Do people in Serbia speak English?

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Bilingual Post: English – Serbian

1. Do people in Serbia speak English?

People in Serbia speak English, but it’s important to mention that English is well spoken in larger Serbian cities (i.e. Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš), and perhaps not so well in rural parts of Serbia. However, you shouldn’t have any problems communicating in English with Millennials and Generation Z (people under 40) no matter where you are traveling in Serbia.

It’s good to know that Serbia is among the top 20 best non-native English speaking countries (See the list – CEO World Magazine) and it ranks #17 after Croatia, Hungary and Romania. According to the EF EPI (EF English Proficiency Index), the world’s largest ranking of countries and regions by English skills, Serbia is ranked #14 with HIGH proficiency in English. Countries that come after Serbia on the list are Philippines (#18), Switzerland (#25) and Czech Republic (#27). (See the full list ).

Da li ljudi u Srbiji govore engleski?

Ljudi u Srbiji govore engleski, ali je važno spomenuti da se engleski dobro govori u većim gradovima Srbije (npr. Beograd, Novi Sad, Niš), a da se se slabije govori u ruralnim delovima Srbije. Međutim, ne bi trebalo da imate problema da pričate na engleskom sa milenijalcima i generacijom Z (ljudima ispod 40 godina) bez obzira gde putujete u Srbiji.

Dobro je znati da je Srbija među 20 najboljih zemalja u kojima engleski nije maternji jezik (pogledajte listu – CEO World Magazine) i rangirana je na 17. mestu posle Hrvatske, Mađarske i Rumunije. Prema EF EPI (EF English Proficiency Index), najvećoj svetskoj rang listi zemalja i regiona po znanju engleskog jezika, Srbija je rangirana na 14. mestu sa VISOKIM poznavanjem engleskog jezika. Zemlje na listi koje su posle Srbije su Filipini (#18), Švajcarska (#25) i Češka (#27). (Pogledajte kompletnu listu).

2. Can you travel to Serbia without speaking Serbian language?

Yes, you can definitely travel to Serbia without speaking Serbian. The English language will be enough for you to get around the larger cities in Serbia. If you are going to visit smaller Serbian towns and villages where people do not speak English, you will need to speak Serbian or bring a Serbian friend with you.

If you are planning on going to the smaller Serbian towns and villages, you will need to speak Serbian or go with a Serbian friend.

Možete li putovati u Srbiju bez znanja srpskog jezika?

Da, definitivno možete putovati u Srbiju i bez znanja srpskog. Engleski jezik će vam biti dovoljan za kretanje po većim gradovima Srbije. Ako idete u posetu manjim srpskim gradovima i selima u kojima ljudi ne govore engleski, treba da govorite srpski ili da sa sobom povedete srpskog prijatelja.

3. What languages do people speak in Serbia?

In Serbia people speak Serbian as their native language. Foreign languages are a big part of the Serbian public education and all students in school learn one or two foreign languages. English is the most common foreign language for Serbian students to learn in preschool and elementary school. Other languages that are taught in schools in Serbia are Russian, German, French, etc.

Furthermore, Serbians also speak the languages of neighboring countries like Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. Serbians who live in the border region with Bulgaria, Macedonia and Montenegro, colloquially use these languages in their daily lives to communicate with their non-Serbian neighbors.

Koje jezike ljudi govore u Srbiji?

U Srbiji ljudi govore srpski kao maternji jezik. Strani jezici su veliki deo srpskog javnog obrazovanja i svi učenici u školi uče jedan ili dva strana jezika. Engleski je najčešći strani jezik koje srpski učenici uče u obdaništu i osnovnoj školi. Drugi jezici koji se uče u školama su ruski, nemački, francuski itd.

Osim toga, Srbi govore jezike susednih zemalja kao što su Hrvatska, Crna Gora i Bosna. Srbi koji žive u graničnim regionima se Bugarskom, Makedonijom i Crnom Gorom, kolokvijalno koriste ove jezike u svom svakodnevnom životu da komuniciraju sa svojim ne-srpskim susedima.

4. How do people in Serbia communicate and interact with other people?

People in Serbia are kind and friendly. They like to interact and socialize with people from other countries. Serbians communicate in a direct way and they often use hand gestures to convey additional information. Sometimes they can be loud and intense in conversation (aka. “in your face”) especially if they feel very strongly about something. Serbians believe “passion” is part of their “Balkan temperament and soul” and this is clearly visible in their communication style.

