Welcome to the best guide on Serbian Sports vocabulary you will ever find! If you’re a crazy fan of Novak Djokovic like I am, then you’ll definitely want to read this!
Today we’re here to learn about sports language in Serbian, and what better way to start than to learn how to say sports in Serbian: Спортс (sports). At first glance, the word may look hard; however, the translation is sports, which is simply perfect for memorizing.
As mentioned in the intro, thinking about sports in Serbia, one of the most iconic personalities that may pop into your head is the one and only Novak Djokovic. Ever since he started his career in tennis, he has been the face of Serbian sports and definitely the most famous player that has risen from Serbia.
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In this article, we’ll explore how to say popular sports in Serbian, along with other useful vocabulary that you might want to know to discuss with your friends! Ready to start?
How To Say Popular Serbian Sports In Serbian
Sports in Serbia are so important that sometimes they are considered a lifestyle rather than a simple hobby. They are deeply interconnected with Serbian society and affect the normal functioning of things. Major accomplishments by Serbia in sports are congratulated and celebrated by all levels of society, including personalities in politics and other fundamental areas of Serbia.
This list includes the most popular sports in Serbia based on the number of people that actually practice them rather than how many people watch them. Besides some Serbian sports terminology, you’ll also be able to see the English and Serbian names of the sport.
Tennis (Тенис)
Tennis or Тенис (Tenis) has gained a lot of traction in the sports world in Serbia, primarily because of the fellow we mentioned before, Novak Djokovic. For several years he was ranked as no.1 on the ATP list (Association of Tennis Professionals), and that put Serbia on the map of the tennis world. Other players have also come to the spotlight along with Novak, such as Nenad Zimonjić, Janko Tipsarević, Jelena Janković and Ana Ivanović.
Football (Фудбал)
Contrary to other global sports trends, football, or Фудбал (Fudbal), is not the King of sports in Serbia; instead, we can call it the prince. It is the second most watched sport, and recently, the national Serbian team qualified for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which was fantastic for this sport in Serbia!
Basketball (Кошарка)
Despite not being so much practiced like tennis and football, Serbia has had many successes in Basketball, or Кошарка (Košarka), having won two World Championships (in 1998 and 2002), three European Championships (in 1995, 1997, and 2001), one FIBA Diamond Ball (in 2004), and two Olympic silver medals (in 1996 and 2016).
Volleyball (Одбојка)
Serbia is one of the leading volleyball, or Одбојка (Odbojka), countries in the world, and its volleyball culture is very strong. Many people in Serbia practice volleyball, and this is one of the sports that has brought many titles to this country.
Water Polo (ватерполо)
I bet you were not expecting this sport on the list. But it is true, Serbia is the second most successful national team after Hungary in water polo, or ВАТЕРПОЛО (VATERPOLO), and throughout Serbia, this is a sport played by many people. Probably because sometimes it is warmer inside the pool than outside.
Serbian Sports Vocabulary – How To Say Other Sports?
There are countless sports in the world, and the list is ever-growing, so if the sport you want to know is not listed below, leave a comment, and we’ll add it to our cheatsheet!
