Engleske fraze za svaki dan

Goes at the end: Račun, molim vas.

The short, all-purpose form — doubles as please and you're welcome.

The h is pronounced — not 'vala'.

Also how you stop a stranger to ask something.

Moja is the feminine form of my — it agrees with mama, not with you.

Moj is the masculine form — tata is grammatically masculine.

First form if you're male, second if female.

Safe with anyone, any time of day.

Works for both arriving and leaving. Friends only.

Until roughly 10 a.m. After that, switch to Dobar dan.

The default polite greeting. When in doubt, use this.

From dusk onward — used when you arrive, not when you leave.

The polite goodbye. Ćao is the casual one.

Only when leaving or going to bed — never as a greeting.

Dobro došao / došla to one person you're close to.

Literally 'it is dear to me'.

Not jedan brat — after imam a person changes shape: jednog brata.

Dve for feminine, dva for masculine: dve sestre, dva brata.

Braća (brothers) behaves like a feminine singular word — it becomes braću after nemam.

Mlađa about a woman, mlađi about a man.

Od mene = than me — Serbian uses the same word for from and than.

Kod = at somebody's place — kod doktora, kod frizera, kod mojih roditelja.

Svoju rather than moju — Serbian has a special word for my own when it's the same person doing the action.

A woman se udaje, a man se ženi — two different verbs for the same event.

From žena — wife.

Čestitam na prinovi! is the one for a new baby.

Rođendan = birth day, literally.

The right question before any Serbian gathering. The answer is usually ništa, and you should bring something anyway.

To a friend: Da li si u vezi? Veza is a relationship — and also a connection, or a bus link.

Dečko becomes dečka after imam. It literally means boy.

First form if you're a woman, second if you're a man — two different words, not just endings.

First form if you're a woman, second if you're a man.

Nisam is ne and sam fused together — never ne sam.

Na kafu is the invitation that means everything and nothing. Nobody in Serbia asks anyone on a date — they ask for coffee.

Literally you are pleasing to me — the grammar runs backwards from English. This is what you say early.

Bigger in Serbian than in English — not said to friends, not said early. Sviđaš mi se is what you want for the first few months.

Literally you are missing to me — the person absent does the verb.

Serbian uses na (on) where English uses about.

Gentler than volim te — can be said to a friend.

A man says srećan.

Literally it is nice to me with you.

A man says ljut. Careful — ljuto also means spicy.

Said to a man. Povredila to a woman — the ending follows whoever did the verb.

Žao mi je is regret; izvini is an apology — different situations.

Said by a woman — a man says mislio.

U redu = all right, literally in order.

First form if you're male, second if female.

Look the other person in the eye. It matters here.

Pecivo is one pastry, peciva the whole tray.

Dajte mi sounds blunt in English but is the normal way to order here.

In Serbia you always say burek sa… and name the filling: sa sirom, sa mesom, sa spanaćem.

Ask before eight in the morning and the answer is always yes.

You'll be asked this in every bakery, cafe and grill in the country.

Kolica is always plural — one trolley or ten, the word is the same.

Akcija is the word on every sale sign in the country.

What the cashier asks you. Bags are charged for.

Said to you at the till. You need it to return anything.

One thing košta, several things koštaju.

In speech everyone says pola kile.

Asked with a smile late in the day it often works — but nobody haggles hard here.

Dužna if you're a woman, dužan if you're a man.

A veza is a tied bunch — spring onions, parsley, radishes.

Glavica — a little head. Used for cabbage, lettuce and garlic.

The most persuasive word on any Serbian market. Expect an enthusiastic yes.

Zrelo ripe, prezrelo overripe, nezrelo unripe. The prefixes do the work.

Ask this and you'll get better fruit than if you pick it yourself. It's taken as a compliment.

Nemojte is how you say don't politely. Nemoj to a friend.

On packaging it's written Sastav.

Orašasti plodovi is the whole category — walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts.

Some places count chicken as vegetarian-ish. Ask about meso directly.

Ljuto means spicy — and ljuta about a person means angry.

Alergična for a woman, alergičan for a man. Say it before you order, not after.

