Convenience Store

1. Једну кутију цигарета, молим

   JED-nu KU-ti-ju ci-ga-RE-ta MO-lim

   A pack of cigarettes, please

   Usage

   The classic purchase at a "trafika", the street kiosk selling cigarettes, newspapers, water and bus tickets that stands on nearly every Belgrade corner. You order through the window rather than walking in

   Grammar Note

   A noun of quantity governs the genitive, hence "kutija cigareta" (a box OF cigarettes). "Jednu kutiju" is accusative with the verb "dajte" (give me) left out - adding "molim" is enough to make it polite

2. Флашицу воде и упаљач, молим

   FLA-ši-cu VO-de i U-pa-ljač MO-lim

   A small bottle of water and a lighter, please

   Usage

   Kiosk goods sit behind the window out of reach, so you have to name what you want. "Flasica" is the diminutive of "flasa" (bottle) and means the small half-litre size

   Grammar Note

   Serbian loves diminutives: "flasa" to "flasica", "kafa" to "kafica", conveying smallness or warmth. The contents go in the genitive, giving "flasicu vode"

3. Да ли овде могу да купим карту за аутобус?

   da li OV-de MO-gu da KU-pim KAR-tu za a-u-TO-bus

   Can I buy a bus ticket here?

   Usage

   In Belgrade you normally buy transport tickets or top up a BusPlus card at a kiosk; buying from the driver on board costs more. In smaller cities too, the trafika usually doubles as the ticket counter

   Grammar Note

   Serbian prefers "da + present tense" over the infinitive, so "mogu da kupim" is standard. Croatian would more often say "mogu kupiti" with the infinitive - one of the best-known differences between the two

4. Треба ми допуна за припејд телефон

   TRE-ba mi DO-pu-na za PRI-pejd te-LE-fon

   I need a top-up for a prepaid phone

   Usage

   Prepaid mts, Yettel and A1 SIMs are topped up at kiosks: you pick an amount and get a slip with a code to key in yourself. It is the quickest fix when a tourist SIM runs out of data

   Grammar Note

   "Treba mi" literally means "is needed to me": the thing needed is the subject and the person takes the dative "mi". The roles are the reverse of English "I need"

5. Може ли картицом за овако мали износ?

   MO-že li KAR-ti-com za O-va-ko MA-li IZ-nos

   Can I pay by card for such a small amount?

   Usage

   Serbian kiosks and small "prodavnica" shops still run largely on cash, and plenty refuse cards on tiny purchases. Even where a terminal exists there is often a minimum spend, so ask before buying just a bottle of water

   Grammar Note

   The instrumental case expresses means, turning "kartica" into "karticom". "Moze li...?" is an all-purpose question with neither subject nor main verb, and it covers most requests you make at a counter

6. Картица важи од петсто динара

   KAR-ti-ca VA-ži od PET-sto DI-na-ra

   Cards are accepted from five hundred dinars up

   Usage

   Said by staff. Card fees bite hardest on tiny sums, so shops set their own floor. If you hear this, pay cash or add something to clear the limit. Serbian ATMs dispense 1000 and 2000 dinar notes, so keeping small money is a constant travel chore

   Grammar Note

   The preposition "od" governs the genitive, giving "dinara". Numerals of five and above also take the genitive plural, so this phrase is a textbook case of the genitive being demanded twice over

7. Немам ситно, имате ли ситније?

   NE-mam SIT-no I-ma-te li SIT-ni-je

   I have no change - do you have anything smaller?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Kiosks keep little float, so a 2000 dinar note first thing in the morning or late at night almost always gets this response. If you have nothing smaller, say "Nemam, izvinite" - the owner may go next door to break it

   Grammar Note

   "Nemam" fuses the negative particle into "imam" (to have) - one of a handful of Serbian verbs written as one word (nemam, necu, nisam). "Sitno" is a neuter adjective used as a noun for coins

8. Извините, имам само од две хиљаде

   iz-VI-ni-te I-mam SA-mo od DVE HI-lja-de

   Sorry, I only have a two-thousand note

   Usage

   Declaring it up front avoids friction: the owner may wave it off with "nema veze" (never mind) or suggest "uzmite jos nesto" (add something to your order). Since ATMs spit out 1000 and 2000 dinar notes, every traveller runs into this

   Grammar Note

   Denominations are "novcanica od + number", and in speech the word "novcanica" is dropped, leaving just "od dve hiljade". "Hiljada" is feminine, so the numeral takes the feminine "dve" rather than "dva"

9. Колико кошта кеса?

   KO-li-ko KOŠ-ta KE-sa

   How much is a bag?

