Overview

Serbian is a South Slavic language spoken primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is mutually intelligible with Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin.

Alphabet

Serbian is unique in that it can be written in both Cyrillic (30 letters) and Latin (30 letters) scripts. Both alphabets are officially recognized, with Cyrillic being slightly more common.

Sound Features

Serbian features:

• Pitch accent system (rising and falling tones)
• Simple vowel system with 5 vowels
• Lack of palatalization compared to other Slavic languages
• Phonetic spelling - words are written as they sound

Key Grammar Highlights

Serbian grammar includes:

• Seven grammatical cases
• Three grammatical genders
• Verb aspect system
• Rich system of verbal tenses

Related Languages

Serbian is closely related to Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin. These languages are sometimes collectively referred to as Serbo-Croatian.

Basic Phrases

• Hello: Здраво / Zdravo
• Thank you: Хвала / Hvala
• Yes: Да / Da
• No: Не / Ne
• Please: Молим / Molim

Resources

• Serbian language courses
• Serbian media and literature in both scripts
• Language exchange programs
• Online dictionaries and grammar resources