Everything after bez changes its ending: luk becomes luka.

Beli luk is garlic — literally white onion.

Nimalo ljuto if you want none at all.

Add any noun: Gde je hotel? Gde je stanica?

Careful — pravo means 'straight', not 'right'.

First form if you're male, second if female.

Routes are known by number: dvojka, sedamnaestica.

At a kiosk it's cheaper than from the driver.

Presesti — to change buses. Literally to sit across.

Sići get off, popeti se get on.

Both words of the city change: Novi Sad becomes do Novog Sada.

One way is karta u jednom pravcu.

Polazi departs, stiže arrives. On a timetable: polazak and dolazak.

Kasni is the verb; kašnjenje is the delay itself.

Look for garderoba at a station — that's left luggage, not a wardrobe.

Ask at the start, not halfway.

Look for the zone colour on the sign — it sets the price and the maximum stay.

Usually by SMS to a number printed on the sign — one message per hour.

At most stations someone fills the tank for you. Say it through the window.

Kakav asks what it's like; koji asks which one.

Ask what the franšiza is too — that's the excess you'd pay.

Depozit is masculine, so koliki. Compare Kolika je kirija?

Say it out loud with your phone recording, pointing at each scratch.

With a rented car you need written permission and a green card. Ask at the desk, not at the border.

Evo is always followed by that ending — same as evo paradajza.

Propustio if you're a man, propustila if you're a woman.

Prtljag is singular in Serbian even when it's three suitcases.

The AMSS number is 1987 anywhere in Serbia.

If anyone is hurt call 194 for an ambulance; 192 for the police report your insurer will want.

One thing košta, several koštaju.

Cena is feminine, so koja.

From five upward the word stays dinara.

Sitno — literally small stuff. You'll be asked this constantly.

Skupo expensive, preskupo too expensive.

You'll see povoljno written across shop windows next to akcija, a sale.

Moj because broj is masculine — but moja adresa, because adresa is feminine.

Na broju at number, but u ulici in the street.

Nalazi se — is located. Turns up on every set of directions.

Literally how many hours is it — learn it whole.

Two, three and four take sata; five and above take sati.

Pola šest means half past five, not half past six — Serbian counts toward the hour that's coming.

Do before, i after — šest i petnaest is quarter past.

Kasnim I'm running late; kasno je it's late.

The Serbian week starts on Monday and is numbered — utorak the second day, sreda simply the middle.

Nedelja means both Sunday and week.

Dates use ordinals — peti fifth, not pet five.

To a friend: Kada ti je rođendan?

Koliko dugo how long in time; koliko daleko how far in distance.

After once, you count in puta — dva puta twice, tri puta three times.

Said by a man — a woman says bila sam.

Said by a woman — a man says želeo. Termin is more formal than arranging to meet a friend.

Zakazati to book, otkazati to cancel, pomeriti to move — the prefix does everything.

Always better than cancelling — Serbians will nearly always say yes.

First form if you're male, second if female.

Na ime — under the name. Have your passport out; they'll ask.

Said by a woman — a man says rezervisao.

Odjavljivanje is check-out — the pri- and od- do the work of in and out.

Said by a man — a woman says planirala. Send this message rather than just turning up late.

Apartman is a private flat let to guests, not a hotel room (soba).

Ask for them the day before, not on the doorstep.

A door has a kod, an account has a šifra.

The question every guest asks first.

Da li ima parking? means the same and is what you'll actually say.

Ideš is the ti-form of ići — to go. Škola takes u + accusative for the place you're going to.

Srednju agrees with školu (accusative feminine) — srednja škola is secondary school, ages roughly 15 to 19.

Univerzitetu is locative after na — the case that answers where, not where to.

Studiraš — you study — takes a direct object with no preposition, unlike English what do you study.

Medicinu is the accusative of medicina — the direct object ending most subjects take.

Koji agrees with predmet (masculine) — it would be koja with a feminine noun.

Jezike is accusative plural of jezik — a language, but also literally a tongue.

Otvorite is the vi-form imperative — teachers use it for a whole class, the same form you'd use with one stranger.

