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Do you need to talk to Zoomers in Serbian at home or work? Or maybe you’d like to give your word bank a quick glow-up? Then, look no further ’cause we’re about to spill the tea on the hottest Gen Z Serbian slang. And trust us; these gems aren’t just handy — they are absolutely bussin’!
If your inner Zoomer is already rolling its teenage eyes, you’re all ready for our list. So, let’s dive right in!
This one’s self-explanatory since it means the same in Serbian and English. Still, here’s a quick rundown for folks who’ve lived under a rock (and everyone older than twenty).
In short, simp is a guy who tries to attract ladies by being overly nice. As you may imagine, this isn’t a compliment, and being labeled as a simp is one of the most shameful things for young men.
But even if the expression is new, the phenomenon definitely isn’t. Case in point, older generations have a slang term with more or less the same meaning — papučar (a submissive man).
Example:
Opet nas je ispalio zbog devojke. Kakav simp!
(He ditched us again because of his girlfriend. What a simp!)
Just like in English, vajb can be good (dobar vajb) or bad (loš vajb). It’s that general feeling of atmosphere you get from people, places, or events — you name it. Also, if something is vajb plain and simple, it’s typically something pretty great.
Example:
Ova pesma mi je baš vajb.
(This song is such a vibe.)
Both brdo and masa normally mean plenty or lots of. However, Zoomers have given it a slightly different meaning — very. So, instead of saying baš dobar lik (very cool guy) like their unhip parents, kids today would say masu dobar lik or brda dobar lik.
What was once known as a hit is now a banger. Since Serbs often claim English words and make them their own, banger became a benger — a killer song.
Sure, people of other generations may not find Gen Z’s favorite song delightful (or tolerable). Still, just knowing what a benger is makes you a tiny bit cooler in their eyes.
Example:
Svaka pesma na ovom albumu je pravi benger.
(Every song on their new album is an absolute banger.)
Another Serbian Gen Z slang that comes from English is drip. In short, a drip is a stylish outfit, and it can refer to clothes, shoes, or accessories. As you’ll see from the example below, Serbian kids use this term as a noun rather than an adjective.
Example:
Gde mogu da kupim neki dobar drip?
(Where can I buy a drip outfit?)
Although it’s difficult to pinpoint what a gaser is, you know it when you see one. Picture a young man aged between 15 and 20 with a buzz cut, Nike sneakers, a fake Rolex, and a fancy car. Yup, that’s a gaser. In a nutshell, these are young people who are into expensive and dangerous things and love to brag about their lifestyle on social media.
On a related note, you may have heard the phrase Ide gas! (It’s a gas!). While it doesn’t mean much, this expression is a way for gaseri to show off or hype up each other.
Here’s an easy one — krindž (cringe). If you’re a Serbian kid, your parents are for sure totally krindž — and so is everyone that you’re not following on TikTok.
But Zoomer or not, you probably experience this uncomfortable feeling whenever you see someone make a complete fool out of themselves. If you’re not a fan of slang, though, you can express the identical sentiment with this phrase — transfer blama (secondhand embarrassment).
Example:
Meni je ovaj film baš krindž.
(This movie is so cringe.)
The go-to filler word used to be brate (bro, man). Among Zoomers, though, it’s replaced with its synonym — bajo (or bajo moj). Like its predecessor, bajo has no meaning most of the time. Instead, kids use it (and overuse it) in practically every sentence for the sake of emphasis.
Example:
Kakav auto, bajo moj!
(What a car, dude!)
If you have a younger sibling, you’ve probably been pranked at least once. Also, if your sibling is a Zoomer, chances are that the prank ended up on TikTok. In Serbian, this phenomenon is known as prenkovanje, and the verb is prenkovati.
Example:
Prenkovala sam dečka da su mu ukrali auto.
(I pranked my boyfriend that his car was stolen.)
Have you ever had a crush on someone who just stopped replying to your texts and disappeared into thin air? Then, you’ve been ghosted. Since no Serbian word could describe this practice, teenagers imported the English expression — goustovati.
Example:
Dopisivali smo se dva meseca, a onda me je goustovao.
(We were texting for two months, and then he ghosted me.)
The English term delulu (short for delusional) found its place in Serbian Gen Z slang. If you’re unfamiliar with this slang phrase, it describes folks who live in a fantasy world and prefer unrealistic ideas over reality. To illustrate, a gal or guy who believes they may date their favorite celebrity someday is completely and utterly delulu.
Example:
Toliko sam delulu da mislim da joj se sviđam iako me ignoriše.
(I’m so delulu that I believe she likes me even though she’s ignoring me.)
Karen’s cousin from the Balkans is Slavica. While Karen is more on the bossy side, Slavica is typically nosy, ignorant, and has a penchant for conspiracy theories.
The phenomenon of Slavica has evolved into a new meme trend lately. So, you can often see posts containing the phrase moja Slavice, coupled with a complaint about not cooking anything the whole day, or having too many chores to take care of.
So, how about these expressions? Are they dank or the most cringeworthy thing ever? Either way, now that you’re fluent in Serbian Gen Z slang, you’re ready to join the cool kids club. More importantly, you’ve enriched your Serbian word bank, and all that’s left to do now is to flex that knowledge. So, go out there and use your Serbian — slang or otherwise — every chance you get.
Of course, finding such opportunities is easier said than done. Luckily, our group lessons will give you plenty of room to speak Serbian with friendly learners and supportive tutors. Join us today and start crushing that language game!
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