LingoflyShopping and money in Serbian
87 words in Serbian on the topic “shopping and money”: колико кошта? (koliko košta) — how much does it cost?, динар (dinar) — dinar, продавница (prodavnica) — shop, пијаца (pijaca) — market. 87 words can be played from recordings.
87 words on the topic
- колико кошта?koliko košta?how much does it cost?For several items the verb agrees with the goods: koliko koštaju? — the tomatoes cost, not you.
- динарdinardinarFrom the Roman denarius — the same coin that gave several European currencies their name. After numbers: sto dinara, "one hundred dinars".
- продавницаprodavnicashopFrom prodavati, "to sell". The corner shop is prodavnica or, colloquially, radnja — two names, same shelves.
- пијацаpijacamarketFrom Italian piazza — the market really does take the square. One word, market and plaza at once.
- тезгаtezgamarket stallThe counter at a pijaca. A Turkish loanword — like half the market vocabulary.
- продавацprodavacvendorThe fleeting a survives only in this form: prodavac, but prodavca, prodavcu.
- купацkupaccustomerFrom kupiti, "to buy": simply the one who buys. The seller is prodavac.
- вагаvagascaleSingular in Serbian, unlike the English pair of scales: vaga je tu — "the scale is here".
- килограмkilogramkilogramIn speech usually just kilo: dva kila paradajza — "two kilos of tomatoes".
- свежsvežfreshGenders: sveža, sveže. About weather, sveže has drifted to mean "cool, chilly".
- зреоzreoripeTwo syllables: zre-o. In the feminine the l returns: zrela.
- етикетаetiketaprice tagThe sticker with the price. The cafe price list is cenovnik; the price itself is cena.
- скупskupexpensiveDo not read stinginess into it: skup is "pricey". The stingy one is tvrdica.
- јефтинjeftincheapA Greek loanword. Its comparative jeftinije is the very word the haggling runs on.
- попустpopustdiscountFrom popustiti, "to yield, give in". A whole sale event is sniženje.
- кусурkusurchangeAlso Turkish. Zadržite kusur — "keep the change" — is the phrase to overtip with.
- фискални рачунfiskalni računreceiptRačun again — cafe bill, bank account, store receipt. The fiskalni one is the slip the register prints: ask for it.
- колико сам дужан?koliko sam dužan?how much do I owe?Literally "how much am I in debt". A woman says: koliko sam dužna?
- то је скупоto je skupothat is expensiveThe neuter skupo works impersonally here, the way English "it is expensive" does.
- може ли јефтиније?može li jeftinije?can it be cheaper?Jeftinije is the comparative. It works at the pijaca; at the supermarket it does not.
- узећуuzećuI will takeOne word, with the soft ć: u-ze-ću.
- не треба миne treba miI do not need itImpersonal treba: the needed thing stands in the plain form — ne treba mi kesa — "I do not need a bag".
- маркетmarketgrocery storeThe most colloquial word for a corner food shop: idem u market — "I am off to the store". The official name is prodavnica prehrane.
- корпаkorpabasketAt the entrance you take a korpa or a kolica — the little cart.
- редredqueueAlso "row" and "order". From it: u redu je — "it is all right, in order" — the phrase you hear constantly.
- касаkasacash registerOne s. The person at it is kasirka.
- кесаkesaplastic bagA pair trap: kesa is the bag with handles; the Serbian paket is a parcel.
- 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.
- биратиbiratito chooseYou birati goods and deputies alike: izbori — "elections" — same verb.
- величинаveličinasizeFrom velik, "big". For clothes and shoes they ask differently: koji broj? — "which number?"
- комадkomadpieceBoth a piece and a unit: tri komada at the market — "three pieces". A slice of cake gets its own word, parče.
- гаранцијаgarancijaa warrantyBuilt like the English guarantee. The warranty slip is garantni list, and the shop will ask to see it with the receipt.
- повраћај робеpovraćaj robea product returnThe soft ch in the middle: po-vra-chaj. Ends in j, like slučaj and običaj.
- рекламаreklamaan adSame word as English. An ad break is reklamna pauza; a pop-up on the web is iskačući prozor.
- рекламни спотreklamni spota commercialSpot is a short clip. The word rollover will not be understood: roleri are roller skates.
- брендbrenda brandUsage: poznat brend, brend se prepoznaje po logotipu. The native phrase robna marka lives in contracts, brend in speech.
- логотипlogotipa logoIn speech mostly just logo, and it does not decline: promeni logo.
