Basic Serbian for Adults - 5 Free Lessons

'Basic Serbian for Adults' is a material for beginners who want to learn Serbian language. It's meant to be used with a help of Serbian teacher, but some of the exercises are also suitable for individual learning. 


When you want to learn Serbian language, internet doesn't offer you so many options, even if we have many excellent teachers in our country. Quality material for learning Serbian is not so easily accessible online. 
You may visit website with the good grammar explanations here or colorful blog Slovce here with different contents. 
Besides that, I sincerely don't have other good options to recommend. If you know some other good websites for learning Serbian, feel free to post links in comments bellow. 

I am a Serbian teacher for many years in schools and online. To spread our beautiful language around the world is my personal and national interest. 

The material which you may find in this post contains pictures, exercises and grammar rules, and it's meant to be used with a help of Serbian teacher.
In first five lessons we are learning about:

2) Family members
4) Personal pronouns in Serbian
5) Verb 'zvati se'
6) Auxiliary verb 'jesam'
7) Body parts
8) How to say time in Serbian
9) Colors
10) Present tense of regular verbs 
11) Verb 'nisam'
12) Numbers, days, months in Serbian language



Ako ste početnik u učenju srpskog jezika, nema puno kvalitetnog materijala za učenje dostupnog onlajn. Ima nekoliko kvalitetnih blogova i sajtova, i to je sve.
Materijal koji možete preuzeti na ovoj strani predviđen je da se koristi uz pomoć nastavnika. Neka od vežbanja su takođe pogodna za samostalno učenje.

Enjoy in learning Serbian!

Lidija Novaković Lagrini

Make an online appointment

How to Learn Serbian Cyrillic


You have learned Serbian language for quite a while and you are an advanced learner. You have a Serbian teacher, or you are searching for one. If you already know how to speak and write Serbian Latin, now is the right time for Cyrillic! ЋИРИЛИЦА is not very difficult, you will see.

Take a look at these letters, aren't they adorable?



Some of them are rounded (О, С, Ф, З), some are partially rounded (Б, В, Ђ, Љ, Њ, Р, Ћ, Ч and most of the small letters) and some look like the laid matches (Г, К, М, Н, П, Т, Х, Ц, Џ, Ш).

In my long experience as a Serbian teacher, I used to see the letters as pictures.


When you find yourself on the streets of Serbia, if you don't know Cyrillic, you might have a problem to read the street's name. Even if you do learn Serbian. That is not the strict rule, some streets have also boards with names in Latin alphabet. But don't be surprised if you have just bought a map with street names in Latin letters, and the signs and boards around you are mostly in Cyrillic. Welcome to СРБИЈА :)

If you don't want to get lost...

That is definitely not the main reason to start to learn Serbian Cyrillic.

There are numerous reasons to learn this beautiful alphabet, with or without help of Serbian teacher. We'll go back to that little bit later. Let's first take a look at...

Some facts about the Cyrillic

1) Besides word 'ćirilica' we also use the term 'azbuka'. Those two words are synonyms.

Serbian teacher in primary school more often uses term 'azbuka'.

2) Cyrillic is an official alphabet in schools and other institutions in Serbia.

3) Cyrillic has 30 letters.

4) Cyrillic was created most likely at the end of the 9th and at the beginning of the 10th century.

5) It's named by Cyril, Christian missionary from Thessaloniki.

6) Cyril and Methodius are famous brothers who were on the mission to spread Christianity among the Slavic tribes. Both of them had an impact to the emergence of Cyrillic, the same as their students and followers - Clement and Naum.


So much about history. Let's see now what are the main...

Reasons for learning Cyrillic

- Well, we have already drawn your attention to the graphic beauty of this alphabet. For me, as a Serbian teacher, it always had its uniqueness.

- Very important reason for learning Cyrillic is that it is not only used in Serbia, but also in many other countries. Let's just mention some of them: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Monte Negro, Macedonia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and also in many countries of non Slavic nations, in Asia. It's not absolutely the same version of Cyrillic in use in all of these countries, but similarities are huge.


So, if you learn Serbian Cyrillic, it will be much easier for you to learn one of these languages, or at least to understand street signs in many countries.

- Cyrillic (or Azbuka) is a perfect alphabet. Now you must be wondering - why?

Because there is always a match between one letter and one sound. On example, the letter Ж will always be the graphic sign for one specific sound, in any word, without exception. The same goes for all the other letters of Cyrillic.

And now the most important:

How to learn Serbian Cyrillic

I have already presumed that you know Serbian Latin alphabet from before.

That is the right way to learn Serbian - to start from what is already familiar. First you learn to communicate, then to write Latin Serbian letters. And then is the perfect moment for - ЋИРИЛИЦА.

By the way, synonym for version of Latin alphabet which we use on Balkans is 'Abeceda.'

Let's now look at the letters of Abeceda:



You are already noticing some similarities among these alphabets? Take a better look:



Pictures are taken from the blogs Slovce and Au sto je skola zgodna, with permission of authors, and you might fine some other useful materials there.

