da li govorite engleski?
Latin
To ask "do you speak English?" in Serbian, use da li govorite engleski? Wiktionary also lists говорите ли енглески? and да ли говорите енглески?
Meaning: do you speak English? (English specifically) (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| da li govorite engleski? | Latin |
| говорите ли енглески? | Cyrillic |
| да ли говорите енглески? | Cyrillic |
| govorite li engleski? | Latin |
This phrase is the standard way to ask a stranger or a person in a service position if they can communicate in English.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase da li functions as a question marker at the beginning of a sentence, similar to how English uses auxiliary verbs to form questions.
Which one should you use?
You can use govorite li engleski? as a more concise way to ask the question by using the particle -li instead of the da li construction.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase da li acts as a marker to indicate a question is being asked. If you wish to address someone informally, you would change the verb to govoriš.
Did you know?
- The word da in the question construction is etymologically related to the verb 'to give', which is a common root for 'yes' or 'let it be' in many Slavic languages.
- Serbian uses both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, so you may see 'da li govorite engleski?' and 'да ли говорите енглески?' used interchangeably in print.
- If you are asking a group of people if they speak English, you must use the plural form govorite li, which is the same form used for a single person in a formal context.
Examples in context
- Da li govorite engleski?Do you speak English?Tatoeba #3382590 by neron, translation #378270 by saeb
- Пардон, да ли говорите енглески?Pardon me, do you speak English?This is a polite way to ask the question using 'Pardon me'.Tatoeba #3791343 by Ricardo14, translation #456591 by lukaszpp
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ana is asking a traveler for directions in Belgrade.
- AnaIzvinite, da li govorite engleski?Excuse me, do you speak English?
- LukaDa, govorim malo.Yes, I speak a little.
- AnaMožete li mi pomoći?Can you help me?
- LukaNaravno, samo recite.Of course, just say it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “do you speak english” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries da, да, ли, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
