Do you know that Bosnians greet each other with the gesture of “How are you?” “Kako si?” Knowing a few Bosnian greetings is important since it offers you the satisfaction of standing out among all other tourists.
Bosnian is the official language of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also has official status in many other countries. It is one of those Slavic languages that use multiple greeting ways.
The popular greetings in Bosnian are “Hello!” “Zadravo,” “Dobar dan” and “How do you do?” “Kako si?”
Are you interested in learning more about the Bosnian language and Bosnian culture? Knowing useful greetings in Bosnian from the Ling App allows you to better communicate with the natives.
Importance Of Greetings In Bosnian
Greetings are useful for getting someone’s attention and implying a relationship or social standing. Moreover, greeting others will make you seem friendly and respectful. So, to communicate with people at any time in Bosnia, you must learn Bosnian greeting methods.
First impressions are important So, you need to know how to say “You are welcome,” “Nema na emu!” and “Hello,” “Dobar dan” in Bosnian. Even if you cannot speak more of the language, the other person will understand your intentions.
Learn Basic Greetings In Bosnian
Whether you are seeing someone for the first time or meeting your friend, you must greet them nicely. Basic greetings can be formal and informal. The informal greetings are familiar, and you can use them when you greet people of your age. However, a formal or polite greeting is suitable for greeting the older person. An example of a polite and familiar greeting is below.
Greet people by saying (familiar), “Dobar dan, kako si?” “Hello! How are you?” and (polite) “Kako ste?” “How are you?” Some other basic greetings in Bosnian are below.
English words | Bosnian words |
Hello! | Dobar dan! |
Good morning! | Dobro jutro! |
Good afternoon! | Doh bahr dahn! |
Good evening! | Dobro veče! |
Good night! | Laku noc! |
Thanks! | Hvala! |
Yes! | Da! |
No! | Ne! |
You are welcome! | Nema na čemu! |
How are you? | Kako ste |
Other General Words And Some More Greetings In Bosnian
The best bet is to learn a few words and phrases to help you understand the people in Bosnia. Practice pronouncing the words or writing them down on a piece of paper. Inside Bosnia and Herzegovina, keep in mind that not everyone speaks English. So, learning another language is the best step you can take.
Learn other words and phrases that will help you with basic communication. For example, you can use the word “Bye!” “Ćao!” to see off someone or as a farewell gesture. You can also use the word “Good luck!” “Sretno!” for saying “Bye.”
If you meet someone and are going to meet that person again, you must say, “See you tomorrow!” “Vidimo se sutra!” There are many other common greetings and general words that will make your journey in Bosnia easy. Learn some of them from the table below.
English words | Bosnian words |
Bye! | Ćao! |
Sleep well! | Lijepo spavaj! |
So long! | Tako dugo! |
See you tomorrow! | Vidimo se sutra! |
Good day! | Dobar dan! |
Fine! | U redu! |
Good luck! | Sretno! |
Excuse me! | Oprostite! |
Other Widely Spoken Phrases In Bosnian
Besides the basic greetings, speaking Bosnian will require you to learn more phrases. Now that you have learned the basics, you should study some other Bosnian words and phrases. Some Bosnians speak English, and others do not. So, learning basic Bosnian phrases and sentences will make communicating with the natives much easier.
For example, if you need a doctor, you should know how to say, “I need a doctor!” “Treba mi doctor!” in Bosnian. Like above, other situations may happen where you have to speak Bosnian. So, stay prepared with the basic words and phrases in the Bosnian language.
The following is a list of words and phrases commonly used in everyday situations.
English phrases | Bosnian phrases |
My name is… | Zovem se… |
You are welcome! | Nema na čemu, |
Where is the bathroom? | Gdje je wc |
What is your name? | Kako se zoveš |
I am… | Ja sam… |
Do you speak English? | Govorite li engleski |
What is your name? | Kako se zovete |
I need a doctor. | Treba mi doctor |
I do not understand | Ne razumijem |
Please guide me. | Molim vas uputite me. |
Learn To Speak Bosnian With Ling
Go beyond the limits and learn other useful phrases in the Bosnian language. For this purpose, Ling can assist you. Ling App is one of those language learning platforms that eliminate the concept of traditional classrooms.
Ling offers language courses at any time and any place. Moreover, the mini-games and quizzes on Ling provide a fun learning free of cost. In addition, on this platform, you can have access to more than 60 languages. Professional instructors on Ling also assist you in learning the desired language.
At the moment this Bosnian blog hasn’t been running very long, so we don’t have many examples to show you of other Bosnian blogs that you might enjoy. However, Ling is committed to reviewing other language learning apps, and we have a whole series on that. The most popular recently have been Tandem vs. Mango Languages and iTalki vs. Preply. Combining a weekly reading of the blog with practice in the app will take your language learning to the next level.
Not everyone is motivated enough to learn the Bosnian language. Make a big improvement in your life and Download the app now!