Practise beginner Serbian in both Latin and Cyrillic script while connecting spelling, meaning and pronunciation.
Serbian for Beginners in Cyrillic and Latin Alphabet
Yesterday I made two brand new Quizlet exercises as a follow up of the following video Serbian exercise for beginners, both in the Serbian Cyrillic script and Latin alphabet.If you are not sure what some words mean, do check them out with the following flash cards:
Once you feel confident about the meaning of the words, feel free to do the following exercises in the Cyrillic script:
or Latin Alphabet:
Your first sentences, in both alphabets at once
Serbian spelling is highly systematic: one letter normally represents one sound. The two official scripts map closely, but Latin digraphs lj, nj and dž correspond to single Cyrillic letters љ, њ and џ. Work in short rounds: read the Latin form, cover it, write the Cyrillic form, and then pronounce the word aloud. Accuracy matters more than speed at the beginning.
These are the sentences you will say in your first real conversation: who you are, where you live, what belongs to you. Keep them short at this stage. Ovo je moja kuća and Moje ime je Ana are complete, correct Serbian, and saying a short sentence confidently is worth more than assembling a long one slowly.
Beginner sentences in Latin and Cyrillic
| Latin script | Cyrillic script | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ovo je moja kuća. | Ово је моја кућа. | This is my house. |
| Moje ime je Ana. | Моје име је Ана. | My name is Ana. |
| Živim u Novom Sadu. | Живим у Новом Саду. | I live in Novi Sad. |
| Učim srpski svaki dan. | Учим српски сваки дан. | I study Serbian every day. |
| Danas čitam kratku priču. | Данас читам кратку причу. | Today I am reading a short story. |
Learning both alphabets from the very beginning sounds like double work, but it is far easier now than later. Serbian Cyrillic is fully phonetic — one letter, one sound, no exceptions — and with sentences this simple you can decode Живим у Новом Саду in a few seconds. Cover the Latin column and try it.
Saying it about yourself
Go through the sentences replacing the names and places with your own, then say the whole set aloud as a short self-introduction. Do it once from the Latin column and once from the Cyrillic. Being able to introduce yourself without reading is a genuine milestone, and it comes surprisingly quickly with material this compact.
Write your own introduction
Translate these sentences into Serbian, in Latin and then in Cyrillic, and finish by writing three sentences introducing yourself.
- This is my house.
- My name is Ana.
- I live in Novi Sad.
- I study Serbian every day.
- Today I am reading a short story.
Answers
- Ovo je moja kuća.
Ово је моја кућа. - Moje ime je Ana.
Моје име је Ана. - Živim u Novom Sadu.
Живим у Новом Саду. - Učim srpski svaki dan.
Учим српски сваки дан. - Danas čitam kratku priču.
Данас читам кратку причу.
