Polako: How I'm Learning Serbian

There is one Serbian word I now understand with complete certainty. Not because I learned it from a textbook, but because I’ve lived it.

Polako.

In Serbian, it means slowly, take it easy, there’s no need to rush. You hear it everywhere: while waiting in line at the supermarket, chatting with a neighbor, or watching a waiter bring your coffee – not hurrying, but moving as if the whole day lies ahead.

I’ve lived in Serbia for almost three years. Only now am I beginning to realize that polako isn’t just an adverb.

It’s a way of life.

Islands of Words in a Sea of Silence

During my first two years here, speaking Serbian felt a bit like trying to swim without actually knowing how. Lots of movement, lots of splashing... but not much progress.

I tried language apps. Drops was colorful, fun, and addictive. Every day I faithfully completed my five-minute lesson and felt as though I was improving.

The words kept piling up.

Jabuka – apple.

Voda – water.

Hvala – thank you.

I could read street signs, puzzle my way through short texts, watch Serbian TV shows, and hope that somehow the language would simply sink in.

It didn’t.

Because words are not a language.

Words are islands.

And between those islands is water. To cross it, you need grammar – a system, a structure, a logic that explains why jabuka becomes jabuke, and then jabukama. It’s still the same apple, only in different grammatical roles.

I was standing on my little islands of vocabulary, with no idea how to travel from one to another.

Finally, a Language School

About a year ago, I finally enrolled in a Serbian language school.

Too late?

Maybe.

But better late than never.

From the very first lesson, everything started to make sense. The system had always been there – I simply needed someone to show it to me.

Then came the cases.

Serbian has seven grammatical cases, and that’s where I truly got stuck. Russian has six, so people often say the languages are similar.

Perhaps.

But similar and easy are two very different things.

Every time I want to say something more complicated than „I’d like a coffee“, a small exam begins in my head.

Which case?

Which ending?

What if the noun is feminine?

What if it’s plural?

For now, I’m passing that exam slowly.

But at least I’m taking it.

Three Languages in One Head

To be completely honest, my brain often feels like a bowl of porridge.

Russian, Serbian, and English all mixed together.

Sometimes the only word that comes to mind is Serbian, and I can’t immediately remember the Russian equivalent. It’s a strange feeling – as though someone has rearranged all the furniture in your house and you’re still bumping into things.

Some Serbian words have become part of my everyday speech, not because I’ve forgotten them in Russian, but because they simply fit better.

Polako, for example.

Or važi, which means something like okay, deal, sounds good.

Two syllables.

Message delivered.

The Fear Is Gone

For a long time, I was afraid to speak.

Afraid people wouldn’t understand me.

Afraid they would understand – and laugh.

Afraid I’d mix something up and say something ridiculous.

That fear kept me speaking English because it felt safer.

Now I rarely switch languages.

I hesitate.

I gesture.

I search for the right word.

And somehow, the conversation usually works out.

I hardly ever open the translator on my phone anymore.

It’s a small victory, but it feels like a big one.

The Serbian people deserve much of the credit.

They don’t grimace when they hear an accent.

They don’t interrupt.

They don’t immediately switch to English.

They wait.

They help.

Sometimes they gently suggest the right word – without impatience or condescension.

When you’re learning to speak all over again, that kindness means everything.

I Understand Almost Everything. Almost.

Listening comprehension came before speaking, as it usually does.

Today I understand Serbian almost all the time.

Almost is the important word.

Because if you travel to southern Serbia, around Niš or Leskovac, you’ll encounter the Prizren-Timok dialect – a completely different linguistic world.

There, I become a tourist again.

Polako Is Becoming Part of Me

I’ve completely stopped drinking coffee on the go.

That may not sound like a language lesson, but somehow it is.

Language leads you into culture, and culture gradually reshapes your habits.

In Serbia, coffee is a ritual.

You sit down.

You stay.

You don't rush.

Polako.

I’ve also become more patient with people.

When you spend every day searching for words and speaking imperfectly, you naturally begin listening to others more carefully too.

Small talk still intimidates me a little.

Unexpected conversations with neighbors.

