Exercises

Reading a phrase list teaches you nothing. Playing with it does. Every drill below is a gap-fill exercise with explanations, in both alphabets — pick a topic and start anywhere.

Essentials

Osnovno3 drills

Saying thank you

One English thank you for, two Serbian endings — hvala na or hvala za.

26 sentences

Your first day

Greetings, introducing yourself and your family, basic questions, and what to say when you don't understand.

26 sentences

Daily routine

Present tense with everyday routines — ustajem and ustaju, gledam and gledaju — for I and for they.

24 sentences

Meeting people & socialising

Upoznavanje2 drills

Small talk

The weather, the city, an offer, an event — and knowing when a sentence switches from ti to vi.

22 sentences

Making a plan

From "when shall we meet?" to "agreed" — including how to say no without offence.

12 sentences

Family & relationships

Porodica i veze2 drills

Family

Brothers, sisters, parents and relatives — and the word that changes shape: moj or moja.

25 sentences

Love

Liking versus loving — sviđaš mi se, volim te — through to making up after an argument.

26 sentences

Food & drink

Hrana i piće6 drills

In the café

From the moment you sit down to the moment you pay.

16 sentences

Ordering food

Opening the menu, asking questions, and asking for the bill.

18 sentences

Shopping for food

The onion, or some onion? Why the ending of the noun changes, and when.

20 sentences

At the bakery

Ordering burek and pecivo, and asking for it za poneti — to take away.

13 sentences

At the market

Prices, how much you want, the counting words veza and glavica, and checking whether it's ripe.

19 sentences

Asking about ingredients

Allergies and preferences — bez glutena, alergična sam — and asking what's inside.

14 sentences

Around town

Snalaženje u gradu5 drills

Asking for directions

Stopping a stranger, asking the way, and understanding what to do when you've gone wrong.

14 sentences

Travelling

Five question words — kako, kada, gde, koliko, koje — and almost anything you can ask with them.

18 sentences

Buses and trains

Which bus goes where, buying a ticket, changing lines, getting off at the right stop, and delays.

18 sentences

Taking a taxi

Flagging one down, hurrying the driver, and paying by card.

14 sentences

Driving, parking & car rental

Where to park and how to pay, filling up, renting a car, the border, and what to say if it breaks down.

17 sentences

Numbers, time & dates

Brojevi i vreme2 drills

Numbers

Prices, phone numbers and addresses — and when to use koji instead of koja.

13 sentences

Time & dates

Clocks, days, dates, and booking or changing an appointment slot — pola šest and everything around it.

25 sentences

Health & emergencies

Zdravlje i hitni slučajevi1 drill

At the dentist

Sixteen words for a place you can't improvise — in Latin and Cyrillic, with pronunciation.

16 words

Renting a flat

Iznajmljivanje stana4 drills

Looking for a flat

Calling about a listing, asking the right questions, and booking a viewing.

17 sentences

Rent, contract & moving in

The deposit, the contract, and getting the keys — depozit, ugovor, ključevi.

11 sentences

Checking in

Arriving, the door code, the wifi password, and asking about parking for guests.

11 sentences

Problems in a rented flat

When something breaks — ne radi, curi, majstor — and getting it fixed.

16 sentences

School & education

Škola i obrazovanje8 drills

Talking about school and studies

Where you go to school, what you study, and your favourite subject.

7 sentences

In the classroom

Otvorite, slušajte, radite — the instructions every teacher gives.

7 sentences

Asking questions and getting help

I don't understand, can you explain, can you repeat that.

7 sentences

Homework and studying

Domaći zadatak, moram da završim, and admitting you didn't do it.

7 sentences

Tests, exams and grades

Was it hard, what grade did you get, and saying you passed.

7 sentences

Online lessons

Mute your microphone, share your screen, and an unstable connection.

7 sentences

Talking to a teacher

How is my child progressing, and seeing you at the parent-teacher meeting.

7 sentences

Learning Serbian or another language

How long you've studied, what's hard, and wanting to sound more natural.

7 sentences

Services & appointments

Usluge i zakazivanje termina8 drills

Booking, changing and cancelling an appointment

Zakazati, pomeriti, otkazati — and letting them know you'll be late.

7 sentences

At the hairdresser's or barber's

Skratite, molim vas — asking for exactly the cut and colour you want.

7 sentences

At a beauty or nail salon

Booking a facial, manicure or pedicure, and describing sensitive skin.

7 sentences

At the gym or with a personal trainer

Članarina, grupni treninzi, and asking how to use a machine.

7 sentences

At the dry cleaner's or tailor's

A stain to clean, a dress to shorten, and when to collect it.

7 sentences

Phone, computer and appliance repairs

Pokvario se, napukao, ne radi — and asking when it'll be ready.

7 sentences

At the car mechanic's

A strange noise, a warning light, and checking the brakes and oil.

7 sentences

Price, payment and complaints

Asking the cost, paying by card, and saying you're not satisfied.

7 sentences

Post office & deliveries

Pošta i dostava7 drills

At the post office

Stamps, envelopes, postage, and paying at the counter.

7 sentences

Sending a parcel

Weight, fragile contents, sending abroad, and registered mail.

7 sentences

Receiving and collecting a parcel

Notifications, ID, and picking a parcel up at the post office.

7 sentences

Arranging a delivery

Timing a delivery, giving instructions, and changing the address.

7 sentences

Talking to the courier

Confirming the address, waiting outside, and meeting them at the door.

7 sentences

Tracking and delivery delays

Tracking numbers, reading a status, and asking about a delay.

7 sentences

Problems, damage and returns

Damage, missing items, wrong orders, and getting a refund.

7 sentences

Government, documents & bureaucracy

Državne službe, dokumenti i administracija8 drills

Finding the right office

Which department, which floor, and who to ask.

7 sentences

Asking about required documents

Passport, ID, photos, copies — checking what to bring.

7 sentences

Forms and applications

Getting a form, filling it in, and submitting a request.

7 sentences

Registering an address and residence

Prijava, moving, and proof of registration.

7 sentences

Certificates and official records

Birth, marriage, citizenship and residence certificates.

7 sentences

Copies, translations and notary services

Certified copies, sworn translations, and signing at the notary.

7 sentences

Fees, queues and appointments

Booking ahead, taking a number, and paying the fee.

7 sentences

Checking the status and collecting documents

Is it ready, when to collect it, and who else can.

7 sentences

Want me to walk you through it?

The free course puts these exercises in order, with video of me pronouncing every phrase — slowly, then properly. Ten lessons, and it costs nothing.

Start the free course →