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Do you know your numbers in Serbian? Sure, counting to ten may be a piece of cake. But what about one hundred? Or one thousand?
If all the zeros are already making you dizzy — don’t worry. We’re here to guide you through Serbian numbers and show you how to use them in real-life situations.
Ready to begin? Three, two, one… Let’s go!
Have you ever shopped in Serbia or had to schedule a hair salon appointment? If so, you know that you can’t do any of these without knowing Serbian numbers.
But don’t worry, you don’t need to be an expert to use Serbian numbers. Just learning the basics will go a long way, and that’s exactly what this article is about.
For your convenience, we’ll keep things super simple. So, throughout this guide, we’ll focus on:
Osnovni brojevi (cardinal numbers), is one of the first things to learn in a foreign language, so you might already know how to count to ten. Either way, let’s review it.
Here are numbers from zero to ten.
0 | nula | ||
1 | jedan | 6 | šest |
2 | dva | 7 | sedam |
3 | tri | 8 | osam |
4 | četiri | 9 | devet |
5 | pet | 10 | deset |
Counting to one hundred is only slightly more challenging. Here’s the first set of numbers:
11 | jedanaest | 16 | šesnaest |
12 | dvanaest | 17 | sedamnaest |
13 | trinaest | 18 | osamnaest |
14 | četrnaest | 19 | devetnaest |
15 | petnaest | 20 | dvadeset |
When pronouncing the numbers 11 to 19, it’s common to omit the a in the suffix -aest. For instance, you’ll write jedanaest, but pronounce it like jedanest.
Counting from twenty is pretty simple, too:
20+1=21
dvadest + jedan = dvadeset jedan
From there, you just need to replace jedan with the necessary digit.
21 | dvadest jedan | 26 | dvadeset šest |
22 | dvadeset dva | 27 | dvadeset sedam |
23 | dvadeset tri | 28 | dvadeset osam |
24 | dvadeset četiri | 29 | dvadeset devet |
25 | dvadeset pet | 30 | trideset |
Now, you only need to know your ty numbers to be able to count to one hundred. Here they are:
20 | dvadest | 60 | šezdeset |
30 | trideset | 70 | sedamdest |
40 | četrdeset | 80 | osamdeset |
50 | pedeset | 90 | devedeset |
|
| 100 | sto |
For instance, the number sixty-seven will be:
60+7=67
šezdeset + sedam = šezdeset sedam
Similarly, to count to one thousand, you’ll need to know your hundreds:
100 | sto | 600 | šesto |
|---|---|---|---|
200 | dvesta | 700 | sedamsto |
300 | trista | 800 | osamsto |
400 | četiristo | 900 | devetsto |
500 | šetsto | 1000 | hiljadu |
After memorizing these, you just need to combine them with the numbers we already covered.
For example, 138 would be:
100+30+8=138
sto + trideset + osam = sto trideset osam
Next, 209 is:
200+9=209
dvesta + devet = dvesta devet
Now that you know how numbers work, the only thing left to do is to learn big numbers, and you’re all set.
thousand | million | billion | |
1 | hiljadu | million | milijardu |
2 | dve hiljade | dva miliona | dve milijarde |
3 | tri hiljade | tri miliona | tri milijarde |
4 | četitri hiljade | četiri miliona | četiri milijarde |
5 | pet hiljada | pet miliona | pet milijardi |
6 | šest hiljada | šest miliona | šest milijardi |
7 | sedam hiljada | sedam miliona | sedam milijardi |
Notice the difference between hiljadu, dve hiljade, and pet hiljada. That’s just one of the quirks of the Serbian language. Luckily, numbers above five won’t change. So, it’ll be osam hiljada, devet hiljada, sto hiljada, and so on.
