Language and useful phrases

English is widely spoken in Belgrade among younger people and in anything tourist facing, so most visitors never have a real difficulty. The exceptions are small restaurants and taverns, which are often the more interesting places to spend New Year's Eve, and where a few words and a written booking go a long way.

Where English works

Hotels, larger restaurants, the airport and anything aimed at visitors operate comfortably in English.

Younger people in general speak it well, and asking directions in the centre is never a problem.

Menus in the centre are usually available in English, though not always in neighbourhood places.

Where it does not

Small taverns, neighbourhood restaurants and older taxi drivers often do not speak English at all.

This matters most when booking, where a misunderstanding about the date or number of people is the usual result.

Written communication solves this better than speaking, because numbers and dates are recorded.

The alphabet

Serbian is written in both Cyrillic and Latin script, and both are in official use.

Street signs in the centre are usually in both, and menus are most often in Latin script.

Learning to recognise a few Cyrillic letters helps with signs, but it is not necessary for a short visit.

Greetings

Dobar dan means good day and works from morning until evening. Dobro veče is good evening.

Hvala is thank you, molim is please, and izvinite is excuse me.

Doviđenja is goodbye, though ćao is used informally by everyone.

New Year greetings

Srećna nova godina means happy new year and is used freely with strangers on the night.

It is also used again around 13 and 14 January for Serbian New Year.

Around Orthodox Christmas the greeting is Hristos se rodi, answered with Vaistinu se rodi.

At the table

Račun, molim means the bill, please. Jelovnik is the menu.

Voda is water, pivo is beer, vino is wine and rakija is fruit brandy.

Živeli is the toast, used when glasses are raised, and it works in every situation.

Dietary requirements

Ne jedem meso means I do not eat meat. Vegetarijansko is vegetarian and posno is the fasting menu, which is effectively vegan.

Posno is the most useful word of the three, because every kitchen understands it without explanation.

For allergies, write the word down rather than saying it, as pronunciation matters more than usual.

Numbers

Numbers are the most common source of misunderstanding when booking, particularly over the phone.

Always confirm the number of people and the date in writing, in digits, rather than agreeing verbally.

Prices are quoted in dinars, and the currency abbreviation appears as RSD or din.

Booking without a shared language

Send a written message with the date, number of people and your name, in short sentences.

Ask for written confirmation back with the same details, which removes almost every risk.

Translation apps handle this well for short messages, far better than they handle conversation.

Asking for help

Da li govorite engleski means do you speak English, and is the natural way to start.

In the centre the answer is usually yes, and if not, someone nearby will step in, which happens readily.

People are generally helpful with visitors and will make an effort well beyond their actual English.

Names and pronunciation

Serbian is written as it sounds, so every letter is pronounced and there are no silent letters.

Č and ć are both close to ch, š is sh, ž is like the s in measure and đ is close to j in jam.

That is enough to read a menu or a street sign approximately correctly.

A short list worth learning

Dobar dan, hvala, molim, izvinite, račun molim, živeli and srećna nova godina.

Seven phrases cover nearly every interaction of a short visit.

None of them will be pronounced perfectly and nobody will mind in the slightest.

Menus and food words

Pečenje is roast meat, sarma is stuffed cabbage, gibanica is a cheese pastry and ćevapi are grilled minced meat rolls.

Salata is salad, hleb is bread and supa or čorba is soup, with čorba being the thicker of the two.

Knowing five food words is more useful on the night than knowing fifty general ones.

Written versus spoken

Serbian spelling is entirely phonetic, so a written word can be read aloud approximately correctly by anyone.

This makes writing things down unusually effective, including addresses given to a taxi driver.

Showing a written address on a phone works better than attempting to pronounce it.