Serbians express their friendly intentions towards other people in various ways and “intensity and their animated nature” is just a part of their charm.
Serbians are quite curious about foreigners and they like to learn about other countries and different lifestyles. In a conversation, Serbs like to make comments and freely express their opinion. It’s common for them to share their thoughts too generously and to interrupt the speaker while he/she is speaking. These are a few things to be aware of when talking with Serbians.

One of my favorite words in Serbian is “druženje”. “Druženje” is a Serbian word that means “socializing, spending time, and having fun” in English. Serbians are very social and they like making new friends and I would use the word “druženje” to describe them.

Kako ljudi u Srbiji komuniciraju sa drugim ljudima?

Ljudi u Srbiji su ljubazni i društveni. Oni vole da komuniciraju i da se druže sa ljudima iz drugih zemalja. Srbi komuniciraju na direktan način i često rukama gestikuliraju dodatne informacije. U razgovoru umeju da budu neki put glasni ili “vatreni”, pogotovo ako im je do nečega jako stalo. Srbi smatraju da je „strast“ deo njihovog „balkanskog temperamenta i duše“ i to se jasno vidi u njihovom stilu komunikacije.

Srbi iskazuju prijateljske namere prema drugim ljudima na razne načine i „vatrenost i živahnost” su deo njihovog šarma.
Srbi su prilično radoznali kad su u pitanju stranci i znatiželjni o drugim zemljama i različitim načinima života. U razgovoru Srbi vole da komentarišu i da slobodno ispoljavaju svoje mišljenje. Sasvim je uobičajeno za Srbe da otvoreno kažu šta im je na umu i da prekinu govornika u razgovoru. Ovo je samo neke stvari kojih treba da budete svesni kada razgovarate sa Srbima.

Jedna od mojih omiljenih reči na srpskom jeziku je „druženje“. „Druženje” je srpska reč koja na engleskom znači „družiti se, provoditi vreme i zabavljati se”. Srbi su veoma društveni i vole da sklapaju nova prijateljstva i ja bih upotrebila reč „druženje” da ih opišem.

5. These are some common Serbian phrases:

(Informal)
Hello – Zdravo
How are you? – Kako si?
What is your name? – Kako se zoveš?
My name is… – Moje ime je…
Good day – Dobar dan
Good night – Laku noć
Excuse me – Izvini
Do you have…? – Da li imaš…?
Where can I find…? – Gde mogu naći…?

friend – drug, prijatelj
socializing – druženje
Serbian language – srpski jezik
I don’t speak Serbian well – Ja ne govorim srpski dobro

(Formal)
A greeting of respect – Poštovanje!
How are you? – Kako ste?
What is your name? – Kako se zovete?
It’s nice to meet you – Drago mi je što smo se upoznali
Excuse me – Izvinite
Do you have…? – Da li imate…?

25 Serbian Travel Phrases You Should Know

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Here are some useful Serbian travel phrases and expressions to help you get around Serbia.

Note: Serbian language has 2 alphabets – Cyrillic and Latin Alphabet. They are both used in everyday Serbian and they each have a total of 30 letters. The pronunciation is the same for both alphabets. You can see the examples of the Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet in the images of this post. And the examples of the Serbian Latin Alphabet are used in the text of this post. To learn how to read Serian Alphabet and how to and pronounce all the sounds correctly, we recommend checking out this course for learning Serbian. This is great for absolute beginners who wish to learn Serbian and for advanced learners who wish to improve their Serbian pronunciation with the Phonetics and Accent Video Series. You will learn everything you need to start speaking Serbian with fluency and style! Take advantage of the 7 DAY FREE TRIAL and sign up today to learn how to read and write Serbian Alphabet and how to improve your pronunciation in Serbian. Now, here are the most useful 25 Serbian travel phrases and expressions:

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I Getting Around

“Excuse me, do you know where is…?” in Serbian

“Excuse me” in Serbian is Izvinite. “Do you know where is…?” in Serbian is Da li znate gde je…? So the full expression “Excuse me, do you know where is…?” in Serbian is Izvinite, da li znate gde je…? Examples:

• Izvnite, da li znate gde je autobuska stanica? – Excuse me, do you know where is the bus station?
• Izvnite, da li znate gde je XYZ hotel? – Excuse me, do you know where is the XYZ hotel?

