At the restaurant in Serbian
Evening, a table for two, the waiter takes the order in Serbian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Добро вече. Имате ли сто за двоје?» — Good evening. Do you have a table for two?; «Имамо, поред прозора. Ево јеловника.» — We do, by the window. Here's the menu. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: evening, a table for two, the waiter takes the order. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Добро вече. Имате ли сто за двоје?Dobro veče. Imate li sto za dvoje?Good evening. Do you have a table for two?
- Имамо, поред прозора. Ево јеловника.Imamo, pored prozora. Evo jelovnika.We do, by the window. Here's the menu.
- Хвала. Тражим јело без меса.Hvala. Tražim jelo bez mesa.Thanks. I'm looking for a dish without meat.
- Препоручујем пасуљ. Порција је велика.Preporučujem pasulj. Porcija je velika.I recommend the beans. The portion is big.
- Да ли је љут? Не волим превише зачина.Da li je ljut? Ne volim previše začina.Is it spicy? I don't like a lot of spices.
- Није љут. Хоћете ли и десерт?Nije ljut. Hoćete li i desert?It isn't. Will you have dessert?
- Касније. Донесите још једну чашу воде, молим.Kasnije. Donesite još jednu čašu vode, molim.Later. Bring another glass of water, please.
- Одмах. Рачун и бакшиш можете платити на каси.Odmah. Račun i bakšiš možete platiti na kasi.Right away. You can pay the bill and the tip at the register.
Lines one by one
| Serbian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Добро вече. Имате ли сто за двоје? | Dobro veče. Imate li sto za dvoje? | Good evening. Do you have a table for two? |
| Имамо, поред прозора. Ево јеловника. | Imamo, pored prozora. Evo jelovnika. | We do, by the window. Here's the menu. |
| Хвала. Тражим јело без меса. | Hvala. Tražim jelo bez mesa. | Thanks. I'm looking for a dish without meat. |
| Препоручујем пасуљ. Порција је велика. | Preporučujem pasulj. Porcija je velika. | I recommend the beans. The portion is big. |
| Да ли је љут? Не волим превише зачина. | Da li je ljut? Ne volim previše začina. | Is it spicy? I don't like a lot of spices. |
| Није љут. Хоћете ли и десерт? | Nije ljut. Hoćete li i desert? | It isn't. Will you have dessert? |
| Касније. Донесите још једну чашу воде, молим. | Kasnije. Donesite još jednu čašu vode, molim. | Later. Bring another glass of water, please. |
| Одмах. Рачун и бакшиш можете платити на каси. | Odmah. Račun i bakšiš možete platiti na kasi. | Right away. You can pay the bill and the tip at the register. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Serbian in this situation?
“Добро вече. Имате ли сто за двоје?” (Dobro veče. Imate li sto za dvoje?) — Good evening. Do you have a table for two?. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.