Written by: Olivera Tolimir & Milica Bokšan
If you’ve ever told anyone you would like to learn Serbian, you probably saw the other person fainting or giving you plain simple: “Isn’t Serbian a hard language to learn? Why would you bother? Besides, everyone knows English anyway.”
But, is Serbian hard to learn for real?
What if your parents of Serbian descent would appreciate you improving your Serbian skills?
Or if you have a significant other from Serbia whose parents don’t know English that well?
Maybe you’ve got a job in Serbia or just love a good linguistic challenge.
You probably wouldn’t be able to learn Serbian fast by yourself, but let’s go step by step.
Is it difficult to learn Serbian?
There’s no ultimate answer to this question, but let’s mention some key aspects of the Serbian language that can be tricky to learn.
We will try to show them in a real light. ☺
#1 Alphabet
Serbs like to brag a little about their alphabet.
One letter – one sound, it’s perfect – you would often hear them say. And it’s true. At least in the Cyrillic script.
Oh, yes, we have one alphabet and two scripts – the Latin one and the Cyrillic one. But don’t worry – despite that fact, it’s much easier to learn reading in Serbian than in the language you’re reading this in.
#2 Pronunciation
While English grammar is not so complicated, its pronunciation is a nightmare for most foreigners.
In Serbian, you won’t struggle with this, because the braggy part from the beginning of the alphabet paragraph is correct.
As soon as you learn to read all 30 letters, you will be able to read any word in Serbian with ease. Including the longest one – prestolonaslednikovica!
In the Cyrillic script, one letter always represents one sound, while in the Latin one, there are three exceptions.
The only complication of having two alphabets is that some letters are written the same way, but pronounced differently.
For example, there is a P in both scripts, but in Latin, we pronounce it like an English P, and in Cyrillic, like an R.
Yes, it can be confusing, but compared to English though, through, thought, through, and tough, it doesn’t seem that difficult, right? ☺
#3 Word Order
Let’s see how you can say “Tamara gave Ivana a gift” in Serbian:
Tamara je dala Ivani poklon.
Tamara je dala poklon Ivani.
Tamara je Ivani dala poklon.
Tamara je poklon dala Ivani.
Ivani je Tamara dala poklon.
Ivani je poklon dala Tamara.
And the list goes on. The rules for arranging words in a sentence are pretty loose.
There are slight differences in the meaning – you choose word order depending on the word you want to emphasize.
Still, all are correct, so everyone will understand you no matter how you compose the sentence.
But what magical thing allows us to play with word arrangement in a Serbian sentence? It’s Their Highness Grammatical Cases.
#4 Grammatical Cases
Grammatical cases are both the charm of the Serbian language and the ones to blame for all the struggle.
They’re also the reason why some people who wanted to learn Serbian fast, gave up. But if you give our grammatical cases some time, you’ll realize their beauty, and won’t be one of them.
Our beloved cases help us realize who does what in a sentence. In the examples with the generous Tamara, you’ve noticed we changed Ivana’s name to “Ivani”.
The name changed its form because Ivana is a gift receiver. Tamara is a gift-giver, so she gets to keep her name as it is.
There are seven grammatical cases in our language. In singular and plural. And masculine, feminine, and neuter gender.
We know, we know, but wait, don’t give up already!
Let’s compare grammatical cases to something we all learned in elementary school – a multiplication table.
It was so boring memorizing it.
Just remember reading and repeating 2×2=4, 2×3=6, 2×4=8, and so on. But now remember how much this basic knowledge has helped you figure out your savings or tips in restaurants. The same thing goes for the cases.
In Serbia, there’s a male name Jovan and a female name Jovana. So, if you hear a friend talking about their boyfriend saying: Ja volim Jovana (Ja volim – I love), you might get confused, or even worse – wonder if your friend is cheating on their loved one! Don’t worry, your (hypothetical) friend’s love life is just fine. Jovana is not only a female name but also one form of the word Jovan.
Is Serbian Hard to Learn For English Speakers?
Well, is it? 😁
We’re just kidding, let’s see what stats have to show us.
Many think that Serbian is one of the hardest languages to learn.
According to studies, Serbian is in the IV group of languages. It’s harder than Swahili but easier than Japanese or Korean.
To learn Serbian fluently, you will need around 1100 class hours or 44 weeks to reach a level such as B2 or C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
However, stats are just numbers, don’t let this discourage you.
Is Serbian Worth Learning?
First, learning a language is never useless.
Besides that, if you want to learn Serbian so you can communicate with your friends, family, or loved ones, you know it’s absolutely worth it.
Secondly, Serbia has a rich history, culture and amazing people (and food), so you will probably be thrilled when you start discovering them.
And third, when you learn Serbian you can also fully understand Montenegrin, Croatian, Bosnian, and partly, Macedonian. So you can communicate with approximately 18 – 19 million people plus at least 5 million from the diaspora.
Tips for Learning Serbian
Let’s mention some simple ideas on how to learn Serbian.
- Create flashcards
Learning new words and grammar is necessary.
For learning new words, it’s always useful to create flashcards and make a game out of them. You can play it yourself or compete with a friend. Also, never learn words separately.
For example, if you want to remember the word nebo (= sky), add an adjective, such as plavo (= blue).
That way, as soon as you hear one word, it will remind you of the other, so you’ll make associations in your brain.
There are some other tips to make learning more fun.
For example, it’s great to translate every word you see while going for a walk.
There are open hours written at the door of every store, restaurant, or coffee shop.
Pay attention to them and soon you’ll remember that otvoreno means “open” and zatvoreno “closed”.
In the same way, it will be easy to remember words for a flower shop, pharmacy, or exchange office.
- Listen to music and watch TV series
Another great way to practice is to listen to Serbian music and watch our TV series and movies. This is an interesting way to learn new phrases and get used to everyday communication in Serbian.
Of course, don’t rely only on popular music, or else you’ll learn phrases such as “I’m dying for you, my only love” sooner than “Hello”.
- Speak with natives
Speaking of love, the best way to learn Serbian and consider it the easiest of all languages is to find a boyfriend/girlfriend from Serbia.
Yes, it sounds funny, but talking to native speakers is a big part of learning a language.
So, the boyfriend/girlfriend thing aside, finding friends who could help you practice your speaking is always a great idea.
With some help, you’ll be more than able to learn Serbian fast!
We’ve talked and talked about different aspects of learning Serbian, but it’s time to answer the question from the title. Is Serbian a hard language to learn? The answer is – it depends.
Of course, there are some objective criteria – it will be a lot easier for a native speaker of a Slavic language, than for a Mandarin one. But the similarity of someone’s native language to Serbian doesn’t mean anything if a person doesn’t practice!
How long does it take to learn Serbian fluently?
We won’t lie to you – nobody has a proper answer to this question. It depends on many factors. For example:
- Do you already have some prior knowledge?
- Can you practice Serbian in conversation with natives?
- How much effort can you put into the process?
But, let’s say that with the right resources you can achieve more in less time.
For the basics and some everyday communication, you will need approximately 3 months, more or less. We can say this based on our students’ experiences. Of course, you can always upgrade your knowledge. But as we said previously, it takes around 1110 class hours to learn Serbian fluently.
The fastest way to learn Serbian is by taking a well-structured course. Speaking with natives will be a perfect practice (besides other exercises). So, don’t postpone it any longer, see for yourself that the Serbian language isn’t hard to learn at all. Schedule your Serbian online lessons!
