Ways to say it
| Serbian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| наставник | nástāvnīk | Cyrillic, masculine | |
| учитељ | ùčitelj | /ǔt͡ʃiteʎ/ | Cyrillic, masculine |
| учитељица | učitèljica | /ut͡ʃitěʎit͡sa/ | Cyrillic, feminine |
| васпитач | Cyrillic, masculine | ||
| васпитачица | Cyrillic, feminine | ||
| наставница | nástāvnica | Cyrillic, feminine | |
| učitelj | /ǔt͡ʃiteʎ/ | Latin, masculine | |
| učiteljka | Latin, feminine | ||
| vaspitač | Latin, masculine | ||
| vaspitačica | Latin, feminine | ||
| nastavnik | Latin, masculine | ||
| nastavnica | Latin, feminine |
The term used for teacher depends heavily on the educational level and the specific type of educator being described.
Which one should you use?
Serbian uses different words to specify the teaching environment. учитељ (masculine) or учитељица (feminine) refers to a primary school teacher. наставник (masculine) or наставница (feminine) is used for secondary or high school teachers. If you are referring to an educator or caregiver in a preschool or kindergarten setting, use васпитач (masculine) or васпитачица (feminine). Additionally, the term profesor is a common way to refer to a teacher regardless of gender.
How does it change in a sentence?
Gender is reflected in the forms: учитељ is masculine and its feminine form is учитељица. наставник is masculine and its feminine form is наставница. васпитач is masculine and its feminine form is васпитачица.
How do you pronounce it?
nástāvnīk
Did you know?
- In Serbian, if someone is described as неваспитан, it means they are 'rude' or 'badly behaved', using the same root as васпитач to imply they were not 'raised' correctly by their educators.
- In many Serbian schools, students will address their наставница by her first name and the title професорице, rather than just 'Teacher'.
- If a student wants to call a teacher's attention in a very formal or old-fashioned setting, they might use the word наставниче, which is the vocative case of наставник.
Examples in context
- И ја сам учитељ.I'm a teacher myself.This sentence is useful for stating that the speaker is a teacher using учитељ.Tatoeba #8823280 by Lebad, translation #8810484 by CK
- Ко је твој учитељ?Who is your teacher?This sentence is useful for asking who someone's teacher is using учитељ.Tatoeba #1091400 by Dimitrije, translation #17660 by CK
- Она је учитељица јоге.She's a yoga teacher.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a yoga teacher using учитељ.Tatoeba #6391047 by dzoja, translation #2230253 by Hybrid
- Nastavnik je veoma stručan.The teacher is very knowledgeable.
- Molim nastavnika da objasni gradivo.I kindly ask the teacher to explain the lesson.
- Gospodine Petroviću, mogu li da postavim pitanje?Mr. Petrović, may I ask a question?
- Profesor priča zanimljive priče.The teacher tells interesting stories.
- Ko je tvoj novi profesor?Who is your new teacher?
- Učiteljica nam pomaže da razumemo gradivo.The school teacher helps us understand the material.
- 68 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nikola and Marija are talking about their school schedule.
- NikolaДа ли знаш ко је наш наставник математике?Do you know who is our math teacher?
- MarijaДа, он је веома строг.Yes, he is very strict.
- NikolaНадајам се да је наставник фер.I hope the teacher is fair.
- MarijaСви кажу да је прави професионалац.Everyone says he is a real professional.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries наставник, учитељ, учитељица, наставница, učitelj, nastavnik, nastavnica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