“How do I get to the…?” in Serbian

“How do I get to the…?” in Serbian is Kako da dođem do…?  Examples:

• Kako da dođem do pošte? – How do I get to the Post Office?
• Kako da dođem do prodavnice?– How do I get to the store?

“Please take me to the…”  in Serbian

If you are in a taxi in Serbia and you wish to say “Please take me to the…” you would say it in Serbian Molim Vas, odvezite me do… Examples:

• Molim Vas, odvezite me do centra grada– Please take me downtown
• Molim Vas, odvezite me do bolnice – Please take me to the hospital

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II Staying At A Hotel

“What time is…?” in Serbian

There are two ways you can ask “What time is…?” in Serbian. The first way is U koje vreme je…? And the second way is U koliko sati je…? (which literally means “at how many hours”). Examples:

• U koje vreme je doručak?  or U koliko sati je doručak? –  What time is breakfast?
• U koje vreme je prijava? or U koliko sati je prijava?– What time is check-in?
• U koje vreme je odjava? or U koliko sati je odjava?– What time is check out?

“I want to order room service” in Serbian

“I want to order” in Serbian is Hoću da naručim. You can say “room service” in Serbian rum servis or sobna usluga. The full expression “I want to order room service” in Serbian is Hoću da naručim rum servis or Hoću da naručim sobnu uslugu.

“Is there…?” in Serbian

“Is there…?” in Serbian is Da li ima…? This is a useful phrase if you are checking into a hotel and you want to ask: Examples:

• Da li ima bazen? – Is there a pool?
• Da li ima klima uređaj?– Is there an airconditioner?
• Da li ima besplatan bežični internet? – Is there free Wifi?

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III Eating At A Restaurant

“I have a reservation” in Serbian

“I have a reservation” in Serbian is Ja imam rezervaciju

“A table for 2, please” in Serbian

“A table for two, please” in Serbian is Sto za dve osobe, molim Vas (meaning “a table for two persons”) Example:

•  Sto za jednu osobu, molim Vas – A table for 1, please

“Could I see the menu, please?” in Serbian

“Could I see…?” in Serbian is Mogu li da vidim…? “Menu” in Serbian is meni or jelovnik. The full expression “Could I see the menu, please?” in Serbian is Mogu li da vidim meni, molilm Vas? or Mogu li da vidim jelovnik, molilm Vas?

“What do you recommend?” in Serbian

“What do you recommend?” in Serbian is Šta preporučujete?

“I have an allergy to…” in Serbian

“I have an allergy to…” in Serbian is Imam alergiju na… Examples:

• Imam alergiju na kikiriki– I have an allergy to peanuts
• Imam alergiju na školjke– I have an allergy to shellfish
• Imam alergiju na mlečne proizvode– I have an allergy to dairy 

“Where is the restroom/toilet, please?” in Serbian

“Where is the restroom/toilet, please?” in Serbian is Gde je toalet, molim Vas? 

“Check/bill, please?” in Serbian

“Check/bill, please?” in Serbian is Račun, molim Vas? 

“Thank you” in Serbian

“Thank you” in Serbian is Hvala

“Yes” in Serbian

“Yes” in Serbian is Da

“No” in Serbian

“No” in Serbian is Ne

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IV Shopping In Serbian

“How much does this cost?” in Serbian

“How much does this cost?” in Serbian is Koliko ovo košta?

“How much is this?” in Serbian

“How much is this?” in Serbian is Koliko je ovo?

“Do you have…?” in Serbian

“Do you have…?” in Serbian is Da li imate…?  Examples:

• Da li imate razglednice?– Do you have postcards?
• Da li imate automat za kartice?– Do you have an ATM machine?

“Can I pay with…”  in Serbian

“Can I pay with…” in Serbian is Da li mogu da platim…?  Examples:

• Da li mogu da platim kešom?– Can I pay in cash?
• Da li mogu da platim kreditnom karticom?– Can I pay with a credit card?

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V Asking For Help In Serbian

“Could you help me please?” in Serbian

“Could you help me please? in Serbian is Možete li da mi pomognete, molim Vas?

“Could you please repeat that?” in Serbian

“Could you please repeat that?” in Serbian is Možete li da ponovite to, molim Vas?

