The best way to learn Serbian is a mix: mostly Serbian you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Serbian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Serbian Work Best?
Reading and listening to Serbian at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Podcasts, TV and the news | Natural, everyday Serbian | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works, such as which case ending to use | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Serbian for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel to SerbiaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about ordering food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Pass a Serbian ExamRead and listen at your level most of the time, and do most of your reading in Cyrillic, because the University of Belgrade prints its Serbian exam in Cyrillic at every level.
- Live in SerbiaRead and hear Serbian about errands, rent and neighbors, and practice reading the signs and menus around you in both alphabets.
- Follow Serbian TV and NewsPut most of your time into listening, starting with podcasts made for learners and moving on to RTS shows on RTS Planeta.
- Work in SerbianRead and hear Serbian about your field most of the time, and practice with a tutor when to use the polite Ви and when to use ти.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Serbian.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Serbian Story for reading or Anki for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Serbian lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Cyrillic | Bubblegum's Serbian Cyrillic course | Ćirilio, a word app with a guide to the Cyrillic alphabet |
| Reading and listening at your level | Bubblegum's Serbian lessons on this site, and short stories on Serbian Story | Bubblegum, LingQ's Mini Stories in Cyrillic, or the readers from Serbian-Reader.com |
| Podcasts, TV and news | Unlock your Serbian for podcasts, RTS Planeta for TV, SBS Serbian for news | Language Reactor for YouTube videos, or Readlang for web pages you choose |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar | Free videos about words and grammar from Serbian with Boko | The summer course at the University of Belgrade's Center for Serbian as a Foreign Language |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Serbian sentences you can follow.
- Serbian in English SpellingsEnglish spellings often write ч and ћ the same way, so read every Serbian word in Cyrillic from the start.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each noun comes with an example of how its ending changes.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave RTS series for when you can follow most of an episode, and listen to Unlock your Serbian before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Serbian with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn Serbian grammar first?
No. Learn Cyrillic first, then learn grammar from the Serbian you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after Хоћу да једем (I want to eat) and Хоћу да пијем (I want to drink), the pattern for "I want to" is easy to spot.
Which Serbian should I learn?
Start with Ekavian, the pronunciation that schools and the media in Serbia use, according to UCLA's Slavic department. Many speakers in western Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina use Ijekavian, so the word for milk is млеко in Belgrade and млијеко there. If your family speaks Ijekavian, learn the standard first and pick up their words as you talk.
Which Serbian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Serbian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Serbian app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Serbian Cyrillic course and the Serbian lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- University of Belgrade, Center for Serbian as a Foreign Language: testing and examination activities (exams at every CEFR level)
- University of Belgrade, Center for Serbian as a Foreign Language: exam regulations (exams at every level are printed in Cyrillic)
- UCLA Slavic Department: Background Information (Serbian) (standard based on Ekavian pronunciation, used in schools and the media; Ijekavian in western Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Serbian Story: story archive (free A1 and A2 stories in Cyrillic)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- HelloTalk, Serbian to English language exchange
