Serbian packs an enormous amount of meaning into a small set of pronouns, verb forms, and connecting words, and this list gathers the hundred that show up most in everyday speech. Written here in Latin script, the same words you'd meet in Cyrillic too, they're the fastest route into reading, listening, and holding a basic conversation.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Serbian | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | and | Volim čitanje i pisanje.I like reading and writing. |
| 2 | je | is | Ona je lekar.She is a doctor. |
| 3 | se | oneself / each other | Deca se igraju u parku.The children are playing in the park. |
| 4 | na | on | Knjiga je na stolu.The book is on the table. |
| 5 | da | that | Mislim da je u pravu.I think that he's right. |
| 6 | ne | no / not | Ne razumem ovo.I don't understand this. |
| 7 | za | for | Ovaj poklon je za tebe.This gift is for you. |
| 8 | su | are | Oni su prijatelji.They are friends. |
| 9 | u | in | Živimo u Beogradu.We live in Belgrade. |
| 10 | koji | which / who | Devojka koja tamo stoji je moja sestra.The girl who is standing there is my sister. |
| 11 | sa | with | Idem u šetnju sa psom.I'm going for a walk with the dog. |
| 12 | takođe | also | Takođe volim kafu.I also like coffee. |
| 13 | kao | as / like | On radi kao učitelj.He works as a teacher. |
| 14 | bi | would | Hteo bih kafu.I would like a coffee. |
| 15 | ali | but | Ja idem kući, ali ona ostaje.I'm going home, but she's staying. |
| 16 | ili | or | Hoćeš čaj ili kafu?Do you want tea or coffee? |
| 17 | do | until / to | Radim do pet sati.I work until five. |
| 18 | iz | from | Dolazim iz Srbije.I'm from Serbia. |
| 19 | posle | after | Posle posla idem kući.After work I go home. |
| 20 | ovaj | this | Ova knjiga je zanimljiva.This book is interesting. |
| 21 | onaj | that | Onaj čovek je moj komšija.That man is my neighbor. |
| 22 | biti | to be | Želim da budem srećan.I want to be happy. |
| 23 | imati | to have | Imam dva brata.I have two brothers. |
| 24 | ja | I | Ja sam iz Novog Sada.I am from Novi Sad. |
| 25 | ti | you | Ti si moj najbolji prijatelj.You are my best friend. |
| 26 | on | he | On radi u kancelariji.He works in an office. |
| 27 | ona | she | Ona voli da kuva.She likes to cook. |
| 28 | mi | we | Mi idemo na more.We're going to the seaside. |
| 29 | vi | you (plural) | Vi ste veoma ljubazni.You all are very kind. |
| 30 | oni | they | Oni žive u Nišu.They live in Niš. |
| 31 | moj | my | Ovo je moj auto.This is my car. |
| 32 | tvoj | your | Gde je tvoj telefon?Where is your phone? |
| 33 | njegov | his | Njegov pas je veoma veliki.His dog is very big. |
| 34 | njen | her | Njen brat studira u Beogradu.Her brother studies in Belgrade. |
| 35 | naš | our | Ovo je naša kuća.This is our house. |
| 36 | vaš | your (plural) | Kako je vaše ime?What is your name? |
| 37 | njihov | their | Njihov auto je crven.Their car is red. |
| 38 | ko | who | Ko je ovo napisao?Who wrote this? |
| 39 | šta | what | Šta radiš večeras?What are you doing tonight? |
| 40 | gde | where | Gde sada živiš?Where do you live now? |
| 41 | kada | when | Kada dolaziš kući?When are you coming home? |
| 42 | kako | how | Kako se osećaš?How do you feel? |
| 43 | zašto | why | Zašto si tužan?Why are you sad? |
| 44 | koliko | how much / many | Koliko ovo košta?How much does this cost? |
| 45 | ovde | here | Živim ovde već deset godina.I've lived here for ten years already. |
| 46 | tamo | there | Prodavnica je tamo preko puta.The store is over there, across the street. |
| 47 | sada | now | Sada moram da idem.I have to go now. |
| 48 | onda | then | Prvo da jedemo, a onda da pričamo.Let's eat first, and then talk. |
| 49 | uvek | always | Uvek ustajem u sedam.I always get up at seven. |
| 50 | nikad | never | Nikad nisam bio u Americi.I've never been to America. |
| 51 | veoma | very | Ovaj film je veoma dobar.This movie is very good. |
| 52 | samo | only | Imam samo jednu sestru.I only have one sister. |
| 53 | već | already | Već sam ručao.I've already had lunch. |
| 54 | još | still / yet | Još uvek pada kiša.It's still raining. |
| 55 | moći | can / to be able | Možeš li da mi pomogneš?Can you help me? |
| 56 | morati | must | Moram da idem na posao.I have to go to work. |
| 57 | hteti | to want | Hoću da naučim srpski.I want to learn Serbian. |
| 58 | znati | to know | Ne znam gde mi je ključ.I don't know where my key is. |
| 59 | videti | to see | Vidim planinu u daljini.I see a mountain in the distance. |
| 60 | ići | to go | Idem u prodavnicu.I'm going to the store. |
| 61 | doći | to come | Molim te, dođi sutra u osam.Please come tomorrow at eight. |
| 62 | reći | to say | Šta si hteo da kažeš?What did you want to say? |
