The city and its places in Serbian
89 words Serbian words on the topic “the city and its places”: град — city, улица — street, банка — bank, апотека — pharmacy. 89 words can be played from recordings.
89 words on the topic
- градgradcityThe same word means "hail" — both senses are fully alive, and only context says whether the sky is falling.
- улицаulicastreetAddresses drop the word: Knez Mihailova 5 — no "street" on the sign. In speech it comes back: zivim u tihoj ulici — "I live on a quiet street".
- банкаbankabankA false friend to note: banka is the bank. The glass jar is tegla — the household never confuses the two.
- апотекаapotekapharmacyThe all-night one is dezurna apoteka — the "on-duty" pharmacy. The person behind the counter is a farmaceut.
- редredqueueAlso "row" and "order". From it: u redu je — "it is all right, in order" — the phrase you hear constantly.
- отвореноotvorenoopen (sign on the door)The sign on the door; the verb behind it is otvoriti.
- затвореноzatvorenoclosed (sign on the door)Related to the verb "to shut away". On Sundays half the markets say zatvoreno.
- гомилаgomilacrowdGomila ljudi — a crowd of people; without ljudi the same word is just "a pile". The crush and the squeeze is another word: gužva.
- семафорsemafortraffic lightThe headline trap of the lesson: the traffic light is semafor. The same word names the scoreboard at a stadium.
- бициклbiciklbicycleBicikl, not "velosiped". To ride it: voziti bicikl.
- аутобуска станицаautobuska stanicabus stopIn speech stanica covers both the station and the stop. The strict word for a stop is stajaliste.
- месечна картаmesečna kartamonthly passIn Belgrade it is the plastic Bus Plus card. A bare karta is the ordinary single ticket.
- маршрутаmaršrutabus routeThe word exists, but city transport is called linija: linija dvadeset tri — "route twenty-three".
- пешачки прелазpešački prelazcrosswalkPesak is the pedestrian — and the chess pawn. Prelaz comes from preci, as in "to cross the border".
- гужва у саобраћајуgužva u saobraćajutraffic jamGuzva is a crush in general — in a bus, at a market. Saobracaj is road traffic.
- паркингparkingparking lotThe English word took hold whole. The sterner version is parkiraliste.
- бензинска пумпаbenzinska pumpagas stationLiterally "the petrol pump". To fill up is sipati gorivo.
- паркparkparkExactly the word you expect. Parkiranje is a different word — do not mix them up by ear.
- библиотекаbibliotekalibraryExactly the word you expect. The bookshop is knjizara, not biblioteka.
- музејmuzejmuseumThrough a z, not an s: mu-z-ej. Stress on the first syllable.
- позориштеpozorištetheaterFrom pozor, "a spectacle". And carefully: pozor! is not "attention" — that would be paznja!
- биоскопbioskopcinemaGreek for "watching life". People will understand "kino" too, but the sign says bioskop.
- цркваcrkvachurchA syllabic r: cr-kva, no vowel between the first two consonants.
- стадионstadionstadiumExactly the word you expect. The big Belgrade stadium fans call Marakana.
- раскрсницаraskrsnicaan intersectionFour consonants together in the middle: ras-krs-ni-ca, the r is syllabic here.
- тротоарtrotoarthe sidewalkA French word, as in English, but with oa in the middle: tro-to-ar. The curb is ivicnjak.
- булеварbulevara boulevardA wide street in a Serbian city. Prospekt also exists but means an advertising booklet, so an address with it will not be understood.
- сокакsokakan alleyA Turkish word that took root for good: a narrow lane between houses. The neutral option for documents is sporedna ulica.
- кејkejan embankmentThree sounds: ke-y. In Belgrade it is a proper name, Kej oslobodjenja, and people stroll along it, they do not drive.
- мостmosta bridgeSame word. The plural mostovi, with the ov lengthening, like all short masculines: most, mostovi; grad, gradovi.
- тунелtunela tunnelOne n and one l: tunel. An underpass is not a tunnel but podzemni prolaz.
- улична светиљкаulična svetiljkaa street lampThe street lamp is described in two words. A pocket flashlight is baterijska lampa, and the post under it is bandera.
- клупаklupaa benchBoth the bench in the park and the school desk: skolska klupa. The club is klub, a completely different word.
- канта за смећеkanta za smećea litter binKanta is a bucket, and the street bin is described by the same word. Smece is trash, and djubre from unit thirty-five means the same.
- возач аутобусаvozač autobusathe bus driverThe genitive with no preposition: vozac autobusa, like broj telefona. People address him as vozacu.
- последња станицаposlednja stanicathe last stopLiterally the last station. The drivers have their own word, okretnica: that is where the bus turns around.
