Written by: Milica Bokšan
Is How to be polite in Serbia so difficult that we need a whole article about it?
Well, no, actually, it’s pretty simple, but we know it’s much easier if everything is organised in one place!
Besides, every country has its own cultural rules, so let’s be sure that we’ve covered them all.
Let’s start from the beginning!
How to Be Polite in Serbia: Greetings
When you meet someone for the first time, it’s natural to greet them and introduce yourself.
If you want to sound and be polite in Serbian, you will say:
Zdravo/Dobar dan, ja sam (insert your name here). Drago mi je (što smo se upoznali)!
It means ‘Hello/Good day, I’m _____ (or my name is ____). Nice to meet you!’
These sentences you can use in formal or informal surroundings. Literally. Here are some of the situations where this way of greeting would be friendly accepted:
- Introducing your partners’ family or friends
- Introducing random people at parties
- Showing up for your first job interview
- Meeting your future colleagues for the first time
Bonus: Find more Serbian greetings here!
But there’s one other thing that plays a crucial role in being polite in Serbia. It’s a gesture.
How to Be Polite in Serbia: Shaking Hands
Serbs appreciate the first impression more than anything.
So, when you meet someone for the first time or see them after a while and you’re not close friends, you should make a firm handshake, with an emphasis on ’firm’.
It’s normal to smile pleasantly while saying the previously mentioned sentence and reach out to shake hands.
The tricky part is that Serbs immediately decided your character based on how firm your shake was. It shouldn’t be rough, and it shouldn’t be too gentle.
You will need to find a balance between those two, and maybe even exercise with someone you know from Serbia. 😀
How to Be Polite in Serbia: Three Kisses on The Cheeks
The next meaningful gesture of friendliness and politeness in Serbia is kissing on the cheeks.
Serbs kissing each other on the cheeks in these situations:
- When they met someone after a while
- When you congratulate the newlyweds
- When attending the Serbian slava and congratulating the host
- When someone has a birthday
- When you congratulate parents for having a baby
If you know someone very well, you can hug them instead of kissing. Especially if you haven’t seen them for a long time or you are extremely happy because someone is getting married or becoming a parent.
But why do Serbians kiss three times on the cheek? There are several theories; check this article.
How To Be Polite in Serbia: Events And Gifts
When you attend a Serbian event, everyone will tell you that you don’t need to bring any gift with you, but let’s be honest – this isn’t the truth.
At least you should bring some alcoholic drink, it’s a very common thing in Serbia. 😀
Here’s a list of the most popular Serbian events and appropriate gifts:
- Serbian Slava
You should bring a bottle of wine and, optionally, a coffee package, a praline box (the closest family members usually bring some gifts for the household), and a flower bouquet. (Yes, some people bring all these together.)
If you don’t know what slava is, check this article.
- Birthday parties
This is a little bit complicated, but if you attend the 1st birthday, you should bring jewellery or an envelope with a reasonable amount of money. Closest friends or family usually ask parents what they need and maybe buy some needed baby equipment. They also bring a bottle of drink and a flower bouquet.
Other significant birthday parties include the 18th birthday and some jubilees (for example, 30th, 50th, and similar), where Serbs also bring some expensive gifts. Besides these, they get regular gifts such as books, clothes, parfumes or similar.
- Weddings
Serbian weddings are typically huge gatherings, and there’s a custom that guests should bring an envelope with money so that newlyweds can start their married life without financial concerns.
- Baby coming celebration
These parties are usually organised by the father as soon as the baby is born. People usually bring a bottle of some alcoholic drink (it’s an act of toasting to the new life).
- Babine
Serbs usually don’t organise a baby shower before the baby is born, as it is considered bad luck. In Serbia, it is customary to bring gifts when visiting a baby for the first time (usually not before the baby is at least 40 days old). These are generally small items for the baby, such as pacifiers, bibs, bottles, cosmetics, rattles, and the like. People also often bring money wrapped in a greeting card.
As you can see, Serbs pay a lot of attention to the act of gifting, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. Once you read this, you will know what you should do.
How to be Polite in Serbia: Persiranje
When we say Vi in Serbian, it means that we persiramo. It actually means that we address someone with respect.
If you talk with your Serbian friend, you will say something like:
Kako si? (= How are you?)
But if you want to ask your friend’s parent how he or she is, you will say:
Kako ste? (= How are you?)
It’s the same thing if you write an email in Serbian.
You should write the following:
Poštovani,
Obraćam Vam se, jer sam video Vaš oglas za posao.
(= Dear Sir/Miss/Madam/Sir/Mr,
I am contacting you because I saw your job advertisement.)
When we write an email in Serbian, we rarely use ’Dear’ or just ’Hi/Hello’, we will start the email with previously mentioned word which means ’Respectful’ and then we continue an email with addressing the receipent with capitalized letter V (as you can see in the example).
However, be cautious: if you’re addressing the entire team and not just one person or recruiter, you will use the second-person plural pronoun, but you will write it with a lowercase v.
Check out more details on how to write an email in Serbian in this article.
Other Polite Phrases in Serbian
The answer to How to be polite in Serbia also includes knowing which phrases to use and when.
Learn them and thrill Serbs with your good manners:
- Hvala!
Hvala means ’Thank you!’ You can use it when someone helps you with something, gives you a compliment, or when you receive a gift.
Bonus: Learn how to give compliments in Serbian!
- Prijatno!
Prijatno is a Serbian phrase that you will hear during meal time, both in Serbian homes and in restaurants by waiters. It means ’Enjoy your meal!’
- Srećno!
Srećno means ’Good luck!’ and Serbs use it on many occasions; you can say it when someone goes on a date, a job interview, a road trip (here you can say: Srećan put!), etc.
- Čestitam!
It means ’Congratulations!’ and you can use it when someone achieves something; passes an exam, marries, becomes a parent, gets a job or a promotion, etc.
- Sve najlepše!
This means ’I wish you all the best!’ and it usually follows the Srećan rođendan! (= Happy birthday!) greeting.
- Nazdravlje!
When someone sneezes, Serbs usually say Nazdravlje! The English equivalent to this Serbian phrase is ’Bless you!’
- Živeli!
When there’s a toast at a gathering, people will say this phrase, which means ’Cheers!’ while clinking glasses.
So, now you know how to be polite in Serbia, and you can hang out with Serbs without uncertainty about how to behave in a given situation.
If you want to understand native speakers even more, then you should definitely start with Serbian lessons for foreigners!