Zatvorite — same imperative pattern as otvorite. Learn one, you've basically learned the other.

Pažljivo — carefully — comes from pažnja, attention.

Pročitajte (finish reading) is more specific than čitajte (be reading) — the pro- prefix marks a completed action.

Odgovore is accusative plural of odgovor — an answer. Same prefix logic: napisati is to finish writing.

Parovima is instrumental/locative plural of par — a pair. U parovima literally means in pairs.

Za mnom — literally after me / behind me — is also what you'd say leading someone somewhere.

Pitanje is neuter, so it's jedno, not jedan or jedna — the ending has to match the noun's gender.

Ovaj (this) agrees with zadatak, a masculine noun — it would be ova with a feminine one.

Možete li da... is the standard polite question shape — literally can you, that you...?

The same možete li da pattern as above, just swap in the verb you need.

Se ovo radi is a reflexive-style construction — closer to how is this done than how do you do this.

Da li and možete li both start a yes/no question — this is just the slightly more formal-sounding option.

Razumem — I understand — is a good one to have ready right after asking for help.

Domaći zadatak literally means home task — domaći on its own is also used as shorthand for homework.

Za domaći — for homework — drops zadatak once the topic is already clear.

Moram da + verb is the everyday way to say I have to — no separate infinitive needed.

Učim can mean both I'm studying and I'm learning — context decides which.

Učiš is the ti-form — this question suits a classmate or friend, not a teacher.

Dva sata — two hours — uses the special counting form sata rather than sati, used after dva, tri, četiri.

Uradio marks a male speaker — a woman would say uradila. Nisam is the negative of sam, I am/I have.

Sledeći agrees with test, a masculine noun — sledeća with a feminine one.

Days of the week take u + accusative for on: u petak, u ponedeljak, and so on.

Bio is the masculine past-tense form of biti, to be — bila for a feminine subject.

Uradila marks a female speaker here — uradio for a male one, same as in the homework section.

Znao — male speaker. A woman would say nisam znala.

Si is the ti-form of biti used to build the past tense — koju si dobio, literally which did you get.

Položila — female speaker; položio for a male one. Položiti ispit is the standard phrase for passing an exam.

Onlajn is simply online, borrowed and spelled the way it sounds.

Vam is the polite/plural you — the same word works for one student addressed formally or a whole class.

Vas is the accusative of vi — the formal/plural you, standard in an online-class setting.

Mi here is the short dative of ja (me) — literally the camera isn't working to me.

Isključite is a vi-form imperative — molim vas politely softens any request.

Podelite here means share, from deliti — to divide or share something.

Nestabilan agrees with internet, masculine — nestabilna with a feminine noun like veza (connection).

Vama is the instrumental/dative of vi — sa vama, with you, addressed formally to the teacher.

Dete (child) is neuter, which is why it's moje and not moj or moja.

Na času — literally at the lesson — is the fixed phrase for in class.

Mora da — same construction as moram da, just the he/she form: has to.

Matematikom is instrumental after sa (with) — most nouns after sa take this case.

Redovno — regularly — slots in right before the verb, as Serbian adverbs usually do.

Roditeljskom sastanku is locative after na — roditeljski sastanak is the parent-teacher meeting itself.

Serbian uses the present tense here where English reaches for have been learning — učiš alone covers it.

Meseci — months — follows šest with the plural genitive form, used after numbers five and up.

Lak and zanimljiv both agree with srpski, a masculine noun.

Govor here is a noun — speech / speaking — not the verb govoriti.

Teško mi je da... — literally it's hard for me to — is the natural way to admit something's difficult.

Reč (word) is feminine, hence ova rather than ovaj — and izgovara se is the reflexive is pronounced.

Prirodnije is the comparative of prirodno (naturally) — more naturally.

Zakažem is the ja-form of zakazati — to schedule/book. Da + present tense replaces the infinitive here, as is normal in spoken Serbian.

Imate is the vi-form of imati — to have. Slobodan (free/available) agrees with the masculine noun termin.

Vam is the dative of vi — polite "to you." This is what the receptionist would ask you.

Može (it's possible) is the impersonal it-form of moći — to be able to. No subject needed.