- број линијеbroj linijethe route numberA route in the city is linija, and it is about the linija that they ask, not about a route. In conversation the number becomes a name: cekam dvojku, I am waiting for the two.
- шпицšpicrush hourA German word living in speech: u spicu, at rush hour. In the news they say it longer: u vreme najvece guzve.
- ред вожње аутобусаred vožnje autobusathe bus timetableRed voznje is the timetable of any transport, literally the order of riding. The school timetable is built differently, raspored casova.
- платити картуplatiti kartuto pay the fareSerbian pays for the ticket, not for the ride. To validate is overiti kartu, and that is exactly what the inspector asks about.
- заузети местоzauzeti mestoto take a seatFrom zauzet, busy: zauzeto je is said of a seat and of a phone line alike. The window seat is mesto do prozora.
- позвати таксиpozvati taksito call a taxiOne verb pozvati covers to call, to summon and to invite. The ambulance is called the same way: pozvati hitnu pomoc.
- излазим на следећојizlazim na sledećojto get off at the next stopPresent tense instead of future. The word stanici need not be said: it is heard in the ending of sledecoj.
- насељеnaseljea neighborhoodA residential area of the city is naselje, in speech also kvart and kraj. The administrative district is opstina, and that is already paperwork.
- центар градаcentar gradadowntownThe fleeting a is visible at once: centar, but centra grada. The strict center is uzi centar.
- периферијаperiferijathe edge of townIt lives on the periferiji. The suburb beyond the line is predgradje, and the village nearby is okolina.
- градилиштеgradilištea building siteFrom graditi, to build, not from grad. The suffix iste marks a place of action: kupaliste, odmaraliste, parkiraliste.
- радови на путуradovi na puturoadworksThe road is not repaired, they conduct works on it. The familiar popravka stayed with things and machines.
- путоказputokaza signpostLiterally road-say: put plus kazati. A sign with a ban or a limit is a different thing, saobracajni znak.
- јавни тоалетjavni toaleta public restroomJavan is public: javni prevoz, javno mnenje. On the door you will more often see WC, and they will ask you about the toalet.
- чистčistcleanSame word, also in the figurative sense: cist racun, cista savest. You know the verb cistiti from ocistiti povrce.
- прљавprljavdirtyA syllabic r between two consonants: pr-ljav.
- гужва јеgužva jeit is crowdedTo the English adverb Serbian answers with a noun: guzva je, literally there is a jam. Guzva u saobracaju is already a traffic jam.
- селоseloa villagePeople live na selu and go na selo: the preposition is na, not u. Seljak is a peasant and, in anger, a hick.
- главни градglavni gradthe capitalA first-rate trap: stolica in Serbian is a chair, and the word already stood in the furniture unit. The capital of a country is glavni grad.
- јавни превозjavni prevozpublic transitJavni is public, as in javni toalet. Prevoz comes from voziti; the word transport is not said in this sense.
- вртићvrtića preschoolLiterally a little garden, from vrt. The nursery is jaslice, the caregiver vaspitacica.
- игралиштеigralištea playgroundFrom igrati. The same word names a sports ground, so the tag matters: decje igraliste.
- фонтанаfontanaa fountainFeminine: fontana radi. A street drinking pump is cesma, and there are more of those in a Serbian city.
- гробљеgrobljea cemeteryFrom grob, a grave. A collective in je, like granje and kamenje. Funerals are sahrana.
- ватрогасно возилоvatrogasno voziloa fire truckFrom vatrogasac. In speech people say vatrogasna kola, and the fire brigade number is one ninety-three.
- квартkvartneighborhoodColloquial, from Italian. Naselje is a housing district, blok a block of new builds — the city has words for each scale.
- паркићparkićlittle parkA diminutive of park — Serbian has no separate word for a small green square, so it shrinks the big one.
- кулаkulatowerA Turkish loanword — and a residential high-rise is a kula too. In chess the rook is top, not kula.
- предграђеpredgrađesuburbGrad ("city") softened by the d-with-stroke before -e. Locative: u predgrađu — "in the suburb".
- варошицаvarošicasmall townA diminutive of varoš, "town". Naselje will not do here — that word is for a district of a city.
- пролазникprolaznikpasserbyFrom prolaziti, "to pass by". A plain noun in Serbian, not a participle — the person who is passing.
- пешакpešakpedestrianSpelled with s-with-hachek (š): pešak. The e-version, pesak, is "sand" — one vowel, two worlds. In chess it is also a pawn.
- натписnatpissignFrom pisati, "to write", with an over-prefix whose d devoices to t. A shop sign can also be called firma.
- канта за отпаткеkanta za otpatketrash canKanta on its own is a bucket; the phrase names the street bin. The bare word urna in Serbian survives only at funerals.
