Polite words in Serbian
9 words Serbian words on the topic “polite words”: хвала — thank you, молим — please (for requests), како сте? — how are you (formal)?, ви — you (formal or plural). 9 words can be played from recordings.
9 words on the topic
- хвалаhvalathank youYou will say it a hundred times a day. The replies are molim or nema na cemu — both are taught right here in this unit.
- молимmolimplease (for requests)Literally "I ask". One word with three jobs: "please" in a request, "you are welcome" in reply to hvala, and "pardon?" when you did not hear.
- како сте?kako ste?how are you (formal)?The polite plural form, your "how do you do". Ste is the you-form of "to be".
- виviyou (formal or plural)Serbs capitalize polite Vi in writing. One word for a group and for one respected stranger — the same double duty English "you" does.
- извинитеizviniteexcuse meLooks familiar and means exactly what you hope — the rare freebie. Use it to stop a stranger or squeeze past.
- сачекајте минутsačekajte minutwait a minuteThe polite plural imperative. To a friend: sačekaj.
- у реду јеu redu jeeverything is fineLiterally "it is in order", from red — queue and order in one word. Also "deal, agreed, all right then".
- нема на чемуnema na čemuyou are welcomeLiterally "there is nothing on it" — nothing to thank for. The answer to hvala can also be molim, or the folksy nije nista, "it is nothing".
- изволитеizvolitehere you areSaid when handing something over or inviting someone in; to a friend it drops to izvoli. The course's molim is "please" in a request and "not at all" — izvolite is the "please" of the outstretched hand.
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.
- Хвала вам на помоћиHvala vam na pomoćiThank you for your help
- Молим вас, једну кафуMolim vas, jednu kafuOne coffee, please
- Добар дан, како сте?Dobar dan, kako ste?Good afternoon, how are you?
- Ви сте нови комшија?Vi ste novi komšija?Are you the new neighbor?
- Извините, где је аутобуска станица?Izvinite, gde je autobuska stanica?Excuse me, where is the bus stop?
- Сачекајте минут, одмах долазимSačekajte minut, odmah dolazimWait a minute, I am coming right away
What is worth knowing about these words
хвала (hvala) — thank you. You will say it a hundred times a day. The replies are molim or nema na cemu — both are taught right here in this unit.
молим (molim) — please (for requests). Literally "I ask". One word with three jobs: "please" in a request, "you are welcome" in reply to hvala, and "pardon?" when you did not hear.
како сте? (kako ste?) — how are you (formal)?. The polite plural form, your "how do you do". Ste is the you-form of "to be".
ви (vi) — you (formal or plural). Serbs capitalize polite Vi in writing. One word for a group and for one respected stranger — the same double duty English "you" does.
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 хвала (hvala) — thank you.
- What is this word?
It is нема на чему (nema na čemu) — you are welcome.
- What is this word?
It is сачекајте минут (sačekajte minut) — wait a minute.
- What is this word?
It is ви (vi) — you (formal or plural).
- What is this word?
It is молим (molim) — please (for requests).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “thank you” in Serbian?
You will say it a hundred times a day. The replies are molim or nema na cemu — both are taught right here in this unit.
- How do you say “you are welcome” in Serbian?
Literally "there is nothing on it" — nothing to thank for. The answer to hvala can also be molim, or the folksy nije nista, "it is nothing".
- How do you say “wait a minute” in Serbian?
The polite plural imperative. To a friend: sačekaj.
- How do you say “you (formal or plural)” in Serbian?
Serbs capitalize polite Vi in writing. One word for a group and for one respected stranger — the same double duty English "you" does.
- How do you say “please (for requests)” in Serbian?
Literally "I ask". One word with three jobs: "please" in a request, "you are welcome" in reply to hvala, and "pardon?" when you did not hear.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
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 “thank you” in Serbian?
«хвала», read “hvala”. You will say it a hundred times a day. The replies are molim or nema na cemu — both are taught right here in this unit. It is one of 9 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 9 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, 9 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.