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→

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