One of the very first things you need in any language is the ability to talk about time -- and that starts with the days of the week. Whether you are booking a lesson, arranging a coffee with a Serbian friend, or reading a simple calendar, knowing your days unlocks a huge amount of everyday conversation. Let us jump straight in.
What are the days of the week in Serbian?
Serbian days of the week are not derived from planets or Norse gods the way English days are. Most of them simply count -- "second day", "fourth day" -- which actually makes them quite logical once you spot the pattern.
| Serbian (Latin) | Serbian (Cyrillic) | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ponedeljak | Понедељак | Monday |
| Utorak | Уторак | Tuesday |
| Sreda | Среда | Wednesday |
| Cetvrtak | Четвртак | Thursday |
| Petak | Петак | Friday |
| Subota | Субота | Saturday |
| Nedelja | Недеља | Sunday |
A quick note on spelling: Sreda literally means "the middle" -- and Wednesday is indeed the middle of the working week. Petak comes from "pet", five -- the fifth day. Subota shares its root with the Hebrew Sabbath (Shabbat), which arrived through centuries of cultural contact. Nedelja means "no work" -- a Sunday feeling built right into the name.
How do you arrange a meeting?
Knowing the days is only half the job. The other half is using them in a real sentence. In Serbian, when you say "on Monday" you put the day into the accusative case (for a single specific day) or use "u" with the appropriate form. For now, here are two phrases that will carry you through most scheduling conversations:
Vidimo se u ponedeljak.
See you on Monday. -- Literally "we see each other on Monday". A completely natural way to close a conversation and fix a day.
Kada ti odgovara?
When suits you? / When works for you? -- The most useful question when you want to be polite about scheduling. "Kada" = when; "ti" = you (informal); "odgovara" = suits / corresponds.
Practice saying these aloud. The rhythm of Serbian is fairly even, so try to give each syllable roughly equal weight rather than stressing one syllable the way English tends to.
Watch and listen
Hearing the days pronounced by a native speaker will fix them in your memory far more quickly than reading alone. Watch the video below, repeat each day after the speaker, and then try to say all seven from memory before moving on.
Why the week matters
Days of the week are what linguists call "high-frequency vocabulary" -- words that appear constantly in real life. Once you know them, you can understand a huge proportion of the scheduling talk that fills casual Serbian conversation: TV listings, plans with family, school timetables, public transport announcements. They are also perfect practice for the basic sentence structure of Serbian, because you can drop any day into the same frame and produce a new, correct sentence instantly.
Beyond utility, the days give you your first glimpse of how Serbian forms words from roots. Learning to notice those roots -- "pet" in "petak", "cetiri" (four) hiding in "cetvrtak" -- will make every new word you meet a little easier to guess. Serbian rewards pattern-spotters generously.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does the Serbian week start on Monday or Sunday?
- In Serbia the week officially begins on Monday, as in most of Europe. Calendars, planners, and the logic of the day names (ponedeljak = "after nedelja/Sunday") all reflect this.
- Do the days change form in a sentence?
- Yes -- like most Serbian nouns, the days decline through cases. For now, using "u + day name" (u ponedeljak, u utorak, etc.) will cover most situations you encounter as a beginner. We will look at case endings in a later post.
- Are the days capitalized in Serbian?
- No. Unlike in English, the days of the week in Serbian are written in lower case: ponedeljak, utorak, sreda, and so on. Only capitalize them at the start of a sentence.
There you have them -- seven days, two phrases, and a little etymology to keep you curious. Write the days out once tonight, cover them up, and see how many you can recall tomorrow morning before breakfast. That tiny test is more effective than reading the list ten times over.
Do videnja -- see you soon! -- Marina
More everyday Serbian words: browse the Serbian Vocabulary category.