“Could you please speak slowly? in Serbian

“Could you please speak slowly? in Serbian is Možete li da govorite polako, molim Vas?

“I don’t understand” in Serbian

“I don’t understand” in Serbian is Ne razumem.

“I do not speak Serban well” in Serbian

“I do not speak Serban well” in Serbian is Ja ne govorim srpski dobro.  

These 25 Serbian travel phrases and expressions will help you get around in Serbian especially when interacting with locals. Make sure you practice the Serbian phrases and expressions. And take your time learning the vocabulary too.

People in Serbia are very friendly and they love it when foreigners speak to them in Serbian. If you have friends who would like to learn Serbian, please share this post with them and the course for learning Serbian – The Ultimate Serbian Online Course. I hope this helps you out next time you visit Serbia. Cheers!

Learning Serbian: Are You Working on Your Areas of Growth?

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Are you learning Serbian? If so, then this article is for you.

We all know what it is like to be confronted with a challenge that requires more energy to solve or learn than we desire to give. Far too often we retreat from such circumstances under the false belief that all departures from challenge (which can produce stress) are a good thing. What we should keep in mind is the fact that growth comes from tension. That’s right, there is no growth without tension and the same is true for learning Serbian.

Growth opportunities

This means we must change our perspective and reaction to tension, challenge, and stress. Every time we avoid these elements we are avoiding growth opportunities. That doesn’t mean we should seek out activities or opportunities that might do us harm, but it does mean we should be careful what we label as stressful. Take learning Serbian for example. Do you view learning Serbian as being stressful? If you do you will be less inclined to study it because you have labeled it as something negative. The key is to understand that you are involved in a process that exists across a spectrum of an unknown amount of time. Furthermore, the process requires the acquisition of new knowledge and learning and this means you have to work on your areas of growth in order to progress.

You May Like This: “Learning Serbian Is Not As Difficult As You May Think” – WATCH A VIDEO

How to improve your Serbian language learning skills?

So what exactly do I mean? Well, let’s say for example that you have a solid understanding of how to identify and categorize nouns and adjectives across the 3 Serbian genders (i.e. masculine, feminine, neuter). It would be easy to just continue to reinforce what you already know and do study exercises related to the 3 Serbian genders. But the question is, would that move your Serbian language skills forward? Not really. Reviewing acquired knowledge certainly has its place, but it can’t replace the importance of moving on to new content. This is what I mean when I ask “Are you working on your areas of growth?”.

Explore your comfort zone

Exploring language is all about exploring your own comfort (or discomfort) with uncertainty. If you can cause yourself to view uncertainty and your “not knowing something” as a positive force, then there is nothing you can’t do. But getting to that level of awareness and fluidity of practice requires practice. This means that the best thing you can do today is something you don’t know.

Serbian Lesson Videos

Hop on the Lesson Videos on Serbian Language Podcast.com and explore some new content. As you explore, let your learning linger. Stay there a while. Complete the practice exercises, rewatch the videos, and indulge yourself in a genuine learning experience free of worry or fear. Once you get addicted to this mindset the acquisition of your language skills will get addicted to you…and you will grow beyond your wildest dreams.

Learn Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet

Challenge yourself and learn Serbian Cyrillic Alphabet. Wouldn’t it be nice to finally know how to write Serbian Cursive Cyrillic? This great Serbian Alphabet Video Series can teach you everything you need to know about Serbian Cursive and Latin Alphabet. Sign up today and get started, make the best of the 7 Day Free Trial.

Beginner Dialogues

If you already know Serbian Alphabet and you are looking to learn how to speak in Serbian, I recommend starting with these Serbian Beginner Dialogues. It’s a great way to challenge yourself, practice speaking Serbian, and learn how to navigate between Formal and Informal Serbian Speech. With a Monthly Subscription, you’ll get access to the entire Premium Content for learning Serbian on SerbianLanguagePodcast.com. Click here to check out all the wonderful things they have to offer.

Is Learning Serbian Hard?

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Learning a language can be difficult. What about the Serbian language?

I can’t tell you how many times people ask me “Is learning Serbian hard?” The answer is actually more complicated than the question itself since the answer to the question actually questions the premise of the question. Whew! I know that was a mouthful. See, here’s the thing: we need to define hard. What is hard? What is it about learning Serbian that truly makes it hard?

