Knowing basic Serbian emergency phrases can help you resolve urgent matters while visiting Serbia.
If you are exploring this amazing country or any other destination where people communicate in the Serbian language, emergency situations or dealing with the authorities can be challenging. Experiencing authorities like the police in Serbian might be a serious situation. You simply need to know no less than the basic Serbian phrases for urgent matters that will help you manage the situation and call your country’s consulate for help.
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List of Serbian Emergency Phrases About Police
| Serbian Cyrillic – Latin | Pronunciation | English Translation |
| Полицајац – Policajac | Poh-lee-tsah-yats | Police officer |
| Адвокат – Advokat | Ah-dvoh-caht | Lawyer |
| Престуоп – Prestup | Preh-st-oop | Violation |
| Прекршај – Prekršaj | Preh-crsh-ay | Offense |
| Зовите полицију! – Zovite policiju! | Zoh-vee-teh poh-lee-cee-you | Call the police |
| Нисам учинио(m)/учинила(f) ништа лоше. – Nisam učinio(m)/učinila(f) ništa loše. | Nee-sahm oo-che-nyoh/ oo-chee-nee-lah neesh-tah loh-sheh | I haven’t done anything wrong. |
| То је неспоразум. – To je nesporazum. | toh yeh nehs-poh-rah-zoom | It was a misunderstanding. |
| Куда ме водите? -Kuda me vodite? | Koo-dah meh voh-dee-teh | Where are you taking me? |
| Јесам ли ухапшен(m)/ухапшенa(f)? – Jesam li uhapšen(m)/uhapšena(f)? | Yeh-sahm lee oo-hahp-shehn/oo-hahp-shehn-ah? | Am I under arrest? |
| Ја сам амерички/аустралијски/ британски/канадски држављанин. – Ja sam američki/australijski/britanski/kanadski državljanin. | Yah sahm ah-meh-reech-kee/ ows-trah-lees-kee/ bree-tahns-kee/ kah-nahds-kee dehr-zhah-vlyah-neen | I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. |
| Желим да разговарам с америчком/аустралијском/британском/канадском амбасадом/конзулатом. – Želim da razgovaram s američkom/australijskom/ britanskom/kanadskom ambasadom/konzulatom. | Zheh-leem dah rahz-goh-vah-rahm ehs ah-meh-reech-kohm/ ows-trah-lees-kohm/ bree-tahns-kohm/ kah-nahdss-kohm/ ahm-bah-sah-dohm/ kohn-zoo-lah-tohm | I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. |
| Желим да разговарам сa адвокатом. – Želim da razgovaram s advokatom. | Zheh-leem dah rahz-goh-vah-rahm ehs ahd-voh-kah-tohm | I want to talk to a lawyer. |
| Могу ли само да платим казну? – Mogu li samo da platim kaznu? | Moh-goo lee sah-moh dah plah-teem kahz-noo? | Can I just pay a fine now? |
Other Serbian Emergency Phrases And Words
I’ve recently received a very practical question: how to call for help in the Serbian language and what to say in case of an accident or if I get into a “theft situation” or something similar. So, let me give you a few ideas for three different topics, which hopefully you won’t need at all:
Poblematične Situacije (Problematic Situations)
| Serbian Cyrillic – Latin | Pronunciation | English Translation |
| Новчаник – Novčanik | Nohv-chah-neek | Wallet |
| Лопов – Lopov | Loh-pohv | Thief |
| Провалник – Provalnik | Proh-vahl-neek | Burglar |
| Изгубљене ствари – Izgubljene stvari | Ee-zgoo-blyeh-neh stvah-ree | Lost property |
| Украсти – Ukrasti | Oo-krah-stee | (to) Steal |
| Изгубити – Izgubiti | Ee-zgoo-bee-tee | (to) Lose |
| Заборавити – Zaboraviti | Zah-oh-ravee-tee | (to) Forget |
| Упомоћ! – Upomoć! | Oo-poh-motz | Help! |
| Ванредна ситуација! – Vanredna situacija | Vahn-rehd-nah see-too-aciah | Emergency! |
Nesrećan Slučaj (Accident)
| Serbian Cyrillic – Latin | Pronunciation | English Translation |
| Квар – Kvar | Cv-ahr | Breakdown |
| Служба за хитну поправку – Služba za hitnu popravku | Sloo-zybah zah pop-rahv-ceh | Emergency breakdown service. |
| Судар – Sudar | Soo-dahr | Accident, collision |
| Осигурање – Osiguranje | Oh-see-goo-rah-nyeh | Insurance |
