Ready to celebrate the season in Serbian?
The holidays are a wonderful time to pick up a new language, and Serbian is no exception. Music is one of the fastest routes into any language - before you know the grammar rules, you already know the words to three songs. This little listening task is designed to ease you gently into the festive Serbian spirit. Put the kettle on, press play, and enjoy!
If you are new here, welcome. If you are a returning reader - srećna Nova godina! Happy New Year, and thank you for being here.
What is the task?
The task is simple and fun: listen to the five New Year and Christmas songs in Serbian below and match each song you hear with the correct title from the list. The titles are given in Cyrillic (as they are traditionally written), in Latin-script Serbian, and in English. You do not need to understand every word - just listen, feel the mood, and make your best guess. Then scroll down to check the answers!
The titles
Here are the five titles to match. Read them aloud in Serbian - that counts as extra practice!
| Letter | Cyrillic title | Latin script | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| А | Анђели певају | Anđeli pevaju | The angels sing |
| Б | Деда Мраз | Deda Mraz | Santa Claus (Grandfather Frost) |
| В | Зима, зима е па шта је | Zima, zima e pa šta je | Winter, winter, and so what |
| Г | Падајте, падајте с неба беле звезде | Padajte, padajte s neba bele zvezde | Fall, fall from the sky, white stars |
| Д | Звончићи | Zvončići | The little bells |
Notice the vocabulary hiding in the titles: anđeli means "angels," pevaju means "they sing," zima means "winter," zvezde means "stars," and zvončići are "little bells" - from zvono, a bell. Little words, big festive feeling!
Hear the songs (carried forward)
Press play on each video below. Listen carefully and decide: which title from the list above matches which song? Write down your guesses before scrolling to the answers!
Song 1
Song 2
Song 3
Song 4
Song 5
The answers
How did you do? Do not worry if you found it tricky - the important thing is that you listened, you picked up some melody, some rhythm, and maybe a word or two that will stay with you all season. Scroll back up and listen again with the answers in mind; the second listen is always the most rewarding one!
Answer key: Song 1 = Г (Padajte, padajte s neba bele zvezde), Song 2 = А (Anđeli pevaju), Song 3 = В (Zima, zima e pa šta je), Song 4 = Б (Deda Mraz), Song 5 = Д (Zvončići). (If your copy of these songs has been re-uploaded since 2011, the order on your screen may vary - match by ear, not by number!)
More Serbian for the season
Now that you have warmed up your ears, let us warm up your mouth too. Here are some Serbian phrases and sentences that will come in very handy over the holiday season. Practice them out loud - your Serbian friends will be delighted!
Srecna Nova godina! - Happy New Year! (You will hear this everywhere from 31 December onwards.)
Srecan Bozic! - Merry Christmas! (Serbian Orthodox Christmas is on 7 January, so you will need this phrase well into January.)
Deda Mraz nosi poklone. - Santa Claus (Grandfather Frost) brings presents.
Zima je hladna, ali lepa. - Winter is cold, but beautiful.
Anđeli pevaju pesme. - Angels sing songs.
Zvončići zvone u tišini. - Little bells ring in the silence.
Volim zimske praznike. - I love the winter holidays.
Pada sneg napolju. - Snow is falling outside.
Deca čekaju Dedu Mraza. - Children are waiting for Santa Claus.
Zvezde sijaju na nebu. - Stars are shining in the sky.
Srećna Nova godina svim čitaocima! - Happy New Year to all readers!
Čujemo se i sledeće godine! - We will hear from each other next year too!
A quick grammar note: notice how Deda Mraz (nominative - subject form) becomes Dedu Mraza (accusative - object form) in "Deca čekaju Dedu Mraza." Serbian nouns change endings depending on their role in the sentence, and the holidays are a perfect low-pressure moment to start noticing those patterns. No exam, just music and snowflakes!
Bonus vocabulary from the song titles
Let us pull a few more words out of those titles and put them into fresh sentences, so they really stick:
| Serbian word | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| nebo | sky / heaven | Nebo je plavo i cisto. (The sky is blue and clear.) |
| beo / bela | white | Sneg je beo. (The snow is white.) |
| pevati | to sing | Volim da pevam kolede. (I love to sing carols.) |
| padati | to fall | Lisce pada s drveća u jesen. (Leaves fall from the trees in autumn.) |
| zima | winter | Zima je moja omiljena godišnja doba. (Winter is my favourite season.) |
Frequently asked questions
Do Serbs celebrate Christmas on 25 December or 7 January?
Most Serbs celebrate Orthodox Christmas on 7 January according to the Julian calendar. Some Serbian families, particularly those with ties to Western Europe, also mark 25 December, but the main celebration - with church services, family gatherings, and the burning of the oak branch called badnjak - is on 7 January.
What does "Srećna Nova godina" mean exactly?
Srećna means "happy" (feminine form, agreeing with godina, which is feminine), and Nova godina means "New Year" - literally "new year." So the phrase is word-for-word "Happy New Year." You can also say Sretna Nova godina in some dialects - both are correct and warmly received.
Who is Deda Mraz?
Deda Mraz literally means "Grandfather Frost." He is the Serbian (and broader Slavic) equivalent of Santa Claus - a kind old man in a red coat who brings presents to children on New Year's Eve. He arrives on 31 December rather than 24 December, which means Serbian children get to enjoy the anticipation for an extra week!
Is Serbian hard to sing along to even as a beginner?
Absolutely not - songs are actually one of the best ways to learn because the melody carries you over the hard bits. Even if you cannot read the words yet, hum along, pick out one word per listen, and build from there. Zvončići (Jingle Bells in Serbian) is a wonderful starting point because you already know the melody by heart.
What is the difference between Cyrillic and Latin script in Serbian?
Serbian is one of the few languages officially written in two scripts: Cyrillic (Ћирилица) and Latin (Latinica). Both are equally correct. Cyrillic is more traditional and is used in formal contexts; Latin is very common in everyday digital communication. On this blog we use both so that you get comfortable reading each of them.
I hope these songs bring a little warmth to your December - or your July, if you are reading this in summer and working through the archives! Music truly is the shortest path to the heart of a language. Sing along, even quietly, even badly - it all counts.
Until next time, srećna Nova godina and srecan Bozic to you and everyone you love. Hvala što čitate! Thank you for reading!
With warmth,
Marina Petrovic
LearnSerbianBlog
Looking for more music to learn from? Visit the More songs to learn from hub and keep the playlist going!