Indoor Sports
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| Dance | Данце (Dance) | |
| Gymnastics | гимнастика (gimnastika) | |
| Shooting | Пуцање (Pucanje) | |
| Table tennis/Pingpong | Стони тенис/пингпонг (Stoni tenis/pingpong) | |
| Water Polo | ватерполо (Vaterpolo) | |
| Weightlifting | Дизање тегова (Dizanje tegova) |
Team Sports
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| American football | Амерички фудбал (Američki fudbal) | |
| Baseball | бејзбол (bejzbol) | |
| Basketball | Кошарка (Košarka) | |
| Handball | Рукомет (Rukomet) | |
| Hockey | Хокеј (Hokej) | |
| Rugby | Рагби (Ragbi) | |
| Sailing | Једрење (Jedrenje) | |
| Volleyball | Одбојка (Odbojka) | |
| Football/soccer | Фудбал (Fudbal) |
Winter Sports
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| Cross country skiing | Скијашко трчање (Skijaško trčanje) | |
| Downhill skiing | Скијање низбрдо (Skijanje nizbrdo) | |
| Figure skating | Уметничко клизање (Umetničko klizanje) | |
| Ice climbing | Пењање по леду (Penjanje po ledu) | |
| Luge | Луге (Luge) | |
| Mountaineering | Планинарење (Planinarenje) | |
| Speed skating | Брзо клизање (Brzo klizanje) | |
| Volleyball | Одбојка (Odbojka) | |
| Football/soccer | Фудбал (Fudbal) |
Combat Sports
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| Boxing | Бокс (Boks) | |
| Combat sports | Борилачки спортови (Borilački sportovi) | |
| Fencing | Мачевање (Mačevanje) | |
| Judo | Јудо (Judo) | |
| Jujjitsu | Јујјитсу (Jujjitsu) | |
| Karate | Карате (Karate) | |
| Kickboxing | Кик бокс (Kik boks) | |
| Martial arts | Борилачке вештине (Borilačke veštine) | |
| Taekwondo | Теквондо (tekvondo) | |
| Wrestling | Рвање (Rvanje) |
Summer Sports
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| Cycling | Бициклизам (Biciklizam) | |
| Diving | Роњење (Ronjenje) | |
| Fishing | Риболов (Ribolov) | |
| Golf | Голф (Golf) | |
| Horse riding | Јахање (Jahanje) | |
| Paragliding | Параглајдинг (Paraglajding) | |
| Rowing | Веслање (Veslanje) | |
| Skateboarding | Скејтбординг (Skejtbording) | |
| Skydiving | Падобранство (Padobranstvo) | |
| Surfing | Сурфинг (Surfing) | |
| Swimming | Пливање (Plivanje) | |
| Tennis | Тенис (Tenis) | |
| Track | Трацк (Track) | |
| Water skiiing | Скијање на води (Skijanje na vodi) | |
| White water rafting | сплаварење (splavarenje) |
What Are Sports Players Called In Serbian?
Now that we know how to say the several different sports, how do you say the people that actually play them in Serbian? Let’s find out!
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| A team | Тим (Tim) | |
| A badminton player | Играч бадминтона (Igrač badmintona) | |
| A basketball player | Кошаркаш (Košarkaš) | |
| A coach | Тренер (Trener) | |
| A football player | Фудбалер (Fudbaler) | |
| A handball player | Рукометаш (Rukometaš) | |
| A hockey player | Хокејаш (Hokejaš) | |
| A martial artist | Борилачки уметник (Borilački umetnik) | |
| A player | Играч (Igrač) | |
| A tennis player | Тенисерка (Teniserka) | |
| A volleyball player | Одбојкаш (Odbojkaš) | |
| A wrestler | Рвач (Rvač) |
Sports Verbs In Serbian
Another very important part of the sporting vocabulary is verbs that transmit the actions of both players and fans. These terms will help you converse about your favorite sport in Serbian.
| English | Serbian | Pronunciation |
| To catch | Ухватити (Uhvatiti) | |
| To cheer | Наздравити (Nazdraviti) | |
| To compete | Да се такмиче (Da se takmiče) | |
| To exercise | Да вежба (Da vežba) | |
| To fight | Свађати се (Svađati se) | |
| To hit | Погодити (Pogoditi) | |
| To ice skate | За клизање на леду (Za klizanje na ledu) | |
| To jump | Скочити (Skočiti) | |
| To keep score | Да задржи резултат (Da zadrži rezultat) | |
| To kick | Шутнути (Šutnuti) | |
| To lose | Изгубити (Izgubiti) | |
| To pass | Да прође (Da prođe) | |
| To punch | Да удари (Da udari) | |
| To score | Постићи (Postići) | |
| To stretch | Да се протегне (Da se protegne) | |
| To swim | Пливати (Plivati) | |
| To tackle | Да се позабаве (Da se pozabave) | |
| To throw | Бацити (Baciti) | |
| To time | Времену (Vremenu) | |
| To win | Да победи (Da pobedi) |
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