Once you get the hang of these, you can make any number. Here are a few examples:
1 365
hiljadu trista šezdeset pet
2 450 530
dva milliona | četiristo pedeset hiljada | petsto trideset
6 500 310 003
šest milijardi | petsto milliona | trista deset hiljada | tri
At last, we’re done with cardinal numbers. Remembering all these can seem like a hassle, but practice makes perfect. So, try using numbers in Serbian whenever you have a chance.
In a nutshell, redni brojevi (ordinal numbers) allow you to talk about a certain order of things, like the first, second, or fiftieth. Among other things, you use them to discuss dates, birthdates, and competitions.
Now, there are some facts that complicate the matter, such as the following:
Again, you don’t need to master all of it at once — it’s best to start with baby steps!
So, let’s begin with small numbers:
1. | prvi | 6. | šesti |
2. | drugi | 7. | sedmi |
3. | treći | 8. | osmi |
4. | četvrti | 9. | deveti |
5. | peti | 10. | deseti |
As we said, Serbian ordinal numbers have genders. The above examples are masculine forms. To make them feminine, replace the final -i with -a. For neuter gender, you’ll change the -i into -o. Unsurprisingly, there is an exception; the third in Serbian requires the suffix -e in neuter gender — treće (not trećo).
For example:
# | 1. | 3. | 9. |
masculine | prvi | treći | deveti |
feminine | prva | treća | deveta |
neuter | prvo | treće | deveto |
For numbers above ten, you only need to add a suitable suffix. For example:
# | masculine | feminine | neuter |
12. | dvanaesti | dvanaesta | dvanaesto |
50. | pedeseti | pedeseta | pedeseto |
67. | šezdeset sedmi | šezdeset sedma | šezdeset sedmo |
When it comes to big numbers, they look like this:
# | masculine | feminine | neuter |
100 | stoti | stota | stoto |
1000 | hiljaditi | hiljadita | hiljadito |
With the basics out of the way, it’s time to get practical. In other words, what can you use all these numbers for?
Do you dread being asked Koliko je sati? (What’s the time)? Now that you know numbers, telling time in Serbian is a walk in the park.
06:00 | šest sati |
08:15 | osam i petnaest |
09:30 | devet i trideset (or pola deset) |
17:45 | pet i četrdeset pet popodne (or petnaest do šest) |
To talk about dates, you’ll need to know your ordinal numbers and the names of the months.
May 1 – prvi maj
April 25 – dvadeset peti april
December 31 – trideset prvi decembar
Knowing ordinal numbers, you can also say that it is the year 2024:
dve hiljade dvadeset četvrta godina
Or, you could say that it’s the 21st century:
dvadeset prvi vek
If you, for instance, want to schedule a dentist’s appointment, here’s what it may sound like:
You: Da li mogu da zakažem termin sledeće nedelje?
(Can I schedule an appointment for the next week?)
Dentist: Da li Vam odgovara dvadeset drugi mart u deset i trideset?
(How about March 22, at 10:30?)
You: Ne mogu da stignem tada. Mogu li da zakažem za jedanaest sati?
(I won’t be able to make it. Can I schedule it for 11h?)
Dentist: U redu.
(All right.)
Whether it’s a supermarket, department store, or pharmacy, knowing numbers will make your shopping experience much more fun and comfortable.
This is especially true if you visit local outdoor markets in Serbia. Namely, most vendors don’t have cash registers, and don’t speak English.
But, as long as you know the basics about numbers you’ll be fine. Here’s how a shopping conversation may unfold:
You: Koliko košta kilogram jabuka?
(How much is a kilogram of apples?)
Vendor: Sto petnaest dinara.
(It’s 115 dinars.)
You: Daćete mi tri kilograma.
(I’ll take three kilograms.)
Finally, with this knowledge about numbers in Serbian, you’re ready to talk about time, make appointments, or go shopping — whatever floats your boat. Of course, the more you practice, the quicker you’ll get the knack of it.
If you want to brush up on your numbers further (along with many other topics), check out our course for beginners. It’s got downloadable self-study materials, listening exercises, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge. Give it a go, and improve your practical Serbian skills in your free time!
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