Moram is I must — from morati. Pomeriti means to move/shift, used here for rescheduling.

Otkazati — to cancel — shares its root with zakazati (to book); ot- reverses the action.

Kasniću is the future tense of kasniti — to be late. Oko + genitive means "around/about."

Ošišati se is reflexive — literally "to cut oneself['s hair]." Ošišam is the ja-form.

Skratite is the vi-imperative of skratiti — to shorten. Molim vas softens any request.

Nemojte + da is the polite negative imperative — "please don't." Its ti-form is nemoj.

Boju kose (the colour of hair) puts boja in the accusative as the object of promeniti — to change.

Izrastak refers to the regrowth at the roots — a specific word you'll only need at the salon.

Isfenirati (from fen — hairdryer) is a borrowed verb; mi here is the short dative "for me."

Dopadati se works like sviđati se — the thing is the subject, and the person who likes it is in the dative (mi).

Zakazan (booked) is the passive participle of zakazati, agreeing with the masculine tretman.

Both words are borrowed and declined like regular masculine nouns.

Laka is the genitive of lak (polish), used after boje — "colours of polish."

Prirodan (natural) agrees with the masculine noun izgled — look/appearance.

Mi here is the short possessive dative — literally "skin is to-me very sensitive."

Boleti (to hurt) is used impersonally with the thing that hurts as the subject.

Trajati — to last — is a common verb for asking about duration of any process.

Učlaniti se — to become a member — is reflexive; u teretanu takes the accusative for "into" the gym.

Članarina (membership fee) comes from the same root as učlaniti se and član — member.

Treninzi is the plural of trening; su is the plural "are" agreeing with it.

Mogu is the ja-form of moći — can. The same zakazati from Group 1 reappears here for booking a session.

Koristi se is a reflexive passive — literally "how does this machine use itself" — a common way to ask "how is X used."

Poboljšati — to improve — takes kondicija (fitness/condition) in the accusative as its object.

Teške (hard/strenuous) agrees with the feminine plural vežbe — exercises.

Očistiti — to clean — takes kaput (coat) directly as its object, in the accusative.

Gotovo (ready/done) is the neuter form used impersonally, without naming the item again.

Čišćenje (cleaning) is a verbal noun from čistiti — to clean.

Na košulji uses the locative case of košulja (shirt) — "on the shirt."

Treba da se skrati is an impersonal passive — "it's necessary that it be shortened" — with the dress as the grammatical subject.

Suziti (to narrow/take in) is the tailoring counterpart of skratiti (to shorten).

Doći po nešto means "to come and get/collect something" — po + accusative.

Pokvariti se — to break down — is reflexive; mi is the dative of "on me/to me."

Napukao is the past tense of napuknuti — to crack — agreeing with the masculine ekran.

Uključiti se — to turn on (itself) — is reflexive when talking about a device rather than a person switching it on.

Raditi here means "to function," not "to work [a job]" — a common double meaning.

U čemu je problem — literally "in what is the problem" — is the standard way to ask what's wrong.

Će koštati is the future tense of koštati — to cost.

Gotov here agrees with the masculine uređaj (device), unlike the neuter gotovo used for the coat earlier.

Nije u redu — literally "isn't in order" — is a very common way to say something's wrong.

Proizvoditi — to produce — is used here rather than "make," matching how Serbian talks about sounds machines emit.

Upaliti se — to light up — is reflexive; lampica (little light) is feminine, hence upalila.

Ulje (oil) is neuter and stays unchanged in the accusative here.

Kočnice (brakes) is a feminine plural-only noun, like naočare (glasses).

The same trajati (to last) from the beauty salon reappears here for how long a repair takes.

Pozovite is the vi-imperative of pozvati — to call. Bude is the future form of biti used after kada for future events.

Usluga (service) is a feminine noun that appears across every service context in this topic.

Uključen (included) is the passive participle of uključiti, here meaning "included" rather than "turned on."

Karticom is the instrumental case of kartica — "by means of card."

Račun means both "bill" and "receipt" depending on context — here it's what you ask for after paying.

