Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| шта радиш? | Cyrillic, informal |
| шта радите? | Cyrillic, formal |
| šta radite? | Latin, formal |
| šta radiš? | Latin, informal |
This phrase is used to ask about a person's current activity. Similar to English, it can also function as a very casual way to ask someone "how are you?" or "what's up?" in friendly contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase шта радиш? is composed of шта (what) and радиш (you do/are doing).
Which one should you use?
The informal form šta radiš? (or its Cyrillic equivalent шта радиш?) is used when speaking to one person you know well, a child or someone younger than you. The formal or plural form šta radite? (or шта радите?) is used when speaking to one person to show respect or when addressing a group of people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are two registers for this phrase. The informal version is шта радиш? and šta radiš?, while the formal versions are шта радите? and šta radite?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase relies on the verb радити (to do/work). In the informal form, the verb is conjugated in the second person singular. In the formal or plural form, it is conjugated in the second person plural.
Did you know?
- While the English 'what' and the Serbian шта seem very different, they are actually distant linguistic cousins sharing the same Proto-Indo-European ancestor, *kʷid.
- The verb радити used in this phrase also means 'to work'. Because of this double meaning, шта радиш? can be interpreted as 'what is your profession?' depending on the context of the conversation.
- If you ask шта радиш? with a specific rising intonation, it can be used as a mild reprimand to someone who is doing something they should not be doing.
Examples in context
- Šta radiš?What are you doing?This example demonstrates the use of the informal šta radiš?Tatoeba #2332057 by oldfashioned, translation #16492 by CK
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what are you doing” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries šta, шта, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