| 63 | napraviti | to make | Moram da napravim domaći zadatak.I have to do my homework. |
| 64 | raditi | to work / do | Radim u bolnici.I work in a hospital. |
| 65 | dati | to give | Daj mi tu knjigu, molim te.Give me that book, please. |
| 66 | uzeti | to take | Uzmi kišobran jer će padati kiša.Take an umbrella because it's going to rain. |
| 67 | misliti | to think | Šta misliš o ovome?What do you think about this? |
| 68 | govoriti | to speak | Govorim srpski i engleski.I speak Serbian and English. |
| 69 | gledati | to watch | Volim da gledam fudbal.I like watching soccer. |
| 70 | vreme | time / weather | Nemam vremena za ovo.I don't have time for this. |
| 71 | godina | year | Sledeće godine idem u Italiju.Next year I'm going to Italy. |
| 72 | dan | day | Danas je lep dan.Today is a beautiful day. |
| 73 | čovek | person / man | Svaki čovek je drugačiji.Every person is different. |
| 74 | ljudi | people | Na trgu ima mnogo ljudi.There are many people in the square. |
| 75 | dete | child | Dete se smeje.The child is laughing. |
| 76 | muž | husband | Njen muž radi kao lekar.Her husband works as a doctor. |
| 77 | žena | wife / woman | Moja žena sprema večeru.My wife is making dinner. |
| 78 | kuća | house | Kupili smo novu kuću.We bought a new house. |
| 79 | grad | city | Beograd je glavni grad Srbije.Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia. |
| 80 | svet | world | Voleo bih da vidim svet.I would like to see the world. |
| 81 | voda | water | Molim te, daj mi čašu vode.Please give me a glass of water. |
| 82 | hrana | food | Ova hrana je veoma ukusna.This food is very tasty. |
| 83 | novac | money | Nemam dovoljno novca.I don't have enough money. |
| 84 | posao | work / job | Njen posao je veoma zanimljiv.Her job is very interesting. |
| 85 | škola | school | Deca idu u školu u osam.The children go to school at eight. |
| 86 | prijatelj | friend | On je moj najbolji prijatelj.He is my best friend. |
| 87 | porodica | family | Moja porodica je velika.My family is big. |
| 88 | reč | word | Ne znam ovu reč.I don't know this word. |
| 89 | knjiga | book | Čitam veoma zanimljivu knjigu.I'm reading a very interesting book. |
| 90 | dobar | good | Ovo je veoma dobra ideja.This is a very good idea. |
| 91 | veliki | big | Imaju veliko dvorište.They have a big yard. |
| 92 | mali | small | Živimo u malom gradu.We live in a small town. |
| 93 | nov | new | Kupio sam novi telefon.I bought a new phone. |
| 94 | star | old | Ova kuća je veoma stara.This house is very old. |
| 95 | lep | beautiful | Danas je veoma lep dan napolju.Today is a very beautiful day outside. |
| 96 | dug | long | Put do mora je dug.The way to the sea is long. |
| 97 | prvi | first | Ovo je moj prvi dan na poslu.This is my first day at work. |
| 98 | drugi | other / second | Uzmi drugo parče torte.Take the other piece of cake. |
| 99 | sve | everything | Hvala na svemu.Thanks for everything. |
| 100 | ceo | whole / entire | Pojeo sam celu picu.I ate the whole pizza. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
Latin vs. Cyrillic
Serbian is officially written in two scripts, Cyrillic and Latin, and both are taught in school and used interchangeably in daily life. This list uses Latin script (sr-Latn), the version most visible online, but road signs, books, and official documents often switch to Cyrillic without warning, so real fluency means being comfortable reading both.
da + present tense instead of an infinitive
Serbian rarely uses a bare infinitive the way English does. Instead it pairs "da" with a present-tense verb, so "I want to go" becomes "Hoću da idem," literally "I want that I go." This construction shows up constantly and trips up learners used to the English "to + verb" pattern.
Cases still matter
Serbian nouns and adjectives decline across seven cases, so a word like "kuća" (house) becomes "kuće," "kući," "kuću," and more depending on its grammatical role. Word order is more flexible than in English precisely because the endings, not position, signal who's doing what.
Aspect pairs: raditi vs. napraviti
Like other Slavic languages, Serbian verbs come in imperfective and perfective pairs describing ongoing versus completed action. "Radim" (I am working) describes an activity in progress, while "napravio sam" (I made) marks a finished result, and mixing them up is a common non-native tell.
Vi as a polite singular
Just as with French "vous" or German "Sie," Serbian uses the plural "vi" as a respectful way to address one person you don't know well or who deserves formality, capitalized as "Vi" in writing. Using the informal "ti" with a stranger or an elder can come across as overly familiar.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Serbian and following it.