Како се зовеш?
Kako se zoveš?
The phrase "what is your name?" in Serbian is Како се зовеш? (Kako se zoveš?)
This phrase is used to ask someone for their name. To provide your own name in response, use the form Зовем се… followed by your name, which literally means "I call myself…".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Како се зовеш? literally translates to "How do you call yourself?"
Which one should you use?
Како се зовеш? is the informal version used when addressing peers, children or people you know well. In contrast, Како се зовете? is the form used for formal or polite situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
When answering the question, use the first person singular form Зовем се… to say "I call myself…". For the question itself, use Како се зовеш? for a single person in an informal context or Како се зовете? to be polite or when addressing more than one person.
How do you pronounce it?
Kako se zoveš?
Did you know?
- While Како се зовеш? asks for a name, the verb звати also means 'to shout' or 'to call out'. To a learner, it sounds as if you are asking how someone shouts themselves.
- In Serbian culture, asking a name too early in a conversation can be seen as overly abrupt. It is common to establish a social connection or shared acquaintance before using Како се зовеш?
- Serbian has a unique grammatical feature called 'clitics' where the word се must move to the second position in a sentence. You cannot start the phrase with Се зовеш како?, even if you want to emphasize the name.
