Directions are one of those vocabulary sets that feel very practical from the very first moment you learn them - because the moment you know "north", "south", "left", and "right" in Serbian, you can follow a map, understand a weather forecast, and give or receive simple directions in the street. And if you can learn them while doing something playful, so much the better.
This lesson uses a jigsaw puzzle task to make the directions memorable. The idea is simple: you look at a reference image showing how a completed puzzle should look, and you assemble the pieces to match it - using Serbian direction words to guide yourself (and optionally a partner) through the process. It is surprisingly effective.
What is the task?
The task is to assemble a jigsaw puzzle so that it matches a reference picture. As you move each piece, you narrate what you are doing in Serbian using the direction words from the table below. For example, instead of just clicking a piece into place, you say out loud: Ova cetvrtina ide na jug. (This quarter goes to the south.) or Ovaj deo je u sredini. (This piece is in the middle.)
Narrating your own actions while doing them is one of the most powerful language-learning techniques there is. It connects the word to a physical action and a visual image at the same time, which creates a much stronger memory trace than reading a vocabulary list ever could.
The directions in Serbian
| Serbian | English | Example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| sever | north | na severu (in the north) |
| jug | south | na jugu (in the south) |
| istok | east | na istoku (in the east) |
| zapad | west | na zapadu (in the west) |
| levo | left | skrenite levo (turn left) |
| desno | right | skrenite desno (turn right) |
| gore | up | idite gore (go up) |
| dole | down | idite dole (go down) |
| u sredini | in the middle | to je u sredini (it is in the middle) |
Notice that the compass directions use the preposition na with the locative case: na severu, na jugu, na istoku, na zapadu. This is the standard way to say "in the north", "in the south", etc. If you want to say "to the north" (direction of movement), you use the accusative: na sever, na jug, na istok, na zapad.
More Serbian examples
Here are warm, natural sentences using the directions. Read them aloud and try to visualise a map of Serbia as you do.
Sever je gore na mapi. - North is at the top of the map.
Jug je topliji nego sever. - The south is warmer than the north.
Sunce izlazi na istoku. - The sun rises in the east.
Zapad je tamo, levo od tebe. - West is over there, to your left.
Vojvodina je na severu Srbije. - Vojvodina is in the north of Serbia.
Nis se nalazi na jugu Srbije. - Nis is located in the south of Serbia.
Skrenite levo na sledecem raskrscu. - Turn left at the next intersection.
Idite pravo, a onda desno. - Go straight ahead, and then right.
Lift je gore, na drugom spratu. - The elevator is up, on the second floor.
Podrum je dole. - The basement is downstairs.
Beograd je u sredini Srbije, otprilike. - Belgrade is roughly in the middle of Serbia.
Sunce zalazi na zapadu. - The sun sets in the west.
One fun exercise: open a map of Serbia and describe the location of five cities using na severu, na jugu, na istoku, na zapadu, or u sredini. This immediately connects the vocabulary to real geography you can picture.
A note
Serbian also has compass combinations: severozapad (northwest), severoistok (northeast), jugozapad (southwest), jugoistok (southeast). These are formed by compounding, just as in English. Jugoistok might look familiar - it is the root of the word "Yugoslavia" (Jugoslavija), which literally meant "Land of the South Slavs". A small piece of etymology that is surprisingly good for remembering the word for southeast.
When giving directions in spoken Serbian, you will often hear Idite pravo (Go straight) alongside left and right. Combining levo, desno, pravo, gore, dole gets you through most everyday navigation situations - and that is a very satisfying feeling.
Frequently asked questions
How do I say "to the north of" when talking about the location of a city?
Use severno od + genitive: Novi Sad je severno od Beograda. (Novi Sad is north of Belgrade.) Similarly: juzno od (south of), istocno od (east of), zapadno od (west of). These are adverbial phrases and they do not change for case.
What is the difference between "gore" and "iznad"?
Gore means "up" or "upstairs" as an adverb of direction or location - it does not require a noun after it. Iznad is a preposition meaning "above" and must be followed by a noun in the genitive: iznad stola (above the table). Use gore when you mean "up there" or "upstairs", and iznad when you mean "above something specific".
Is "sever" always masculine in Serbian?
Yes - sever (north), jug (south), istok (east), and zapad (west) are all masculine nouns. Sredina (middle) is feminine.
How do I ask "which direction?" in Serbian?
You can ask U kom pravcu? (In which direction?) or more informally Na koju stranu? (Which way? - literally "on which side?"). Both are natural and widely understood.
You now have a whole compass of Serbian vocabulary at your fingertips - and a jigsaw puzzle to prove it. Enjoy the directions, Marina Petrovic
Ready to build more everyday vocabulary? Head over to More everyday Serbian and keep exploring.