Question words are super useful tools you can use to get any information you need. If you want to ask questions naturally in Serbian, learning these words is the first step.
In this guide, you’ll learn the most common question words in Serbian, like šta? (what?) and gde? (where?), how they’re used, how to ask yes/no questions, and simple examples you can start using right away.
Most Common Question Words In Serbian
These words will be very helpful in helping you express yourself in Serbian and eventually connect with other people!
What? – Šta?
Example sentences with the question word šta (what):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| What? | Шта? | Šta? | |
| What are you doing? | Шта радиш? | Šta radiš? | |
| What is that? | Шта је то? | Šta je to? | |
| What do you want? | Шта хоћеш? | Šta hoćeš? |
Who?- Ko?
Example sentences with the question word ko (who):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who? | Ко? | Ko? | |
| Who is that? | Ко је то? | Ko je to? | |
| Who are you? | Ко си ти? | Ko si ti? | |
| Who is he? | Ко је он? | Ko je on? | |
| Who is she? | Ко је она? | Ko je ona? |
Where? – Gde?
Example sentences with the question word gde (where):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where? | Где? | Gde? | |
| Where are you going? | Где идеш? | Gde ideš? | |
| Where do you live? | Где живиш? | Gde živiš? | |
| Where is the toilet? | Где је тоалет? | Gde je toalet? |
When? – Kada?
Example sentences with the question word kada (when):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| When? | Када? | Kada? | |
| When are you coming? | Када долазиш? | Kada dolaziš? | |
| When is the meeting? | Када је састанак? | Kada je sastanak? | |
| When does it start? | Када почиње? | Kada počinje? | |
| When will you call me? | Када ћеш ме позвати? | Kada ćeš me pozvati? |
FYI: You might hear kada or kad for this Serbian question word, but there’s no difference in meaning. The second one is more conversational and informal.
How? – Kako?
Example sentences with the question word kako (how):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| How? | Како? | Kako? | |
| How do you do this? | Како то радиш? | Kako to radiš? | |
| How can I help you? | Како могу да ти помогнем? | Kako mogu da ti pomognem? | |
| How did you learn Serbian? | Како си научио српски? | Kako si naučio srpski? |
Tip: kako is the question word used when asking how are you in Serbian: kako si?
Why? – Zašto?
Example sentences with the question word zašto (why):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why? | Зашто? | Zašto? | |
| Why is this so expensive? | Зашто је ово тако скупо? | Zašto je ovo tako skupo? | |
| Why is the bus late? | Зашто аутобус касни? | Zašto autobus kasni? | |
| Why can’t I enter? | Зашто не могу да уђем? | Zašto ne mogu da uđem? | |
| Why is the restaurant closed? | Зашто је ресторан затворен? | Zašto je restoran zatvoren? |
How Many/Much – Koliko?
Example sentences with the question word koliko (how many/much):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many/much? | Колико? | Koliko? | |
| How much does this cost? | Колико ово кошта? | Koliko ovo košta? | |
| How much is the ticket? | Колико је карта? | Koliko je karta? | |
| How many people? | Колико људи? | Koliko ljudi? |
Which? – Koji?
Example sentences with the question word koji (which):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which? | Који? | Koji? | |
| Which bus goes to the city? | Који аутобус иде до града? | Koji autobus ide do grada? | |
| Which restaurant is good? | Који ресторан је добар? | Koji restoran je dobar? | |
| Which way is the museum? | Који пут води до музеја? | Koji put vodi do muzeja? | |
| Which room is mine? | Која соба је моја? | Koja soba je moja? | |
| Which hotel do you recommend? | Који хотел препоручујеш? | Koji hotel preporučuješ? |
Whose? – Čiji?
Example sentences with the question word koji (which):
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose? | Чији? | Čiji? | |
| Whose bag is this? | Чија је торба ово? | Čija je torba ovo? | |
| Whose keys are these? | Чији су ови кључеви? | Čiji su ovi ključevi? | |
| Whose car is parked outside? | Чији је ауто паркиран напољу? | Čiji je auto parkiran napolju? | |
| Whose phone is ringing? | Чији је телефон који звони? | Čiji je telefon koji zvoni? |
Tip: In Serbian grammar, nouns have genders (feminine, masculine, and neutral), which is why koji and čiji change depending on the noun.
How To Create Yes Or No Questions In Serbian
There are a few ways you can create yes or no questions in Serbian, such as using da li (“is it that…”) or just li, and forming negative yes/no questions with zar ne (don’t you?).
1. Using “Da Li” To Make Questions In Serbian
Da li doesn’t really have a direct English translation, but it could be understood as “is it that…”
You always place da li at the beginning of the sentence. For example:
- Do you study Serbian? – Da li učiš srpski?
The literal English translation for this sentence would be: “Is it that you study Serbian?”
The answer can only be yes or no in Serbian.
2. Using “Li” To Make Questions In Serbian
Li forms yes or no questions as well, but it’s used a bit differently than da li.
The first difference is that da li can be used in any context, formal or informal, while li is usually spoken and more casual.