- улична лампаulična lampastreet lampUlicna svetiljka was taught earlier as "street light"; in speech people say lampa, and the pole under it is a bandera.
- травњакtravnjaklawnFrom trava, "grass", plus the -njak suffix that marks a place where something grows — vocnjak is an orchard, same build.
- цветна лејаcvetna lejaflower bedLeja alone is a garden bed; cvetna, "flowering", points it at flowers. Ijekavian spelling: cvjetna.
- тремtremporchThe roofed step in front of a private house. Nobody calls the entrance slab of an apartment block a trem.
- степеникstepenikstepOne step is stepenik; the whole staircase is stepenice, a plural-only word. Careful on the stairs — that is the point.
- кућни бројkućni brojhouse numberIn an address the number follows the street name with no comma: Knez Mihailova 12.
- назив улицеnaziv ulicestreet nameNaziv is the word for the name of things and places; ime is for people. The street takes naziv — and the genitive after it.
- стубstubpoleBoth a lamp post and a column. The plural grows a v: stubovi, not stubi.
- стари градstari gradold townSaid of the historic center. In Belgrade Stari Grad is also the name of a municipality, so it often appears capitalized.
- стамбена зградаstambena zgradaresidential buildingZgrada is any building; stambena, from stan ("apartment"), narrows it to housing.
- тишинаtišinasilenceThe adjective tih is already known; shouted on its own — Tisina! — it is the command to quiet down.
- кафићkafićcafeThe everyday word for a coffeehouse where people sit for hours. Kafana adds food and music; kafa is the drink itself.
- зградаzgradabuildingFeminine, from graditi, "to build". An apartment block in the city is also zgrada; kuca is a free-standing house.
- салаsalahallFeminine. A gym is sala za vezbanje, a concert hall is sala or dvorana — salata next door is only a sound-alike.
- кафанаkafanakafanaThe word anchors a whole culture: kafanska muzika is a music genre of its own, kafansko drustvo — your regular kafana crowd.
- пекараpekarabakeryOrders are given in pieces and weight at once: pola bureka — "half a burek".
- кафићkafićkafićTo invite someone "na kafu" does not mean coffee specifically — it is an invitation to talk.
- БеоградBeogradBelgradeWritten Beograd and pronounced the way it looks — the same name that drifted apart in sound between languages.
- Нови СадNovi SadNovi SadThe EXIT festival happens inside the fortress itself, in the moats and on the bastions.
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Београд је велики градBeograd je veliki gradBelgrade is a big city
- Живим у мирној улициŽivim u mirnoj uliciI live on a quiet street
- Банка се отвара у осамBanka se otvara u osamThe bank opens at eight
- Апотека је поред болницеApoteka je pored bolniceThe pharmacy is next to the hospital
- Ред је великиRed je velikiThe queue is long
- Данас је отворено до осамDanas je otvoreno do osamToday it is open until eight
What is worth knowing about these words
град (grad) — city. The same word means "hail" — both senses are fully alive, and only context says whether the sky is falling.
улица (ulica) — street. Addresses drop the word: Knez Mihailova 5 — no "street" on the sign. In speech it comes back: zivim u tihoj ulici — "I live on a quiet street".
банка (banka) — bank. A false friend to note: banka is the bank. The glass jar is tegla — the household never confuses the two.
апотека (apoteka) — pharmacy. The all-night one is dezurna apoteka — the "on-duty" pharmacy. The person behind the counter is a farmaceut.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is град (grad) — city.
- What is this word?
It is гомила (gomila) — crowd.
- What is this word?
It is гужва у саобраћају (gužva u saobraćaju) — traffic jam.
- What is this word?
It is биоскоп (bioskop) — cinema.
- What is this word?
It is кеј (kej) — an embankment.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “city” in Serbian?
The same word means "hail" — both senses are fully alive, and only context says whether the sky is falling.
- How do you say “crowd” in Serbian?
Gomila ljudi — a crowd of people; without ljudi the same word is just "a pile". The crush and the squeeze is another word: gužva.
- How do you say “traffic jam” in Serbian?
Guzva is a crush in general — in a bus, at a market. Saobracaj is road traffic.
- How do you say “cinema” in Serbian?
Greek for "watching life". People will understand "kino" too, but the sign says bioskop.
- How do you say “an embankment” in Serbian?
Three sounds: ke-y. In Belgrade it is a proper name, Kej oslobodjenja, and people stroll along it, they do not drive.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Street, square, pharmacy, bank. An address is built out of these, and an address is something you have to both say and understand.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “city” in Serbian?
«град», read “grad”. The same word means "hail" — both senses are fully alive, and only context says whether the sky is falling. It is one of 89 words in the set “the city and its places” — the rest are in the table above.
How many street and place words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 89 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 89 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.