How do I get to the square? in Serbian
A newcomer asks a passerby the way to the square in Serbian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Извините, могу ли да вас питам? Је ли трг далеко одавде?» — Excuse me, may I ask you something? Is the square far from here? 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: a newcomer asks a passerby the way to the square. 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.
- Извините, могу ли да вас питам? Је ли трг далеко одавде?Izvinite, mogu li da vas pitam? Je li trg daleko odavde?Excuse me, may I ask you something? Is the square far from here?
- Није, десетак минута пешке. Идите до краја улице, па лево.Nije, desetak minuta peške. Idite do kraja ulice, pa levo.No, ten minutes on foot. Walk to the end of the street, then left.
- До краја ове улице? Тамо где је семафор?Do kraja ove ulice? Tamo gde je semafor?To the end of this street? Where the traffic light is?
- Тако је. Поред семафора је апотека, а трг је преко пута ње.Tako je. Pored semafora je apoteka, a trg je preko puta nje.Exactly. There's a pharmacy next to the traffic light, and the square is opposite it.
- Можете ли да покажете на мапи? Мало сам се збунио.Možete li da pokažete na mapi? Malo sam se zbunio.Could you show me on the map? I'm a bit confused.
- Наравно. Ево, ми смо овде, а трг је иза оне зграде.Naravno. Evo, mi smo ovde, a trg je iza one zgrade.Of course. Here, we're here, and the square is behind that building.
- Аха, сад ми је јасно. Има ли ту негде јавни тоалет?Aha, sad mi je jasno. Ima li tu negde javni toalet?Ah, now it's clear. Is there a public toilet anywhere around there?
- Има, на ћошку код кеја. Само пазите, тротоар је прљав од градилишта.Ima, na ćošku kod keja. Samo pazite, trotoar je prljav od gradilišta.There is, on the corner by the waterfront. Just be careful; the sidewalk is muddy from construction.
Lines one by one
| Serbian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Извините, могу ли да вас питам? Је ли трг далеко одавде? | Izvinite, mogu li da vas pitam? Je li trg daleko odavde? | Excuse me, may I ask you something? Is the square far from here? |
| Није, десетак минута пешке. Идите до краја улице, па лево. | Nije, desetak minuta peške. Idite do kraja ulice, pa levo. | No, ten minutes on foot. Walk to the end of the street, then left. |
| До краја ове улице? Тамо где је семафор? | Do kraja ove ulice? Tamo gde je semafor? | To the end of this street? Where the traffic light is? |
| Тако је. Поред семафора је апотека, а трг је преко пута ње. | Tako je. Pored semafora je apoteka, a trg je preko puta nje. | Exactly. There's a pharmacy next to the traffic light, and the square is opposite it. |
| Можете ли да покажете на мапи? Мало сам се збунио. | Možete li da pokažete na mapi? Malo sam se zbunio. | Could you show me on the map? I'm a bit confused. |
| Наравно. Ево, ми смо овде, а трг је иза оне зграде. | Naravno. Evo, mi smo ovde, a trg je iza one zgrade. | Of course. Here, we're here, and the square is behind that building. |
| Аха, сад ми је јасно. Има ли ту негде јавни тоалет? | Aha, sad mi je jasno. Ima li tu negde javni toalet? | Ah, now it's clear. Is there a public toilet anywhere around there? |
| Има, на ћошку код кеја. Само пазите, тротоар је прљав од градилишта. | Ima, na ćošku kod keja. Samo pazite, trotoar je prljav od gradilišta. | There is, on the corner by the waterfront. Just be careful; the sidewalk is muddy from construction. |
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?
“Извините, могу ли да вас питам? Је ли трг далеко одавде?” (Izvinite, mogu li da vas pitam? Je li trg daleko odavde?) — Excuse me, may I ask you something? Is the square far from here?. 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.