What's Something Like in Serbian

How do you say “what is something like?” in Serbian? Listen to this song and answer the questions in the quiz. Make sure you click “Finish Survey” at the end to receive instant feedback:



Uradite kviz odmah = Do the quiz immediately!

One English question opens three Serbian doors

To ask what somebody or something is like, Serbian usually begins with kakav, kakva or kakvo. The form agrees with the gender of the noun: Kakav je grad?, Kakva je pesma?, Kakvo je vreme? The answer continues the same agreement: Grad je bučan. Pesma je nežna. Vreme je sunčano.

English keeps the single word “what” in all three questions, so it is tempting to translate word for word. Instead, look at the Serbian noun first. Once you know whether it is masculine, feminine or neuter, both the question word and the descriptive adjective fall into place.

The noun conducts every descriptive word

Latinica	Ћирилица	English
Kakav je glas ovog pevača? Dubok je i topao.	Какав је глас овог певача? Дубок је и топао.	What is this singer’s voice like? It is deep and warm.
Kakva je melodija u refrenu? Vesela je i brza.	Каква је мелодија у рефрену? Весела је и брза.	What is the melody in the chorus like? It is cheerful and fast.
Kakvo je raspoloženje u poslednjoj strofi? Setno je.	Какво је расположење у последњој строфи? Сетно је.	What is the mood in the final verse like? It is wistful.
Kakvi su stihovi ove pesme? Kratki su, ali upečatljivi.	Какви су стихови ове песме? Кратки су, али упечатљиви.	What are the lyrics of this song like? They are short but memorable.
Kakve su gitare na početku? Tihe su i nežne.	Какве су гитаре на почетку? Тихе су и нежне.	What are the guitars at the beginning like? They are quiet and gentle.
Kakva je priča koju čujemo? Neobična je i pomalo tužna.	Каква је прича коју чујемо? Необична је и помало тужна.	What is the story we hear like? It is unusual and slightly sad.

In the plural, gender is still visible. Masculine nouns take kakvi, feminine nouns take kakve, and neuter nouns take kakva: Kakvi su stihovi?, Kakve su pesme?, Kakva su osećanja? The verb also changes from singular je to plural su.

Do not confuse a description with a manner

Kakav je pevač? asks you to describe the singer: perhaps harizmatičan, ozbiljan or energičan. Kako peva? asks about the way he sings: lepo, glasno or polako. In other words, kakav points towards a quality of a noun, while kako usually seeks an adverbial description of an action.

Listen once without stopping and collect any adjectives you recognise. During the second listening, connect each adjective with the noun it describes. Only then return to the quiz: the ending of the noun can often help you predict the ending of the missing descriptive word.

Choose one song you know well and describe its rhythm, melody, words and mood in four Serbian sentences. Then turn each description into a question. By moving back and forth between Kakva je melodija? and Melodija je…, you practise agreement as part of a real conversation rather than as an isolated list.
Marina Petrović