| Ауто ми се покварио – Automobil mi se pokvario | Autoh-mobeel mee-seh poc-vah-reeo | My car has broken down. |
| Ваше осигурање – Vaše osiguranje | Vasheh oh-see-goo-rah-nyeh | Your insurance documents |
| Пријавити судар – Prijaviti sudar | Pree-jahvee-tee soo-dahr | (to) Report an accident |
| То је ваша кривица – To je vaša krivica! | Toh jeh va-shah kree-vits-ah | It’s your fault! |
Survival Phrases In Serbian
| Serbian Cyrillic – Latin | Pronunciation | English Translation |
| Лекар – Lekar | Leh-car | doctor |
| Лекови – Lekovi | Leh-koh-vee | medicines |
| Апотека – Apoteka | Apoh-tye-kah | pharmacy |
| Такси – Taksi | Tah-ksee | taxi |
| Болница – Bolnica | Bohl-nee-tzah | hospital |
| Хитна помоћ – Hitna pomoć | Hee-tnah poh-motz | ambulance |
| Отров – Otrov | Oh-trohv | poison |
| Опасност – Opasnost | Oh-pahs-noost | danger |
| Главобоља – Galvobolja | Glah-voh-bolyah | headache |
| Потребан нам је лекар! – Potreban nam je lekar! | Poh-reh-bahn nahm jeh leh-car | We need a doctor! |
| Бол у стомаку -Bol u stomaku | Bohl oo stoh-mahk-oo | stomach ache |
| Позив у помоћ – Poziv u pomoć | Poz-eev oo pom-otz | Distress signal |
Emergency Numbers In Serbia
No matter how many precautions you take, you can never be fully prepared for everything, and that includes emergencies. But you can always medicine an emergency situation easily if you know the country’s emergency numbers.
Unfortunately for Serbians and emigrants, the country has not yet made use of Europe’s general emergency number of 112. However, there are direct numbers in Serbia that you can dial in case of any type of emergency.
For medical emergencies and ambulance services, you may dial 194 from any mobile or fixed phone in Serbia. You may be able to get in touch with an operator who speaks English. However, it is advisable that you learn at least a few key Serbian phrases for emergency situations from our tables above.
As the country’s emergency response system is still being improved, you may experience a delay and in medical emergencies and it would be helpful if you have a record of the number of the nearest hospital or medical facility in your area. It also can be helpful if you know how to ask or call for a taxi (cab).
For any crime-related emergencies, you may get in touch with the police by dialing 192. Fire emergency services can be contacted through the number 193.
Should you encounter any road trouble, you may dial 987 to reach the proper authorities.
As with the rest of Serbia’s health care system and emergency response system, do not set your expectations too high when it comes to response time and quality of facilities. Rest assured though that aggressive measures are being taken by the Serbian government to make improvements to the system.
The European Union has also recently helped by providing new ambulances to help Serbia be closer to EU standards when it comes to providing emergency medical services.
Last Thoughts
Before going on your next visit to Serbia or just about any Serbian-speaking region, it’s really a good idea to learn a number of Serbian emergency phrases along with other basic expressions. Even when this different language is simply not your powerful suit, and you’re simply sure many people cannot get around with only English, be sure to know how to ask for help in case of an emergency.
Did you enjoy this lesson about the Serbian emergency phrases? Did you find it useful? I hope you did. In case you want to learn common Serbian verbs, Serbian Vocabulary About transportation or home and family vocabulary in Serbian, in a more easy and fun way, you can check Ling App. Using that app, you can also learn question words in Serbian, vegetable names, how to wish someone a Happy Birthday, and much more stuff.
