Serbian is spoken by around 9 million people in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. A South Slavic language with the rare particularity of officially using two alphabets, Cyrillic and Latin, fully equivalent. From Belgrade to Novi Sad, this kit gives you the bare minimum to find your way in the Balkans.
Serbian (srpski) is the official language of the Republic of Serbia and one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are around 9 million native speakers, distributed between Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosovo and the diaspora. Linguistically, Serbian belongs to the Western South Slavic group, alongside Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin. These four languages share an almost identical core grammar and vocabulary and remain perfectly mutually intelligible. Serbian stands out mainly through its unique writing system in the world: it officially has two fully equivalent alphabets, Cyrillic (vukovica, reformed by Vuk Karadzic in the 19th century) and Latin (gajica). On the same street in Belgrade, you will read signs in both scripts, sometimes on the same sign. The Serbian constitution favors Cyrillic, but Latin remains very present in daily life, especially in commerce and among youth. Serbian grammar uses seven cases and three genders, which requires learning. But for travellers, the essentials come down to a few formulas, some culinary vocabulary and mastering the pair 'Dobar dan' (formal hello) and 'Dovidjenja' (formal goodbye). Serbian culture combines Byzantine and Orthodox influences, continental Slavic traditions, Ottoman heritage and Balkan modernity. Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and the Studenica monastery attract a growing number of travellers. This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an arrival in Belgrade, a bus ride, an order in a kafana, a medical emergency and a smooth departure. Memorize these expressions before leaving and you will gain confidence from the very first hours on site.
Here is how these phrases play out in real life. Each scene sets the stage and gathers the useful expressions.
You land at Belgrade Nikola Tesla airport in the early morning. The agent at the counter greets you with 'Dobro jutro'. You return the greeting, answer 'Dobar dan' to a traveller you pass in the hall and warmly greet the waiting driver with 'Zdravo' at the exit.
You climb into a taxi to reach the center. You give the street of your guesthouse (kuca), mention the school (skola) used as a landmark, the open-air market (pijaca) you want to visit later and the restaurant (restoran) where you will book for the evening.
You settle into a traditional kafana in Skadarlija for dinner. The waiter hands you the menu and you order bread (hleb), a carafe of water (voda), a local yogurt (mleko) on the side and a plate of grilled meat (meso) with ajvar.
You wake up with a toothache after a long day of walking in Belgrade. At the pharmacy (apoteka), you point to your head (glava), your tired eyes (oko), your ringing ear (uvo) and hold out your hand (ruka) to receive the medicine.
The evening before departure, you wish 'Laku noc' to your hosts as you leave the table. In the morning, you take leave with a formal 'Dovidjenja' to the owner, a warm 'Cao' to her son, and thank with a big 'Hvala' before getting on the bus to Novi Sad.
What you need to know before travelling to a serbe-speaking country.
Serbian has two fully equivalent official alphabets: Cyrillic (Byzantine and Orthodox heritage) and Latin (the same letters as in Croatian). You will see both everywhere, sometimes on the same sign. Learning the Cyrillic alphabet lets you read most administrative signs very quickly.
Serbian hospitality is strong. Refusing a coffee, a glass of rakija or a plate in a home can seem cold. Accept at least a sip, even symbolic, with thanks.
Serbian and Croatian remain largely mutually intelligible: core grammar and vocabulary are identical. But specific words differ (kruh/hleb for bread, mlijeko/mleko for milk). Never say 'Serbo-Croatian', the term is now outdated.
Greeting when entering a shop, cafe or elevator is expected: 'Dobar dan' is enough. With friends or young people, the Italian 'Cao' is very frequent and works for hello as well as goodbye.
The slava (Orthodox patron saint feast) is a major moment. If invited, bring a small gift (wine, flowers, chocolate) and never arrive empty-handed. It is more important than Christmas for many families.
Restaurant tipping is around 10 percent and is given by rounding up. Announce the total amount to the waiter when they come to collect, rather than leaving coins on the table.
The Serbian dinar (RSD) remains the currency in Serbia, and the convertible mark (BAM) in Bosnia. Cards work in cities but cash remains useful for markets and villages, withdraw from major bank ATMs.
Avoid sensitive political topics: the 1990s war, Kosovo's status, relations with Croatia or Bosnia. Listen before offering your opinion on topics you do not master.
Preview. The full glossary (30 words) and all the phrases are in the PDF.
Molim
please / you're welcome
Izvinite
excuse me, sorry
Kako ste
how are you (formal)
Dobro
fine, good
Da
yes
Ne
no
Dobrodošli
welcome
Vidimo se
see you
Ja
I
Ti
you (sg informal)
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Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.
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