Chatting with the cashier.

People who simply want to talk.

Oddly enough, those casual moments are often harder than handling practical situations at the post office or in a shop.

But it’s getting easier.

I no longer run away.

Polako is becoming part of who I am.

And that makes me happy.

A Few Words for Those Just Beginning

After three years, there are a few things I’d like to tell anyone starting this journey.

Speak - even if you're afraid.

Start small. Greet the cashier. Ask your neighbor how they’re doing. Don’t wait for the language to become „ready“. It never does. Language develops through conversation.

Ask people to correct you.

Serbs are usually too polite to point out your mistakes. They’ll understand you, smile, and continue the conversation. But if you ask them directly – Please correct me – they gladly will. That kind of feedback is worth more than any textbook.

Surround yourself with the language.

Listen to Serbian radio in the background. Read street signs. Pay attention to advertisements on buses. Even supermarket leaflets are useful – they contain simple sentences and plenty of visual clues.

One of our teachers highly recommends the weekly magazine Politikin Zabavnik, which offers lively, contemporary Serbian without the formal style of newspapers.

Travel around the country.

Language isn’t only about grammar. It’s about understanding where you live. Every region sounds slightly different, every city has its own rhythm, history, and character. You notice both the differences and the similarities only when you start moving.

Read books. Watch films.

At our school’s Literature Club, we read important works of Serbian literature together. It’s a completely different experience from memorizing vocabulary lists.

Serbian cinema is equally rich and distinctive. Many films have become part of the country’s cultural identity, and understanding their references and humor is one of the great rewards of learning the language.

Above all:

Stay curious.

A language opens itself to people who want to understand it – not simply memorize it.

And perhaps the most important lesson of all:

Learning a language is a journey.

Not a sprint.

Not a three-month course.

Not a five-minute app.

It’s a long road, full of plateaus, setbacks, and days when it feels like nothing is improving.

Accept that from the very beginning.

Don’t see it as failure.

See it as part of the process.

Because polako is not just a Serbian word.

It’s a method.

P.S.

The results will come.

Елена Титова

Student at the Slovo Language Center

Discovering Serbia Through Our Students’ Eyes

The texts below were written by students of the Slovo Language Center as part of their B1-level homework assignment. After just a year and a half of studying Serbian, they are already able to write personal, coherent texts filled with detail, emotion, and their own unique voice.

Ekaterina Grebennikova: My First Encounter with Serbia

“Prvi put sam upoznala Srbiju tokom novogodišnjih praznika 2023. godine. Posle Sankt Peterburga bila sam šokirana plavim nebom i velikom količinom sunca. Jednog dana bilo je čak 17 stepeni i mogli smo da skinemo jakne. Bilo je mnogo sunca i plavog neba. Uvek i svuda su se prodavali sveže cveće. To me i danas oduševljava. Neverovatno mi je da se usred zime, napolju, prodaje sveže cveće. Bilo je toliko toplo da smo jeli sladoled napolju, usred zime. Priroda nije bila siva i mrtva, već zelena, kao u proleće. Na reci je bilo mnogo labudova, što mi je delovalo kao neka čarolija. Sećam se i nekih smešnih reči kao što su „tri kuma debela", „plivanje", „pušenje", „ćevapi". I cene su bile veoma prijatne. Tada je dinar bio oko 0,6 rublje i činilo se da možemo mnogo toga da kupimo za malo novca. Otišla sam sa veoma lepim utiskom. Sada, posle tri godine, i dalje uživam u cveću koje se prodaje tokom cele godine, čak i zimi napolju. Takođe uživam u suncu, plavom nebu i kvalitetnom voću i povrću koje je lako dostupno. Kada sam počela da učim srpski, te reči mi više nisu delovale čudno — sada vidim da imaju logiku i ponekad su čak bliže ruskom nego što sam mislila. Što se tiče škole, sviđa mi se što deca provode mnogo vremena napolju i igraju se bez telefona. To me je posebno iznenadilo kada sam prvi put videla decu kako igraju i razgovaraju u školskom dvorištu. Naravno, sada me pomalo nervira kurs valute i štrajkovi. Vidim da mnogi ljudi nisu zadovoljni situacijom u zemlji. Ipak, moj pozitivan utisak je ostao i ja sam srećna što imam ovo iskustvo u svom životu.”

