Welcome to Lesson 6! Today we are keeping things wonderfully simple - just four short phrases that will let you point at almost anything in the world and talk about it in Serbian. These are the kind of sentences that come up on day one of any real conversation, and once they are automatic you will be amazed how much space they open up.
Whether you are a German speaker coming to Serbian through Serbisch lernen searches or an English speaker following the blog from the start, this lesson is for you. Grab a coffee, take five minutes, and let these four little phrases become second nature.
The key phrases
Here are the four phrases at the heart of this lesson. Read them once, listen to how they sound in the video below, and then come back and read them again. The rhythm of Serbian will start to feel familiar faster than you might expect.
| Serbian | Pronunciation guide | English |
|---|---|---|
| Šta je ovo? | shta yeh o-vo | What is this? |
| Ko je ovo? | koh yeh o-vo | Who is this? |
| Ovo je... | o-vo yeh... | This is... |
| Ovo su... | o-vo soo... | These are... |
A quick note on the question words: Šta asks about things (objects, ideas, animals) while Ko asks about people. This is the same split you find in English with "what" and "who," so it is easy to remember. The verb in both questions is je - the third-person singular present of biti (to be) - and we will be seeing a lot of je and su as we go through Serbian together.
Hear it (carried forward)
Watch the video below to hear these phrases spoken naturally. Pay attention to the rising intonation on the questions and the calm, level tone on the answers. Serbian intonation is not as dramatic as some languages but it is very clear and musical once you tune into it.
If the video does not load, search YouTube for the video ID 9NBksQfbFcs.
Singular vs plural in these phrases
Here is the single most important grammar point in this lesson: when you are talking about one thing you say Ovo je..., and when you are talking about more than one thing you switch to Ovo su.... The word ovo (this / these) stays exactly the same - only the verb changes from je (is) to su (are), which mirrors English almost perfectly and makes this an easy rule to absorb.
Take a look at these examples and say each one out loud - the switch from je to su will start to feel natural very quickly when you practise it with real words.
| Singular - one item | Plural - more than one | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ovo je knjiga. | Ovo su knjige. | This is a book. / These are books. |
| Ovo je stolica. | Ovo su stolice. | This is a chair. / These are chairs. |
| Ovo je pas. | Ovo su psi. | This is a dog. / These are dogs. |
| Ovo je prozor. | Ovo su prozori. | This is a window. / These are windows. |
| Ovo je moj drug. | Ovo su moji drugovi. | This is my friend. / These are my friends. |
| Ko je ovo? Ovo je moja mama. | Ko su ovo? Ovo su moji roditelji. | Who is this? This is my mum. / Who are these? These are my parents. |
You may have noticed that the nouns change in the plural too (for example knjiga becomes knjige). Serbian has regular plural patterns and we will cover them properly in a future lesson - for now, the key takeaway is the je / su switch, which is your signal to yourself that you are speaking about one thing or more than one.
How to practise
Step 1 - the pointing game. Walk around your home or office and point at objects. For each one say "Šta je ovo?" out loud and then answer yourself: "Ovo je ___." If you do not know the Serbian word, look it up and write it on a sticky note. Do this for ten objects and you will have a ten-word vocabulary boost in about fifteen minutes.
Step 2 - photos. Find a family photo or a photo of a group of friends. Point at one person and say "Ko je ovo?" Answer with "Ovo je ___" using their name. Point at the whole group and switch to "Ovo su ___." This makes the singular-plural switch feel completely natural because you are anchoring it to real people you know.
If you would like an extra challenge, try writing five sentences using ovo je and five using ovo su in the comments below. I read every single comment and I am always happy to give you a quick check.
Frequently asked questions
- Why "šta" and not "što"?
- Both forms exist in Serbian and both are correct standard Serbian. Šta is the form most commonly heard in Serbia (especially Belgrade and most of the country), while što is more typical of some regional varieties and of formal or literary style. On this blog we use šta because it is what you will hear most often in everyday speech.
- Does "ovo" mean "this" or "these"?
- It means both, depending on context. When you point at one item and say "Ovo je knjiga" it functions as "this." When you point at a group and say "Ovo su knjige" it functions as "these." The word itself does not change - the verb (je vs su) carries the singular/plural information.
- How do you say "that is" as opposed to "this is"?
- For something further away you use to je (that is) or to su (those are). Serbian has a three-way demonstrative system: ovo (this - close to the speaker), to (that - close to the listener or slightly further), and ono (that - further away or already mentioned). For beginners, ovo je and to je are the most useful pair to learn first.
- Is this lesson relevant for German speakers learning Serbian?
- Absolutely - in fact the structure maps very cleanly onto German: Šta je ovo? is very close to "Was ist das?" and Ovo je... is like "Das ist..." The je / su split also echoes "ist / sind" in German. If you are coming from a German background you will probably find Serbian grammar makes intuitive sense more quickly than you expect.
- What is the difference between "ko" and "ko je" - why add "je"?
- Ko on its own is just the question word "who." When you ask "Ko je ovo?" you are asking "Who is this?" - the je is the verb "is" and you need it to make a complete sentence. Think of it the same way you need "is" in English: you would not just say "Who this?" in English, and in Serbian you need je for the same reason.
You now have four phrases that can carry an enormous amount of early conversation - well done for working through them. Practice the pointing game today, even for just five minutes, and notice how quickly these sentences start to feel like your own. You are doing brilliantly.
Do svidanja i srećno! - Marina Petrovic
Ready to build on today's vocabulary? Visit the More everyday Serbian hub for more beginner word lists and listening exercises.