   Usage

   Lightweight carrier bags are charged for in Serbia and never handed over free. It is only a few dinars, but locals simply decline when they can carry the items. "Kesa" is a plastic bag; a paper one is "papirna kesa"

   Grammar Note

   "Kesa" is a Turkish loanword (kese) that spread across the Balkans. Croatian uses an entirely different word for the same thing: "vrecica"

10. Кеса се наплаћује, треба ли вам?

    KE-sa se na-PLA-ću-je TRE-ba li vam

    The bag is charged for - do you need one?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Answer "Ne, hvala" (no thanks) or "Da, molim" (yes please). Since bags became chargeable, staff always ask rather than assume

    Grammar Note

    The reflexive "se" does the work of an English passive, so "naplacuje se" means "is charged". "Vam" is the dative of the polite "Vi", which staff use without exception

11. Примате ли назад празне флаше?

    PRI-ma-te li NA-zad PRAZ-ne FLA-še

    Do you take back empty bottles?

    Usage

    Large glass beer bottles in Serbia (Jelen, Lav and the like) carry a long-standing deposit that you get back on return; PET bottles and cans usually do not. The custom is still alive across the former Yugoslavia, and locals bring their empties back in crates

    Grammar Note

    Adjectives agree in gender, number and case, so "prazne" matches the feminine plural accusative "flase". You will also see the label "povratna flasa" - a returnable bottle - on shelves

12. Ако вратите флаше, враћамо вам кауцију

    A-ko VRA-ti-te FLA-še VRA-ća-mo vam ka-U-ci-ju

    If you bring the bottles back, we refund the deposit

    Usage

    Said by staff. The deposit, "kaucija", is added to the bill as the price of the glass. Travellers rarely make it back with the empties, so on a short trip either buy cans or write the deposit off in advance

    Grammar Note

    "Ako + present" states a real condition. "Vratite" and "vracamo" share a root but differ in aspect - perfective versus imperfective. "Kaucija" comes from Latin cautio and also means a rental deposit

13. До колико сати можете да продајете пиво?

    do KO-li-ko SA-ti MO-že-te da pro-DA-je-te PI-vo

    Until what time are you allowed to sell beer?

    Usage

    Serbian law bans shops from selling alcohol between 22:00 and 06:00. Even a 24-hour kiosk simply cannot ring up a beer in that window - an important contrast with Greece, where no such curfew exists

    Grammar Note

    The preposition "do" takes the genitive, hence "koliko sati". "Mozete da prodajete" uses the "da + present" construction, here expressing permission rather than ability

14. После двадесет два сата не смемо да продајемо алкохол

    PO-sle dva-DE-set dva SA-ta ne SME-mo da pro-DA-je-mo AL-ko-hol

    After ten in the evening we are not allowed to sell alcohol

    Usage

    Said by staff. It is a legal requirement, not a shop policy, and the till itself blocks the item. If you want a drink later, buy before 22:00 or go to a bar or restaurant, where serving is not restricted

    Grammar Note

    "Smeti" is the modal for permission, and its negative "ne smem" means "must not". It is distinct from "mogu" (to be able), and the difference matters here

15. Да ли радите нонстоп?

    da li RA-di-te NON-stop

    Are you open non-stop?

    Usage

    "Nonstop" is the local word, written straight on the sign, for round-the-clock opening. Central Belgrade has plenty of nonstop kiosks and mini markets; residential ones close around 22:00. Remember that only alcohol becomes unavailable after 22:00

    Grammar Note

    Opening hours use the verb "raditi" (to work): "Radimo od 7 do 22". The adjective "otvoreno" (open) describes the state and is what you see written on the door

16. Још нешто? Све заједно осамсто двадесет

    još NE-što sve za-JED-no O-sam-sto dva-DE-set

    Anything else? Eight hundred and twenty altogether

    Usage

    Said by staff. Totals are given as bare numbers with "dinara" left off. When you are finished, reply "To je sve" - that's everything

    Grammar Note

    "Jos" (more) plus "nesto" (something) gives "anything else". Numbers simply stack hundreds and tens with no linking word - nothing corresponds to the English "and"

17. На полици је писала друга цена

    na PO-li-ci je PI-sa-la DRU-ga CE-na

    The shelf showed a different price

    Usage

    Small shops do not always update their shelf labels, so the till price can differ from the tag. A calm mention usually gets it checked - and the same sentence works if you only notice on the receipt (racun)

    Grammar Note

    The past tense combines the auxiliary "je" with an active participle that agrees with the subject. Since "cena" is feminine singular, the participle is "pisala"; a masculine subject would take "pisao"

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