Are you eager to take your Serbian to the next level? Listening is the perfect way to learn on the go, while scrubbing the bathroom
Sanja Markovic
January 16, 2025
The scariest things in the world:
Yes, we admit we’re scared to death by the Duolingo owl. And we know you’re too, so don’t be embarrassed. That little monster is here to haunt our dreams if we skip a day of our language lessons.
If you’re learning Serbian, you can relax: Serbian isn’t available on Duolingo, so you don’t have to meet the scary little bird. However, there are bad sides to that – we all are so used to Duolingo that we don’t know where to search for other useful apps.
Before you počneš da čupaš kosu sa glave (start pulling hair from the head) and desperately scream: Zašto srpskog jezika nema na Duolingu? (Why isn’t the Serbian language on Duolingo), calm down and udahni duboko (take a deep breath) – as always, we have a solution!
We understand the problem, so we dove deep into research and found the best alternatives for all the people who want to learn the Serbian language.
Let’s begin before the Duolingo owl finds us!
We present you Drops – the ultimate favorite among language learners!
Drops is an app that mostly helps you learn a language by improving your vocabulary. There are flashcards with a picturesque explanation, and you need to guess the Serbian word for that. It is also followed by the voice that reads the word, helping the learners in izgovor (pronunciation).
It reminds us of Duolingo when it comes to streaks and achievements, but it lacks grammar exercises. However, it can teach you the phrases you’ll need in many situations, such as Moraš me pozvati na telefon (You must call me on the phone), so it’s pretty useful.
Pros: You’ll definitely improve your vocabulary – there are many words on flashcards, most of them extremely useful for beginners.
Cons: You don’t learn anything about grammar, making learning hard for beginners.
We can say Hvala (Thank you) to the Drops team – this app definitely makes learning much easier!
Okay, LingQ is definitely amazing! It offers the possibility to listen to amazing content that will not only help you in learning the Serbian language but also teach you about Serbian culture, books, music, etc. Here, you can listen to various books, podcasts, news, and information about topics such as science, sports, politics, etc.
Also, it allows you to build your own rečnik (dictionary) and learn many new Serbian words.
It helps you practice writing, reading, listening, speaking, and vocabulary.
Pros: You can listen to the content everywhere: on the bus, at work (okay, let’s pretend we didn’t say that), or while you’re jogging. It also offers great pieces of information about both language and culture.
Cons: It isn’t the best solution for absolute beginners since the lack of explanations and structure might confuse you.
Mango covers both vocabulary and grammar, and we think it’s great! What’s specific is that the app has an algorithm that tracks your progress and way of learning, implementing the best strategies and individual approaches for each user.
We also love the comments about the culture: you’ll find out when to use many phrases, e.g., when to say Hvala ti (an informal thank you) and when to use Hvala Vam (a formal thank you) in Serbian, so you’ll be well prepared for your visit.
Various quizzes are prepared to track your progress and see which lessons need improvement.
Pros: It covers almost all important aspects of learning things: reading, writing, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Cons: The interface can be a bit complicated. Also, it lacks some information needed for intermediate or advanced students, so it would be best if you use it at the beginner level.
One more app that is concentrated mainly on vocabulary. uTalk can be useful for absolute beginners and people who don’t want to proceed much in learning but to survive one or two visits to Serbia.
It covers all the most important topics, but it might not be enough for more complicated stuff.
It doesn’t actually explain anything, so you’ll be left without any understanding of context or grammar.
Pros: It’s easy to use and learn new words. Also, it provides examples in both ćirilica i latinica (Cyrillic and Latin alphabet).
Cons: If you want to become fluent in Serbian, this app isn’t a great choice.
It’s a plus that it teaches us to be polite by using phrases such as Molim vas (Please).
One more app whose main feature is flashcards. But they aren’t all it has to offer. Simplylearn offers you the possibility to take quizzes, listen to the most used phrases in the Serbian language, and much more. It is great for beginners, but intermediate and advanced students will have to find another solution since the word base isn’t so huge.
Pros: It’s easy to use, and you can really enrich your vocabulary.
Cons: It isn’t enough when it comes to grammar.
It is best to learn new words in context. The Clozemaster team created something called “a cloze test.” If you take it, you will have to choose the best fit for the given context, which ensures you understand the word. The word base is almost endless, so you definitely won’t get bored.
We don’t recommend this app for beginners since it can be confusing and hard to follow. If you’re at a more advanced level, go for it!
You’ll have fun, we promise!
Pros: It teaches you the new vocabulary in context, making the best environment for you to learn how to write, read and speak new words.
Cons: It hardly focuses on grammar.
These apps are useful, sure, and they can ease the process a lot – but nothing can replace a teacher-student relationship) when it comes to language learning. It is customized and adjusted to the needs of an individual student, and no app can (yet) do that. The same works for other tools – blogs, websites, social media profiles etc.: they can help a lot, but can’t replace the teacher.
So, we recommend checking out our online individual lessons – you’ll surely find something that fits you! Hurry up, before the Duolingo owl decides to preuzme stvar u svoje ruke (Take the things into its own hands).
Are you eager to take your Serbian to the next level? Listening is the perfect way to learn on the go, while scrubbing the bathroom
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