Translation:

“I first discovered Serbia during the New Year holidays in 2023. Coming from Saint Petersburg, I was amazed by the blue skies and abundant sunshine. One day the temperature reached 17°C, and we could even take off our jackets. Fresh flowers were being sold everywhere. Even today, that still amazes me. It’s incredible to see fresh flowers sold outdoors in the middle of winter. It was so warm that we ate ice cream outside. Nature wasn’t gray and lifeless – it was green, almost like spring. There were swans on the river, which made everything seem magical. I also remember some funny Serbian words such as tri kuma debela, plivanje, pušenje, and ćevapi. Prices were very reasonable as well. At the time, one Serbian dinar was worth about 0.6 rubles, so it felt like we could buy so much for very little money. I left Serbia with wonderful memories. Three years later, I still enjoy seeing flowers sold outdoors throughout the year, even in winter. I still appreciate the sunshine, the blue skies, and the excellent fruit and vegetables that are so easy to find here. Once I started learning Serbian, those funny words stopped sounding strange. I began to see the logic behind them, and sometimes they even seemed closer to Russian than I had expected. What I especially like about Serbia is seeing children spend so much time outdoors playing together instead of looking at their phones. That surprised me the first time I saw a school playground full of children talking and playing. Of course, nowadays the exchange rate and the strikes can be frustrating, and I see that many people are unhappy with the current situation in the country. Even so, my positive impression has remained unchanged, and I’m grateful to have had this experience in my life.“

Nadezhda Karpacheva: Learning to Feel at Home

“Када сам први пут стигла у Србију, знала сам веома мало о земљи. Главно ме је занимало како бих могла да се населим овде, а не њена историја, традиције или језик.Једно од мојих првих открића била је Цезар салата са хрскавом сланином. Никада раније нисам наишла на то, али је била укусна. Када смо почели да истражујемо место у коме смо живели, наша навика да имамо један центар града, као у Москви, у почетку нам је отежавала да схватимо како је Београд распоређен. Много смо шетали, истражујући различите делове града, дивили се архитектури и зеленилу и посматрали како је тамо организован живот. Најважнија ствар која је била уз нас од самог почетка нашег живота у Србији су људи. И искрено сматрам да такво гостопримство је национално благо. Сви људи су различити, али они, које смо срели били су веома гостопримљиви и увек спремни да помогну. Стрес због пресељења и навикавања на нову средину захтева време. Али, две и по године касније, могу са сигурношћу да кажем да овде апсолутно волим да живим. Можда још нисам пуно путовао по Србији. Можда не говорим тако добро као што бих желела. Можда постоје неке стране живота овде који још увек треба да буду истражени и са коjим треба да будем пажљива. Али овде се толико тога побољшало и обогатило мој живот, и због тога сам веома захвална Србији и српском народу.”

Translation:

“When I first arrived in Serbia, I knew very little about the country. My main concern was simply figuring out how to settle here, not learning about its history, traditions, or language. One of my first discoveries was Caesar salad with crispy bacon. I’d never seen it prepared that way before, but it was delicious. As we began exploring the city where we lived, our habit of expecting a single city center – as in Moscow – initially made it difficult to understand Belgrade’s layout. We spent hours walking through different neighborhoods, admiring the architecture and greenery, and observing everyday life. The most important part of our new life in Serbia has been the people. I truly believe that Serbian hospitality is one of the country’s greatest treasures. Everyone is different, of course, but every person we met was welcoming and ready to help. Moving to a new country and adapting to a different environment takes time. But after two and a half years, I can honestly say that I absolutely love living here. Perhaps I still haven’t traveled enough around Serbia. Perhaps my Serbian isn’t yet as good as I’d like it to be. Perhaps there are still many aspects of life here that I have yet to discover and understand. But Serbia has enriched my life in so many ways, and for that I am deeply grateful – to this country and to its people.”

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The Polako method works! :)