Is Serbian hard?

What I think you will find is that as you unpack the question a simple truth is revealed: very few things in life are truly hard. But almost everything requires learning. And some things that require learning may come quicker or more fluid than others, but learning was still required. It’s almost as if anything that doesn’t just fall in our laps we categorize as being hard. But is this the best way to look at it? I would argue that it isn’t, and this brings us back to the question “Is learning Serbian hard?”

The short answer

The short answer is “No, it’s not”. Remember, few things are truly hard. Most things just require learning. So it is with Serbian. Stop telling yourself it’s hard. Tell yourself that learning is required. And you CAN learn if your reasons for learning are strong and you have positive self-talk. So many people psych themselves out of striving for their dreams by using language that is not reflective or representative of the whole story.

Taking small steps

Learning Serbian is about taking small steps that are connected to other small steps, the culmination of which leads to a collective whole that is liquid. This is good news because it means every small step you take is connecting you to the other small steps and, inevitably, the collective whole that makes up the language system. And that’s what you are learning: a system.

Take your goal seriously

Be brave and bold as you take steps towards the achievement of your goals. Take your goal of learning Serbian seriously, and don’t talk yourself out of what your heart got you into. You CAN do this, and if you can…perhaps you should. So the next time someone asks you “Is learning Serbian hard?” tell them what I told you: “No, but learning is required.”

You may find this video useful, made by my fellow Serbian Blog Contributor – Cam The Broadcaster

“Learning Serbian Is Not As Difficult As You May Think” – WATCH A VIDEO

Navigating Between The 3 Serbian Genders: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

Today I’d like to share with you a few things about the Gender Category in Serbian language and how you as a language learner can successfully navigate through it.

Serbian language learners are great detectives as they know about the 3 Serbian genders: masculine, feminine and neuter

Being a language learner is very similar to being a detective. Language learning requires the ability to look for clues and patterns.  Once you recognize them and understand them, then they will take you to the next stage of your language development – fluency.

It’s a tall order, but an enjoyable one if you stay nice and relaxed, strategic in your studies, and enjoy the ride.

Serbian Language

Serbian language is a detective’s dream because there are so many clues, patterns, and information within Serbian words and sentence structures that help you understand the key information and details being conveyed. Example: Serbian noun genders.

3 Serbian Genders: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

Serbian language has 3 gender categories: Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter.

Let’s look at a few examples:

žena (woman or wife) – Feminine Noun

dete (child) – Neuter Noun

čovek (man) – Masculine Noun

Serbian Words & Endings

One thing to know about Serbian is this: the endings of words contain a lot of information. Serbian language doesn’t have articles that precede the nouns. In Spanish for example “la famlia” means “the family” and the article “la” indicates that the noun is feminine. In Serbian, the noun ENDINGS provide us with this information and this is how we can distinguish whether or not a noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Serbian Gender Category – The Rule of Thumb

Singular Nouns that end in consonant (meaning a “non vowel”) in their 1st Case (Nominative) are Masculine (i.e. čovek)

Singular Nouns that end with “a” in their 1st Case (Nominative) are Feminine (i.e. žena)

Singular nouns that end with “e” or “o” in their 1st Case (Nominative) are Neuter (i.e. dete)

Like most languages, Serbian has some exceptions…but 90% of the time the rule mentioned above is true. Nice right?!

Serbian Gender – Practice

With that in mind can you put your detective hat on and tell me the gender of the following 3 nouns?

1. dan (day)
2. knjiga (book)
3. mleko (milk)

The answer is:

1. 1. 1. dan (day) – Masculine
      2. knjiga (book) – Feminine
      3. mleko (milk) – Neuter

That wasn’t so hard? If you keep practicing like this you will become masterful at navigating between these 3 Serbian genders.

Summary

Serbian words carry important information in their endings as you have seen above. Almost all words in Serbian have gender except adverbs, prepositions and some other small parts of speech.

It’s important to learn the gender of the words in Serbian and not only the meaning of the words because this will help you later on when you start making sentences in Serbian.

People who only use flashcards or apps to learn Serbian words, have a hard time correctly making sentences in Serbian. So if you are learning Serbian or you are starting out, make sure you are learning Serbian words and their gender as well.

Hope this helps you!