What is absolutely the same between Cyrillic and Latin alphabet?

1) They both have 30 letters.

2) The letters: A, E, J, K, M, O, T. (There are some minor differences in small letters, but capitals are absolutely the same.)

You see, even if you don't learn Serbian at all, you already know 25% of the Cyrillic.

What is similar?

This might be a little bit confusing, but also might be helping:

- letter B in Cyrillic is the letter for the same sound as V in Latin; (examples ВИНО - VINO)

- letter C in Cyrillic is the letter for he same sound as S in Latin; (examples СУНЦЕ - SUNCE)

- letter H in Cyrillic is the letter for he same sound as N in Latin; (examples НОГА - NOGA)

- letter P in Cyrillic is the letter for he same sound as R in Latin; (examples РУКА - RUKA)

- letter X in Cyrillic is the letter for he same sound as H in Latin; (examples ХВАЛА - HVALA)

There is a big resemblance between some of Cyrillic letters and some objects beginning with that letter.

Pay attention to the letter Ж. It looks exactly as ЖАБА (a frog).

And У looks very much alike УДИЦА (a hook).

Visualization always helps, so, try to memorize the rest of the letters by connecting them with the suitable objects. For finding good objects for learning, use a help of Serbian teacher.

Serbian teacher online

When you start your search for learning materials and for the suitable Serbian teacher, you will notice that the offer is a little bit limited, unfortunately. Not so many good websites or teachers are offered. At least, looking from the Google's eye.

I can speak for mmyself that I am a Serbian teacher with wide experience. For more than 14 years I have worked with different generations who have learned Serbian online or in schools. I had a chance to help many students to learn Serbian, in Serbian schools and in schools abroad. To be online Serbian teacher is a unique experience.

When somebody sees the Cyrillic for the first time, to him it might look exotic and difficult. But actually it's not. Because it's based on similar graphic solutions as Latin alphabet.

How can Serbian teacher help you in learning Cyrillic?

Learning new alphabet is similar to learning new painting technique. We start from the beginning - by drawing lines and patterns. By time, with a Serbian teacher's assistance, student feels more confident and liberates his hand.

At the end, these are some famous quotations by poets and novelists who wrote in Cyrillic alphabet. And it's up to you to learn ЋИРИЛИЦА so you might be able to fully understand these words of wisdom :)

СТРАХ ЖИВОТУ КАЉА ОБРАЗ ЧЕСТО.
НАЈЛЕПШЕ ЧУДО СВЕТА, СКУПИ СЕ УЗ МЕНЕ И ЋУТИ.
ЧУДНО ЈЕ КАКО ЈЕ МАЛО ПОТРЕБНО ДА БУДЕМО СРЕЋНИ, И ЈОШ ЧУДНИЈЕ КАКО НАМ ЧЕСТО БАШ ТО МАЛО НЕДОСТАЈЕ.

Good luck!

For everything else you want to know about this topic, or how to learn Serbian online with a help of a Serbian teacher, send me an email to kratkeprice@gmail.com .
Make an online appointment

Ako želite da unapredite svoje znanje srpskog jezika, ili znate nekoga ko želi da počne da uči "od nule" naš lepi jezik, pišite mi na navedenu adresu.

Lidija Novaković Lagrini






Body parts - Delovi tela

Learn Serbian words for the body parts with a help of Serbian teacher. 

Научите српске називе за делове тела уз помоћ онлајн наставника.Serbian teacher online

When we compare Slavic and Germanic languages, we may notice a big difference between words for body parts in these two groups of languages.
Serbian language compared to English is not an exception. But if you are determinate to learn Serbian with a help of Serbian teacher, we may together find some solutions for easier memorizing. 
Take a look at the picture of the boy. The only similar words are NOS - NOSE, all the other words sound differently. Some of them have not very easy pronunciation for the beginners in Serbian, because of the "difficult letters" , - ŠAKA, KOŽA, ČLANAK, NOŽNI PRST. Most of these words sound sharp and melodious - LAKAT, BRADA, VRAT, PETA, OKO.
Visualization is always helpful for memorizing. So, I hope that this young boy with a ball will be your helper in learning Serbian, before he jumps into the swimming pool.

For everything else you want to know about this topic, or how to learn Serbian online with a help of a Serbian teacher, send me an email to kratkeprice@gmail.com . 

Kada uporedimo slovenske i germanske jezike, primetićemo velike razlike u nazivima za delove tela u ove dve jezičke grupe. 
Srpski i engleski jezik nisu izuzetak od ovog generalnog zapažanja. 
Pogledajte sliku dečaka. Jedine slične reči su NOS - NOSE, sve ostale reči zvuče potpuno drugačije. Neke od njih nisu lake za izgovor početnicima u srpskom jeziku uglavnom zbog takozvanih "teških slova". Ali većina ovih reči koje koristimo za delove tela zvučne su i pamtljive. 
Vizuelizacija je uvek velika pomoć u pamćenju novih reči i uopšte u učenju stranog jezika. Tako da se nadam da će ovaj dečak sa loptom biti Vaš pomagač u učenju srpskog jezika, pre nego što skoči u bazen. 
Ako želite da unapredite svoje znanje srpskog jezika, ili znate nekoga ko želi da počne da uči "od nule" naš lepi jezik, pišite mi na navedenu imejl adresu.