- распродајаrasprodajaa saleA seasonal one is sezonska rasprodaja. The discount itself is popust.
- повољна понудаpovoljna ponudaa bargainUsage: povoljna ponuda za vikend, povoljni uslovi, good terms. The noun for the gain itself is korist.
- упоредити ценеuporediti ceneto compare pricesUporediti comes from pored, beside: to compare is to put side by side. The noun is poređenje.
- паковањеpakovanjea packThe general word for any packaging: pakovanje od pola kila, a half-kilo pack. A pack of cigarettes separately is paklica.
- стаклоstakloglass (the material)No relation to a drinking glass: the cup is čaša. Staklena tegla is a glass jar, staklara a glaziers workshop.
- металmetalmetal (the material)One l at the end, otherwise as in English. Metalni is metallic, and lim is sheet metal.
- пластикаplastikaplastic (the material)Feminine: jeftina plastika. Plastična kesa is a plastic bag.
- папирpapirpaper (the material)Masculine: beli papir. The word hartija also exists but stayed in offices and in hartije od vrednosti, securities.
- чврстčvrststurdyA syllable with no vowel: čvrst, the r acts as the vowel. The feminine is čvrsta.
- квалитетанkvalitetanwell-madeFleeting a: kvalitetan, but kvalitetna. Kvalitet is quality, nekvalitetan shoddy.
- тржни центарtržni centara mallFrom tržište, the market as an economy. The open market with stalls is pijaca, and in speech the mall is just tržni or the English mol.
- излогizloga shop windowFrom izložiti, to display. The word vitrina also exists in Serbian and means the glass cabinet in a living room.
- касирkasira cashierThe feminine is kasirka. Kasa is the till; na kasi, at the till.
- куповинаkupovinaa purchaseBoth the process and the result: idem u kupovinu, I am going shopping; dobra kupovina, a good buy. Kupac is the buyer.
- картица лојалностиkartica lojalnostia loyalty cardAt the till they ask shorter: imate li našu karticu? Kartica is any plastic card, including the bank one.
- поклон паковањеpoklon pakovanjegift wrappingTwo nouns in a row with no case, a rare Serbian order that came from advertising. Poklon is the gift.
- колицаkolicaa shopping cartAlways plural, neuter. The same kolica is the luggage cart, the baby stroller and the wheelchair.
- заменити робуzameniti robuto exchange the goodsZameniti is to exchange or replace, promeniti to change. Roba is goods in general.
- тражити повраћај новцаtražiti povraćaj novcato request a refundPovraćaj is the return of money, from vratiti. The shop answers: povraćaj u roku od četrnaest dana, refunds within fourteen days.
- неисправанneispravandefectiveIspravan is in working order. A factory fault is fabrički defekt, and škart is the colloquial junk bin.
- није ми одговарао бројnije mi odgovarao brojthe size did not fitThe size of shoes and clothes in a shop is broj, a number: koji broj nosite? Veličina is understood too but sounds bookish.
- сачувати рачунsačuvati računto keep the receiptRačun is the restaurant bill, the shop receipt and the bank account alike. The till receipt in full is fiskalni račun.
- ово је фалсификатovo je falsifikatit is a counterfeitFalsifikat is a fake of a document or a product. A cheap copy is also imitacija or the colloquial kineska roba.
- роба је на стањуroba je na stanjuthe item is in stockStanje is the state, the stock left and the account balance alike. Nema na stanju means out of stock.
- заменити за другу бојуzameniti za drugu bojuto swap for another colorThe preposition za and the object form: one thing is swapped FOR another. Boja is both a color and wall paint.
- ручни сатručni sata wristwatchSat is an hour, a clock and a lesson at school; hence the tag ručni. An alarm clock is budilnik, a wall clock zidni sat.
- парфемparfemperfumeSingular and masculine, unlike the English plural: ovaj parfem. Toilet water is toaletna voda.
- козметикаkozmetikacosmeticsWith z, as in English. Kozmetičarka is a beautician, drogerija a shop with cosmetics and household chemicals.
- полованpolovansecondhandFrom pola, half: literally half-used. Polovnjak is a resale shop; iz druge ruke says the same thing differently.
- ценкати сеcenkati seto haggleFrom cena, the price. People haggle at the market, not in a shop; the polite formula is može li popust, any discount?
- књижараknjižaraa bookstoreThe suffix ara makes a place by its goods: knjižara, pekara, mesara, while the pharmacy goes another way. The library is biblioteka.
