LingoflyGreetings and goodbyes in Serbian
9 words in Serbian on the topic “greetings and goodbyes”: здраво (zdravo) — hello, добар дан (dobar dan) — good afternoon, добро јутро (dobro jutro) — good morning, добро вече (dobro veče) — good evening. 9 words can be played from recordings.
9 words on the topic
- здравоzdravohelloWorks for meeting people and parting alike, like Italian ciao. With strangers lead with dobar dan instead.
- добар данdobar dangood afternoonThe neutral, polite greeting. With someone you do not know, open with this rather than zdravo.
- добро јутроdobro jutrogood morningThe letter j is the English "y" sound, so jutro sounds like "you-tro". Morning hours only; after that switch to dobar dan.
- добро вечеdobro večegood eveningc-with-a-caron (č) is a firm "ch" as in "church", while c-with-an-acute (ć) is softer, closer to "ty". The two letters look alike and sound distinct.
- довиђењаdoviđenjagoodbyeLiterally "until seeing". The letter d-with-stroke (đ) is a soft "dj" — like the "d" of "during" said with a buzz, close to the "j" of British "juice".
- ћаоćaobyeBorrowed from Italian ciao and just as informal. The letter ć is a softer "ch" than in "church" — tongue closer to the teeth.
- како си?kako si?how are you?Si is literally "you are": the verb "to be" is a small ending here, not a separate word. For friends and peers.
- 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".
- лаку ноћlaku noćgood nightLiterally "an easy night" — a parting wish, never a greeting.
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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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
здраво (zdravo) — hello. Works for meeting people and parting alike, like Italian ciao. With strangers lead with dobar dan instead.
добар дан (dobar dan) — good afternoon. The neutral, polite greeting. With someone you do not know, open with this rather than zdravo.
добро јутро (dobro jutro) — good morning. The letter j is the English "y" sound, so jutro sounds like "you-tro". Morning hours only; after that switch to dobar dan.
добро вече (dobro veče) — good evening. C-with-a-caron (č) is a firm "ch" as in "church", while c-with-an-acute (ć) is softer, closer to "ty". The two letters look alike and sound distinct.
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 здраво (zdravo) — hello.
- What is this word?
It is како сте? (kako ste?) — how are you (formal)?
- What is this word?
It is ћао (ćao) — bye.
- What is this word?
It is добро вече (dobro veče) — good evening.
- What is this word?
It is добар дан (dobar dan) — good afternoon.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “hello” in Serbian?
Works for meeting people and parting alike, like Italian ciao. With strangers lead with dobar dan instead.
- How do you say “how are you (formal)?” in Serbian?
The polite plural form, your "how do you do". Ste is the you-form of "to be".
- How do you say “bye” in Serbian?
Borrowed from Italian ciao and just as informal. The letter ć is a softer "ch" than in "church" — tongue closer to the teeth.
- How do you say “good evening” in Serbian?
c-with-a-caron (č) is a firm "ch" as in "church", while c-with-an-acute (ć) is softer, closer to "ty". The two letters look alike and sound distinct.
- How do you say “good afternoon” in Serbian?
The neutral, polite greeting. With someone you do not know, open with this rather than zdravo.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Every conversation starts here, and so does every first impression: say hello in the local language and you stop being a stranger in about a second.
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 “hello” in Serbian?
«здраво» (zdravo), read “zdravo”. Works for meeting people and parting alike, like Italian ciao. With strangers lead with dobar dan instead. It is one of 9 words in the set “greetings and goodbyes” — the rest are in the table above.
How many greetings do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 9 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, 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.