like the "d" in "dune." Getting those diacritics right is not just pedantry; it changes the meaning and the sound of the word entirely. The e-book will help you remember each one in context.
More Serbian examples
Phrases are most memorable when you see them doing real work in real sentences. Here are some examples that take the core phrases from the e-book and show them in action - read each one aloud!
Hvala ti puno. - Thank you very much. (Puno means "a lot" - this is the warm, heartfelt version of thank you.)
Molim te, dođi. - Please come. (Molim te is "please" when talking to one person informally; molim vas is the polite form.)
Kako se zoveš? - What is your name? (Literally: "How are you called?" - a very common first question when you meet someone.)
Ja se zovem Marina. - My name is Marina. (The natural reply to "Kako se zoveš?")
Odakle si? - Where are you from?
Ja sam iz Beograda. - I am from Belgrade.
Govoriš li srpski? - Do you speak Serbian?
Malo govorim srpski. - I speak a little Serbian. (A very useful sentence for the first few months!)
Razumem te. - I understand you.
Ne razumem. - I do not understand.
Možeš li ponoviti, molim te? - Can you repeat that, please?
Gde je toalet, molim? - Where is the bathroom, please? (Practical and important!)
Koliko košta? - How much does it cost?
Srećna Nova godina! - Happy New Year! (The phrase of the month - use it generously.)
A pattern worth noticing: Serbian often drops the subject pronoun. Instead of saying ja razumem (I understand) in every sentence, a native speaker will usually just say razumem - the verb ending tells you who is doing the action. You will find this very freeing once you get used to it!
Why phrases first?
Grammar rules are important, and we will get there together - but phrases give you something to say on day one. When you land in Belgrade or sit down with a Serbian colleague, no one is going to wait while you conjugate a verb in your head. A handful of solid phrases, said with confidence, opens every door. Start with the phrases, feel the rhythm of the language, and the grammar will start to make sense all by itself.
Here are a few more phrases worth learning early - these go beyond the basics and will make you sound genuinely warm rather than just politely functional:
| Serbian | English |
|---|---|
| Drago mi je što te upoznajem. | Nice to meet you. |
| Vidimo se uskoro! | See you soon! |
| Sve najbolje! | All the best! |
| Prijatno! | Enjoy! / Have a good one! (at meals: bon appetit) |
| Ziveli! | Cheers! (a toast) |
| Nema na čemu. | Don't mention it. / No problem. (response to hvala) |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know the Serbian alphabet before using the e-book?
Not at all! The e-book includes both the Latin-script spelling and pronunciation guidance, so you can start speaking immediately even if you have never seen a Cyrillic letter. That said, learning the Cyrillic alphabet is much easier than most people expect - it takes only a few days of casual practice, and it opens up a whole world of reading material once you have it.
What is the difference between "Hvala" and "Hvala lepo"?
Hvala is a plain "thank you." Hvala lepo means "thank you nicely" - it is a slightly warmer, more emphatic version, like saying "thank you very much" in English. You will hear hvala lepo constantly in shops and cafes in Serbia. Hvala puno ("thank you a lot") is equally common and equally warm.
Why does "Molim" mean both "please" and "you're welcome"?
Molim comes from the verb moliti, which means "to ask" or "to request." When you say "molim te, dođi" you are asking someone to come - "please come." When someone thanks you and you reply "molim," you are essentially saying "I ask nothing of it" - the equivalent of "don't mention it." Serbian is wonderfully economical like that!
Is "Kako si?" appropriate in all situations?
It is appropriate whenever you are speaking informally - with friends, family, or people your own age who you have just met. With someone older, someone you are meeting professionally, or someone you want to show respect to, use Kako ste? instead. The ste form is the polite plural, used just like the French "vous" or the German "Sie."
How do I say "I love Serbian" in Serbian?
Volim srpski jezik. (I love the Serbian language.) Or simply: Volim srpski! Your Serbian friends will be very happy to hear it.
What is the fastest way to memorize phrases?
The fastest way is repetition in context. Say the phrase out loud five times in a row. Then use it in a real or imagined conversation. Then try to recall it the next morning. Three genuine, effortful recalls beat thirty passive reads every time. The e-book is laid out to make this easy - a phrase per page, with space to write your own notes.
I am so grateful for everyone who has been reading, practicing, asking questions, and sending kind messages through 2011. You are the reason this blog exists and the reason the e-book got made. I hope it serves you well in 2012 and beyond.
Remember: every phrase you learn is a small door into someone else's world. Serbian is a rich, expressive, musical language, and the phrases in this e-book are your first keys. Take them, use them, and come back here whenever you need more.
Hvala lepo, i - Srećna Nova godina!
With warmth and encouragement,
Marina Petrovic
LearnSerbianBlog
Want to keep building your conversational toolkit? Browse the More phrases to sound human hub and find exactly the right words for every situation.
The phrases from this e-book now live in my Serbian Phrases course, where you can also hear me say each one - the first ten lessons are free.