Zadovoljan is the masculine form of the adjective; a female speaker would say zadovoljna.

Tražila is the feminine past tense of tražiti — to ask for/request; a male speaker would say tražio.

Rešiti — to resolve/solve — takes problem directly as its object.

Najbliža is the feminine form of najbliži (nearest), agreeing with pošta — a feminine noun.

Pošaljem is the ja-form of poslati — to send. Da + present tense replaces the infinitive here.

Treba mi (literally "it is needed to me") is the standard way to say "I need" in Serbian.

Poštarina specifically means "postage fee," distinct from pošta — the post office itself.

Potpišem is the ja-form of potpisati — to sign.

Karticom is the instrumental case of kartica (card), used to express "by means of."

Potvrda means confirmation/receipt — dobijem is the ja-form of dobiti, to receive.

Ovaj is the masculine demonstrative "this," agreeing with paket — a masculine noun.

Šaljem is the present-tense ja-form of slati — the imperfective "to send," for an ongoing action.

Literally "how many kilograms does the parcel have" — Serbian uses imati (to have) where English uses "weigh."

Paketu is the locative case of paket, used after the preposition u (in).

Lomljiv (fragile/breakable) comes from lomiti — to break.

Će stići is the future tense of stići — to arrive.

Preporučeno (literally "recommended") is the standard Serbian term for "registered" mail.

Došao sam is the masculine past tense of doći — to come; a woman would say Došla sam.

Dobila sam is the feminine past tense of dobiti; pošiljci is the locative case of pošiljka — shipment.

Na moje ime literally means "on my name" — the standard Serbian phrase for "in my name."

Lične karte is the genitive case of lična karta (ID card), required after evo — here is.

Preuzmem is the ja-form of preuzeti — to pick up/collect.

Da li introduces a yes/no question; word order is flexible, so paket can lead the clause for emphasis.

Biti u pošti (literally "to be at the post office") expresses that the parcel remains there in storage.

Očekujem is the ja-form of očekivati — to expect.

Pozovite is the vi-form imperative of pozvati — to call; dolaska is the genitive of dolazak, required after pre (before).

Biću is the future tense of biti (to be) — bi-ću, "I will be."

Dođete is the vi-form of doći — to come; informally you'd say možeš li da dođeš.

Ostavite is the vi-form imperative of ostaviti — to leave something.

Nemojte + infinitive is the polite way to give a negative command in Serbian.

Promenjena is the passive past participle (feminine) of promeniti — to change, agreeing with adresa.

Vaše is the formal possessive "your," matching the vi form used with strangers.

Tu sam literally means "I am here/there" — used colloquially to mean "I'll arrive."

Siđete is the vi-form of sići — to go/come down; po paket means "to fetch the parcel."

Koji (which/what) agrees with the masculine noun broj — number.

Pronađem is the ja-form of pronaći — to find.

Sačekajte is the vi-form imperative of sačekati — to wait for a short time.

Silazim is the present tense of silaziti — to go/come down, used here with present-for-immediate-future meaning.

Proverim is the ja-form of proveriti — to check.

Praćenje (tracking) comes from pratiti — to follow/track.

Praćenju is the dative case of praćenje, required after the preposition prema — according to.

Stigao is the masculine past participle of stići — to arrive; još nije means "not yet."

Kasniti means "to be late" — dana is the genitive plural of dan (day), used after nekoliko.

Menja se is the reflexive present tense of menjati — to change.

Same očekujem construction as expecting a delivery — the verb takes a direct object in the accusative.

Oštećen is the past passive participle of oštetiti — to damage, used adjectivally here.

Nedostaje (is missing/lacking) comes from nedostajati, agreeing with the missing item.

Dobio sam is the masculine past tense of dobiti; a woman would say Dobila sam.

Naručila is the feminine past tense of naručiti — to order; a man would say naručio.

Vratim is the ja-form of vratiti — to return something.

Povratne pošiljke (genitive) modifies troškove — literally "costs of the return shipment."

Povraćaj novca literally means "return of money" — the standard Serbian term for "refund."

Idem is the ja-form of ići — to go.

Nadležna (responsible/competent) is the feminine form, agreeing with služba — office/department.