Lidija Novaković Lagrini

Make an online appointment



LEARN SERBIAN ONLINE - TEACHING METHOD AND LEARNING MATERIAL

Do you already have experience with online learning? It's getting more and more popular for many reasons. If you want to learn Serbian online, you will get plenty of FREE material and you will have lots of help by Serbian teacher online. 

Teaching method


Before every lesson your Serbian teacher, and that would be me, sends the learning material to your email.
When the lesson starts, we work on the material together, via Skype. You also get homework every time.
We read, discuss grammar, you are doing written and oral exercises, we practice pronunciation, expand vocabulary, etc.

It's very similar to alive lesson. Maybe it's even more direct and more efficient to learn Serbian this way, because we are active the whole time, without distractions

In lessons I use Serbian and English language (and a little bit of Dutch if it's needed). 
Learn Serbian

Learning material

The only thing you need is - Skype, which I believe that you already have.

The rest is provided by me and it's FREE.
Material for every lesson consists of 10-15 documents: word documents, pictures, links, videos, etc. 
It's age-appropriate and adjusted to your level. 

You will get: grammar lessons; writing, listening, reading and speaking exercises; stories and poems; interesting links; images for description; topics for conversation, etc.

If you are a child, I will send you more entertaining contents - cartoons, pictures, videos, and we will learn Serbian in funny and easy way.


Good luck in learning Serbian with help of Serbian teacher online!




Nastavni metod i materijal:

Pre svake lekcije, dobijate na svoju imejl adresu materijal za učenje.
Tokom lekcije, zajedno sa onlajn nastavnikom, koristite nastavni materijal i radite razne vrste vežbanja (čitanje, pisanje, slušanje, izgovor), razgovarate o raznim temama, opisujete slike, radite gramatičke lekcije, itd. Uvek dobijete i domaći zadatak. Materijal je prilagođen Vašem uzrastu i nivou znanja.
Sav nastavni materijal je BESPLATAN. 


Lidija Novaković Lagrini




Serbian grammar - Exercises for beginners, part 1

Exercises from Serbian grammar for beginners: Personal pronouns, past tense, auxiliary verbs 'jesam' and 'nisam'. When you start to learn Serbian, in a few first lessons you will learn about auxiliary verb 'jesam' (as well as its negative form 'nisam') and about personal pronouns. About past tense you will learn a little bit later, because this tense consists of two verbs.Do you find Serbian grammar difficult or easy? Can you solve this exercises by your self? If your answer is no, then you may ask for the assistance of Serbian teacher online. If your answer is yes, then you are ready to take the next step.


1. Fill in the blanks with personal pronouns  or auxiliary verb 'jesam' :

___ sam profesorka.
Ona ___  u Londonu.
Marko ___  upoznao Anu.
___  smo vredni.
Danas ___  oni u kući.
Moja sestra sada ___  u školi.
Vi ___  učenici.
Sanja, Marko i Maja ___  na fakultetu.
Švajcarska ___  lepa zemlja.
Moj muž ___ dobar.
____  su dobre devojke.
Vreme __  lepo.

2. Fill in the blanks with right form of verb ‘nisam’ (negative form of ‘jesam'):

Ona ____ kod kuće.
Ja ______  u parku.
Danas  ti _____  sa mnom.
Naši gosti ______ ovde.
Haljina ______ lepa.
Na času mi ______ slušali.
Oni _____ uradili domaći.
Ja ______ Ana.

3. Podvuci glagole u prošlom vremenu – Underline verbs in past tense:

Ja sam spavala do podne.
Oni su ostali sa nama.
Čekali smo voz.
Marko je mislio na Anu.
Ti si pričao o vestima.
Dečaci su trčali na stadionu.
Devojčica je želela lutku.
Prijatelji su pili vino.
Učitelj je glasno čitao knjigu.
Sestre su govorile holandski jezik.
Ja sam telefonirala dečku.
Uveče u dnevnoj sobi otac je gledao TV.
Šetali smo u centru Amsterdama.
Vreme je bilo lepo. 

If you want to get more exercises from Serbian grammar, or you are curious how to learn Serbian online with a help of Serbian teacher, send me an email to kratkeprice@gmail.com.


Ako želite da unapredite svoje znanje srpskog jezika, ili znate nekoga ko želi da počne da uči "od nule" naš lepi jezik, pišite mi na navedenu adresu.

Make an online appointment

Your Serbian teacher online,
Lidija Novaković Lagrini