One of the most beautiful things about the Learn Serbian community is that it stretches across every continent and every language background imaginable. Over the past few years I have heard from learners who came to Serbian through music, through travel, through love, through ancestry - and now, through Spanish. Today I have some very exciting news for everyone who speaks Spanish and has been looking for an easier entry point into the Serbian language.
Thanks to the extraordinary effort of one dedicated student and a wonderfully supportive online community, easy Serbian lessons with explanations in Spanish are now available. This has been a long time coming, and I am so proud of the people who made it happen. Read on to find out more.
What is new?
We now have a set of easy Serbian lessons where all the explanations and instructions are given in Spanish. This means that Spanish-speaking learners can follow the course without needing to understand English first - the grammar notes, the vocabulary explanations, and the learning tips are all in Spanish, while the Serbian language content is exactly the same high-quality material from the Serbian101 course.
This happened thanks to two sources of energy: first, Mirko Radović, a diligent and generous student who took on the considerable task of translating and adapting the lesson materials. Mirko worked carefully and thoughtfully, making sure that the explanations felt natural in Spanish rather than simply mechanical translations of the English originals. Second, the wonderful Facebook community "Serbios en Latino America", whose members supported, tested, and encouraged the project from the very beginning. Without that community's enthusiasm, this project would never have reached completion.
If you are a Spanish speaker who has been curious about Serbian but felt that the English-language materials were a barrier, this is your moment. And if you know a Spanish-speaking friend who might want to learn Serbian, please share this post with them.
Hear it
Watch the lesson below to get a taste of what the Serbian-with-Spanish-explanations format looks and sounds like. Listen carefully to the Serbian pronunciation - it is one of the most consistent and learner-friendly pronunciations among European languages.
A warm thank-you
I want to take a moment to say a genuine and heartfelt thank-you to Mirko Radović for his hard work, his patience, and his generosity in sharing his effort with the whole community. Mirko, your contribution means that a whole new group of people can now access this course in a language that feels natural to them - that is an extraordinary gift. Thank you so much.
And to everyone in the "Serbios en Latino America" Facebook community: your enthusiasm, your feedback, and your willingness to test these materials made them so much better than they would have been otherwise. The Learn Serbian family is richer for having you in it, and I hope this is just the beginning of a long and joyful collaboration.
More Serbian examples
Here are a few simple Serbian sentences with both a Spanish and an English gloss. Whether you are a Spanish speaker using these as your main reference or an English speaker who is just curious, these examples show how accessible the basics of Serbian really are.
Ja učim srpski.
Espanol: Yo aprendo serbio.
English: I am learning Serbian.
Govorim malo srpski.
Espanol: Hablo un poco de serbio.
English: I speak a little Serbian.
Volim ovaj jezik.
Espanol: Me encanta este idioma.
English: I love this language.
Let us build on these with a few more sentences that will be useful very early in your Serbian learning journey. Each one comes with a Spanish and an English gloss.
Zdravo! Kako si?
Espanol: Hola, como estas?
English: Hello! How are you? (informal)
Dobro sam, hvala. A ti?
Espanol: Estoy bien, gracias. Y tu?
English: I am well, thank you. And you?
Odakle si?
Espanol: De donde eres?
English: Where are you from?
Ja sam iz Španije.
Espanol: Yo soy de Espana.
English: I am from Spain.
Drago mi je.
Espanol: Mucho gusto. / Encantado/a.
English: Nice to meet you.
Srpski je lep jezik.
Espanol: El serbio es un idioma hermoso.
English: Serbian is a beautiful language.
A note for Spanish speakers starting out
If you are coming to Serbian from Spanish, you already have some useful advantages. Both languages have a strong connection between spelling and pronunciation - in Serbian, every letter is pronounced the same way every time, which Spanish speakers tend to find very familiar and reassuring. Serbian also has a clear and rhythmic stress pattern that Spanish ears tend to pick up quickly.
The main challenges will be the case system (Serbian nouns and adjectives change their endings depending on their role in the sentence) and the verbal aspect system (most Serbian verbs come in perfective/imperfective pairs). These are genuinely different from Spanish, but the Spanish-language explanations in these lessons are designed to address exactly those points in a way that makes sense to a Spanish-speaking brain.
Start with the basics, be patient with yourself, and remember: Volim ovaj jezik. The love of the language is the best motivator of all.
Frequently asked questions
Are the lessons only in Spanish, or also in English?
The new lessons created with Mirko's help have explanations in Spanish. The original Serbian101 course materials have explanations in English. Both sets cover the same Serbian content, so you can use whichever language feels more comfortable to you, or use both for extra reinforcement.
How do I find the Spanish-language lessons?
The best way is to join the "Serbios en Latino America" Facebook community, where the materials are shared and discussed. You can also follow the blog for updates on where new lesson materials are posted as more become available.
I speak both English and Spanish. Which version should I use?
Use both! Reading explanations in two languages is actually a powerful learning technique. You get two slightly different angles on the same point, which tends to make the grammar stick much more firmly. Start with one, then check the other - you may be surprised how much clearer things become when you see them explained from a different perspective.
Will there be lessons in other languages too?
That would be wonderful, and I hope so. The Serbian learning community includes people from many language backgrounds, and materials in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and other languages would open the course to many more learners. If you are interested in contributing a translation or adaptation in your language, please get in touch - projects like this only happen because dedicated people like Mirko are willing to share their time and skills.
Is Serbian similar to Spanish in any way?
They are from different language families - Serbian is a Slavic language and Spanish is a Romance language - so there is no close structural similarity. However, as noted above, the phonetic spelling system of Serbian will feel very natural to Spanish speakers. There are also a small number of loanwords that Spanish and Serbian share (often borrowed from the same third language, such as Arabic or Latin). These happy coincidences are always a pleasure to discover.
To Mirko and the whole "Serbios en Latino America" family: hvala vam od srca - thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have done something genuinely lovely here. And to all my Spanish-speaking readers who are just discovering this blog: welcome, bienvenidos, dobrodošli. I am so glad you are here.
Srećno i do sledećeg puta,
Marina Petrovic
Curious about more ways to learn Serbian online? Head over to More about learning Serbian online for resources, lessons, and community links.
Thanks again to my diligent student Mirko Radović and to everyone in the Serbios en Latino América Facebook community for making these Spanish-language explanations possible.