Spratu is the locative case of sprat (floor), used after na.

Kome is the dative case of ko (who); obratim se — to address/turn to someone — is reflexive.

Pravom is the locative case of pravi (right/correct), agreeing with mesto — place.

Predaju se is the reflexive present tense of predati — to submit/hand in, used passively here.

Stranke here means "clients / members of the public," not political parties — strankama is the instrumental plural after sa.

Potrebni is the plural agreement of potreban (needed), agreeing with dokumenti.

Potreban agrees with the masculine noun pasoš — passport.

Potrebna is the feminine form, agreeing with lična karta — ID card.

Same potrebna construction, agreeing with fotografija — photograph, a feminine noun.

Dokumenta is the genitive case of dokument, meaning "of the document."

Kod vas (literally "at yours") is how Serbian expresses "with you" or "in your possession."

Nedostaje (is missing) is impersonal, agreeing with the singular dokument even when asking generally.

Uzmem is the ja-form of uzeti — to take/get.

Popunim is the ja-form of popuniti — to fill in.

Napišem is the ja-form of napisati — to write.

Rubrike (fields/boxes on a form) is plural feminine; sve means "all/every" here.

Potpišem se — to sign — is often used reflexively in this context, though the plain form also appears.

Podnesem is the ja-form of podneti — to submit/file, used specifically for formal applications.

Elektronski here means "electronically/online" rather than describing a physical object.

Prijavim is the ja-form of prijaviti — to register/report.

Boravak (stay/residence period) is the term used for temporary residence registration.

Preselio sam se is the masculine past tense of preseliti se — to move/relocate.

Preselila is the feminine past-tense form, differing only in the final vowel from the masculine.

Vlasnik stana literally means "owner of the flat" — the standard term for landlord in this context.

Važi is the present tense of važiti — to be valid.

Prijavi is the locative case of prijava (registration), required after o — about/of.

Izvod iz matične knjige rođenih literally means "extract from the register of births" — the formal Serbian term for a birth certificate.

Same construction as the birth certificate, with venčanih (of the married) replacing rođenih (of the born).

Državljanstvu is the dative/locative case of državljanstvo — citizenship, required after o.

Prebivalište specifically means permanent residence, as opposed to boravak — temporary stay.

Izvadim is the ja-form of izvaditi — literally "to take out," used idiomatically for obtaining official documents.

Čeka se is the impersonal reflexive form of čekati — to wait, used when no specific subject is named.

Istog dana (genitive) means "of the same day," used adverbially here.

Overen (certified/notarized) is the passive participle of overiti.

Overim is the ja-form of overiti — to certify/notarize.

Sudski prevod (literally "court translation") is the Serbian term for a certified/sworn translation.

Preveden is the passive participle of prevesti — to translate.

Sudski tumač is a certified interpreter authorized for official/legal purposes, distinct from a general prevodilac (translator).

Overim potpis uses the same overiti (to certify) verb as certifying documents or copies.

Lično (in person/personally) modifies the verb dođem — to come; kod notara means "at the notary's."

Unapred (in advance) modifies zakažem — the ja-form of zakazati, to schedule/book.

Uzmem broj (literally "take a number") is the standard phrase for taking a queue ticket.

Same impersonal čeka se construction used earlier for waiting times.

Kolika (how much/how big) agrees with the feminine noun taksa — fee.

Taksu is the accusative case of taksa — fee, the direct object of platim.

Karticom is the instrumental case of kartica (card), used to express "by means of."

Sačuvajte is the vi-form imperative of sačuvati — to keep/save.

Svog zahteva is the reflexive possessive in the genitive, agreeing with zahtev — application.

Predao sam is the masculine past tense of predati — to submit; a woman would say Predala sam.

Gotov (ready/finished) agrees with the masculine noun dokument.

Ga is the accusative pronoun "it," referring back to dokument (masculine).

Ćete obavestiti is the vi-form future tense of obavestiti — to notify.

Umesto mene means "instead of me" — mene is the genitive form of ja used after prepositions.

Dobio sam is masculine past tense; prilikom predaje means "at the time of submission."