Serbia respect · Courtesy in Serbia
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Courtesy in Serbia
Courtesy in Serbia
Since many Serbs feel nationally frustrated by the recent historical events in the Balkans, it is best to avoid discussion of the 1990s Yugoslavian Wars, the NATO bombing of Serbia. If someone brings the topic up, try to avoid giving any strong opinions until you can assess your acquaintance's views. Do not mention Kosovo. The US's vocal support of Kosovar independence, in addition to the 1999 air strikes caused some ill-will directed towards the West, particularly towards the US (though unlikely on a personal level).
On the other hand, talking about Socialist Yugoslavia and Tito will not raise as many eyebrows; as most will not hesitate in talking about it and some may even approach it with a strong degree of affection towards that more stable and peaceful era. Remember, Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo but maintains relations with Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, and Macedonia.
Similar to other ex-Yugoslavia countries, Serbs do not like their country to be described as part of "Eastern Europe". Another common misconception is that Serbia was part of the Soviet Bloc (in fact, it was part of Yugoslavia that notoriously split with the Eastern bloc back in 1948). People have no problems talking about the communist period or Tito and often become even nostalgic over it.
When toasting in Serbia, as in the most of European countries, make sure you make eye contact. You may be invited to drink gallons but are expected to be able to hold your drink. Being obviously drunk is a sign of bad taste, lack of character, and worse. It is always nice to toast in your companion's native tongue. Cheers is živeli in Serbian, egészségedre in Hungarian.
The word molim (please) is key to polite conversation in Serbian. It basically means please, but also you're welcome, an appropriate response when somebody thanks you (and says hvala). It also means I beg your pardon?. Just saying Šta? (What?) can sound rude. It may be said that the use of the word molim is similar to the use of bitte in German.
Like most European languages, has the formal and informal way of saying you (Vi and ti). Use the formal Vi version when addressing older people. People are normally not addressed or referred to by their first names, unless among friends or relatives.
Parts of Russia#Respect also apply here (in particular Home Etiquette and Dining Etiquette).
For ease of reading the titles, we present comparative Serbian Cyrillic alphabet and (the Latin translation in brackets):
А а(Aa), Б б(Bb), В в(Vv), Г г(Gg), Д д(Dd), Е е(Ee), Ж ж(Žž), З з(Zz),
И и(Ii), К к(Kk), Л л(Ll), М м(Mm), Н н(Nn), О о(Oo), П п(Pp), Р р(Rr),
С с(Ss), Т т(Tt), У у(Uu), Ф ф(Ff), Х х(Hh), Ц ц(Cc), Ч ч(Čč, or ch), Ш ш(Šš, or sh), and Ј ј(j or Y), and Љ љ(Lj lj), Њ њ(Nj nj), Ћ (Ćć or ch-soft), Ђ ђ(Đđ), Џ џ(DŽ dž, or dz),
-example:Београд(Beograd), Врњачка бања(Vrnjačka banja), Слободан(Slobodan), Михаило(Mihailo), Црква(Crkva), Улица(Ulica),Пијаца(Pijaca),Трг(Trg),Кафана(Kafana), Град(Grad),Центар(Centar)...
Serbian greetings are the following:
Dobrodošao!(Serbian Cyrillic:Добродошао!) = Welcome!
Kako se zoveš?(Serbian Cyrillic:Како се зовеш?)=What's your name?
Moje ime je Mihailo!(Serbian Cyrillic:Моје име је Михаило)=My name is Mihailo(Michael)
Dobro jutro(Serbian Cyrillic: Добро јутро) = Good morning
Dobar dan(Serbian Cyrillic: Добар дан) = "Good day", indeed to be used most of the day
Dobro veče (Serbian Cyrillic: Добро вече)= Good evening
Laku noć (Serbian Cyrillic: Лаку ноћ)= Good night (only when going to sleep, otherwise Dobro veče)
Doviđenja(Serbian Cyrillic: Довиђења) = Goodbye
Zdravo (Serbian Cyrillic: Здраво)= Hi, the most common informal greeting, used both when coming and leaving.
Hvala!(Serbian Cyrillic:Хвала!)= Тhanks!
Vidimo se, kasnije!(Serbian Cyrillic:Видимо се, касније!)=See you, later!
Ćao (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћао)= Similar to "Zdravo", even more informal (pronounced the same as in Italian, but with different accent). Used more commonly when leaving.
Kako si?: Dobro, a ti!?(Serbian Cyrillic:Како си?: Добро, а ти!)= How are you�?: Good, and you!?
Živeli!(Serbian Cyrillic:Живели!)= Cheers!
Izvinite!(Serbian Cyrillic:Извините!)= Excuse me!
Srećan put! (Serbian Cyrillic:Срећан пут!)=Have a nice trip!
Volim te! (Serbian Cyrillic:Волим те!)=I love you!
Sviđaš mi se!(Serbian Cyrillic:Свиђаш ми се!)= I like you!
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Serbia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Serbia - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Serbia hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Serbia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.