The second difference is that while da li always appears at the beginning of the sentence, li appears after a verb. For example:
- Do you study Serbian? – Učiš li srpski?
- Did you eat? – Jesi li jeo?
- Can you help me? – Možeš li mi pomoći?
The answer can only be yes or no.
3. Negative Yes/No Questions In Serbian
There are also the so-called negative yes or no questions, where you kind of express surprise or expectation. You could simply say:
- You don’t study Serbian? – Ne učiš srpski?
Or, you can add zar ne, which means don’t you?
- Don’t you study Serbian? – Zar ne učiš srpski?
- Didn’t you work today? – Zar nisi radio danas?
You can also add it at the end of a positive statement:
- You study Serbian, don’t you? – Učiš srpski, zar ne?
- You worked today, didn’t you? – Danas si radio, zar ne?
The answer can, once again, only be yes or no.
How Do You Say “Question Words” In Serbian?
“Question words” in Serbian is upitne reči.
A question in Serbian is pitanje. If you want to ask someone a question, you can use one of the following sentences:
- Can I ask you something? – Mogu li da te pitam nešto? (informal)
- Can I ask you something? – Mogu li da Vas pitam nešto? (formal)
More Serbian Question Examples – Practice Vocabulary
Here are some additional useful questions you may hear every day in Serbia. Use them to enrich your Serbian vocabulary!
| English | Serbian (Cyrillic) | Serbian (Latin) | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is he? | Где је он? | Gde je on? | |
| Where are you from? | Oдакле си? | Odakle si | |
| Why are you sad? | Зашто си тужна? | Zašto si tužna? | |
| How do you want to pay? | Како желите да платите? | Kako želite da platite? | |
| Can I come? | Могу ли да дођем? | Mogu li da dođem? | |
| Is he sleeping? | Да ли он спава? | Da li on spava? | |
| Do you know me? | Да ли ме познајете? | Da li me poznajete? | |
| Do you have my book? | Имате моју књигу? | Da li imate moju knjigu? | |
| How big is it? | Колико је велико? | Koliko je veliko? | |
| Can I help you? | Могу ли Вам помоћи? | Mogu li Vam pomoći? | |
| Can you help me? | Можете ли ми помоћи? | Možete li mi pomoći? | |
| Do you speak English? | Да ли говорите енглески? | Da li govorite engleski? | |
| How far is this? | Колико је далеко? | Koliko je daleko? | |
| What is your name? | Како се зовеш? | Kako se zoveš? | |
| Where do you live? | Где живите? | Gde živite? |
Tips For Mastering Question Words In Serbian
- Master da li for yes or no questions. Always place it at the start of a statement to make a question.
- Use li for spoken yes/no questions. It goes right after the verb and sounds natural in conversation.
- Learn the main Serbian question words, like ko (who), šta (what), gde (where), kada (when), zašto (why), kako (how), and koliko (how much/many).
- Practice with an app like Ling to accompany your learning. In the Ling app, you get native-speaker audio and real-time feedback.
- Pair questions with gestures. Pointing or acting out can help you remember meanings faster.
- Repeat questions out loud. Saying them aloud improves pronunciation and memory.
- Keep a question journal. Write three to five new questions each day about your surroundings.
- Mix questions with answers. Practice answering your own questions to get used to sentence flow.
- Start with practical situations. Ask about directions, ordering food, or shopping.
- Start with simple questions but move on to harder ones as you progress. Research published by Frontiers in Education shows that language students who asked hard questions not only improved their ability to ask them, but also boosted their creativity and overall language skills!
FAQs: Question Words In Serbian
What Are Serbian Interrogative Pronouns?
Serbian interrogative pronouns (upitne zamenice) are words used to ask questions about things, people, or possession. The main ones are ko (who), šta (what), koji (which), čiji (whose), and kakav (what kind).
How To Respond To “Kako Si” In Serbian?
To answer kako si (how are you), you could simply say dobro, hvala (I’m good, thanks), or just dobro (good). Don’t forget to add a ti?, which means “and you?”
How Do Serbians Say Yes And No?
In Serbian, yes is da and no is ne.
Recap: Asking Questions In Serbian
Learning Serbian question words is a fantastic first step towards making connections with Serbian people. Not only that, but it can also be very useful and even get you out of sticky situations (like when you’re lost somewhere in Belgrade, for example).
We covered the most common question words, like šta (what), gde (where), kako (how), and zašto (why), as well as how to form yes/no questions using da li and li.
Don’t forget to practice daily and use what you’ve learned with people in real life. You’ll be able to get all the info you need in no time!
Continue Learning Serbian With The Ling App
Want to learn Serbian but not sure where to start? It’s true that some of the biggest learning apps out there don’t include a Serbian course. That’s where the Ling app steps in.
The Ling app makes learning Serbian easier by giving you gamified lessons, native-speaker audio, grammar tips, and conversation practice. Every lesson is created by native speakers and language experts, so you’re learning Serbian the right way from the start.
Start practicing and learn Serbian step by step by downloading the Ling app today!
