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What time is it? This basic, everyday question can suddenly become daunting when you’re in a foreign land, and the language is all Greek to you. Or, more precisely, Serbian. Sounds familiar? Then, it’s the perfect moment to learn how to tell time in Serbian.
Of course, we’ll guide you every step of the way and show you how to tell time, ask about it, and schedule dates and appointments. Ready to dive in? It’s time to take your language skills up a notch!
Whether you’re traveling in Serbia, living there, or just wish to chat with your Slavic friends, knowing how to tell time is a must. This handy skill lets you book a restaurant, make a doctor’s appointment, or plan a date. Plus, you’ll be a hero to random passers-by who’ve lost track of time.
Thankfully, telling time in Serbian is a breeze once you nail down some basic phrases. Sure, you’ll need to be comfy with numbers first, but don’t worry — even if you’re not, our article on numbers will get you up to speed in no time.
Whenever you wish to ask about time in Serbian, you can go with one of these phrases:
Since, in casual settings, people frequently omit letters to make words shorter and easier to pronounce, you’ll often hear these variations:
But if you’re asking a random person on the street, you should stick with the full phrases. Also, it’s a good idea to start with a polite opener — izvinite:
Izvinite, koliko je sati?
(Excuse me, what’s the time?)
To make it even more polite, be a tad less direct:
Izvinite, znate li koliko je sati?
(Excuse me, do you know what time it is?)
So, how do you tell time in Serbian? Let’s see.
08:00 | osam sati |
08:05 | osam i pet |
08:10 | osam i deset |
08:15 | osam i petnaest |
08:20 | osam i dvadeset |
08:25 | osam i dvadeset pet |
08:30 | pola devet |
08:35 | dvadeset pet do devet (osam i trideset pet) |
08:40 | dvadeset do devet (osam i četrdeset) |
08:45 | petnaest do devet (osam i četrdeset pet) |
08:50 | deset do devet (osam i pedeset) |
08:55 | pet do devet (osam i pedeset pet) |
To be even more precise, go with this pattern: x sati i y minuta. For example:
As you can see, telling time in Serbian isn’t too different from how you’d do it in English. Still, there are a few distinctions. First off, instead of five past eight, you’ll say eight and five (osam i pet). Also, the English half past eight becomes half nine (pola devet) in Serbian.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the word sat (o’clock) will change depending on the number . Here’s how it works:
And there you have it! Now that you understand how to talk about time in Serbian, you can apply this knowledge at any hour of the day.
Finally, here’s how to answer the question, Koliko je sati?
10:00 – Sada je deset sati.
(It’s ten o’clock now.)
10:30 – Sada je pola jedanaest.
(It’s half past ten now.)
Alternatively, for a more concise response:
Q: Koliko je sati?
A: Deset.
Just remember, this works best when there’s enough context (e.g., someone’s just asked you about the time). Otherwise, you might be simply stating numbers and confusing people.
In Serbia, people almost always stick to the 12-hour clock, just like in English. Therefore, you’ll say it’s ten o’clock, whether it’s AM or PM.
To pinpoint the time of day, you can use these handy phrases:
For example:
Sada je pola pet ujutru.
(It’s half past four in the morning now.)
There is an exception, though. In formal settings, like news reports, people typically switch to the 24-hour format . For instance:
Since the hours before noon stay the same in both time formats, here’s how to convert the times between noon and midnight:
12-hour | 24-hour |
|
12 PM | 12:00 | dvanaest časova (podne) |
1 PM | 13:00 | trinaest časova |
2 PM | 14:00 | četrnaest časova |
3 PM | 15:00 | petnaest časova |
4 PM | 16:00 | šesnaest časova |
5 PM | 17:00 | sedamnaest časova |
6 PM | 18:00 | osamnaest časova |
7 PM | 19:00 | devetnaest časova |
8 PM | 20:00 | dvadeset časova |
9 PM | 21:00 | dvadeset jedan čas |
10 PM | 22:00 | dvadeset dva časa |
11 PM | 23:00 | dvadeset tri časa |
12 AM | 24:00 | dvadeset četiri časa (ponoć) |
As you can see, sat (o’clock) also gets replaced with its posh counterpart čas in such instances.
Again, knowing how to tell the time is a big deal since, without it, there’s no way to make appointments or invite your crush on a date.
First off, the basic pattern you should remember is: preposition u + time. For example:
Vidimo se u osam.
(See you at eight.)
Želim da zakažem termin u pola devet ujutru.
(I’d like to make an appointment for half past eight in the morning.)
Now, Serbs aren’t exactly famous for their punctuality. In fact, most folks are pretty relaxed about time, which is a polite way of saying they are late more often than not. Jokes aside, you don’t always need to be spot-on with the timing, especially if you’re meeting a Serbian friend. With that in mind, use these words to add some nuance:
Here are examples:
Čas počinje tačno u osam.
(The class starts at eight sharp.)
Hajde da se nađemo otprilike u deset uveče.
(Let’s meet at approximately ten in the evening.)
Budim se oko devet svako jutro.
(I wake up around nine every morning.)
As we wrap up this guide on how to tell time in Serbian, go ahead and put what you’ve learned into practice. Make appointments, ask about time, or invite a special person on a romantic date — whatever floats your boat.
Still curious about the time? That means it’s level-up-your-Serbian o’clock! Book our one-on-one online lessons and make the most out of your free time — by reaching your language goals with the support of our expert teachers.
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