- на великоna velikowholesaleThe pair of na malo, retail. The wholesaler is veleprodaja, a retail shop maloprodaja.
- гарантни рокgarantni roka warranty periodThe warranty itself is garancija, the warranty slip garantni list. All three words stand on one box.
- по поруџбиниpo porudžbinimade to orderThe dž is a firm j: po-ru-dzhbi-ni.
- узетиuzetito takePerfective; its imperfective partner is uzimati. Serbian keeps such pairs strictly — one verb for the completed act, one for the process. Learn both sides.
- датиdatito giveImperfective: davati. In the present the forms are short — dam, daš, da; dajem belongs to davati.
- купитиkupitito buyA famous one-letter trap: kupiti is "to buy", kupati se is "to bathe". Check the vowel before you promise someone a swim.
- умотатиumotatito wrapFrom motati, "to wind, to coil". In the shop they ask: da umotam za poklon? — "shall I wrap it as a gift?"
- вратитиvratitito give backThe same vratiti as "to return" — but without se. The particle is the whole difference.
- Пошто је кило?Pošto je kilo?how much per kilo?Pošto is the colloquial "how much for"; the bookish version would be Koliko košta kilo? — but nobody says that at the market.
- Има ли попуста?Ima li popusta?is there a discount?After ima li the of-form follows: popust gives popusta, just as hleb gives hleba.
- Имате ли...?Imate li...?do you have...?The li particle lands right after the verb and replaces the question word; longer and politer: Da li imate...
- Узећу овоUzeću ovoI will take thisThe future written solid: uzeti plus ću gives the single word uzeću.
- Треба ми кесаTreba mi kesaI need a bagTreba is impersonal, and the one who needs stands in the to-whom form: treba mi, treba nam — "I need, we need".
- Где је каса?Gde je kasa?where is the cash register?Ekavian gde; ijekavian gdje. Kasa is the checkout; kasarna is a barracks — swapping them is embarrassing.
- То је свеTo je svethat is allAt the checkout it means "nothing else, thanks". Sve is both "everything" and "everyone" — the verb sorts out which.
- Готовином или картицом?Gotovinom ili karticom?by cash or by card?The with-form with no preposition answers "by what means": gotovinom, karticom — the -om ending on both.
- Задржите кусурZadržite kusurkeep the changeKusur is the Turkish word for change; literally "keep the change for yourself" — politer than a bare refusal.
- списак за куповинуspisak za kupovinushopping listSpisak obaveza is a to-do list; here it is za plus "shopping" in the object form.
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
колико кошта? (koliko košta?) — how much does it cost? For several items the verb agrees with the goods: koliko koštaju? — the tomatoes cost, not you.
динар (dinar) — dinar. From the Roman denarius — the same coin that gave several European currencies their name. After numbers: sto dinara, "one hundred dinars".
продавница (prodavnica) — shop. From prodavati, "to sell". The corner shop is prodavnica or, colloquially, radnja — two names, same shelves.
пијаца (pijaca) — market. From Italian piazza — the market really does take the square. One word, market and plaza at once.
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 колико кошта? (koliko košta?) — how much does it cost?
- What is this word?
It is вага (vaga) — scale.
- What is this word?
It is попуст (popust) — discount.
- What is this word?
It is не треба ми (ne treba mi) — I do not need it.
- What is this word?
It is затворено (zatvoreno) — closed (sign on the door).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “how much does it cost?” in Serbian?
For several items the verb agrees with the goods: koliko koštaju? — the tomatoes cost, not you.
- How do you say “scale” in Serbian?
Singular in Serbian, unlike the English pair of scales: vaga je tu — "the scale is here".
- How do you say “discount” in Serbian?
From popustiti, "to yield, give in". A whole sale event is sniženje.
- How do you say “I do not need it” in Serbian?
Impersonal treba: the needed thing stands in the plain form — ne treba mi kesa — "I do not need a bag".
- How do you say “closed (sign on the door)” in Serbian?
Related to the verb "to shut away". On Sundays half the markets say zatvoreno.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
How much it costs, whether there is a smaller one, whether cards are accepted. A shop forgives mistakes: miss a word and they will show you the thing with their hands anyway.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “how much does it cost?” in Serbian?
«колико кошта?» (koliko košta), read “koliko košta?” For several items the verb agrees with the goods: koliko koštaju? — the tomatoes cost, not you. It is one of 87 words in the set “shopping and money” — the rest are in the table above.
How many shopping words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 87 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 87 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.