Zdravo, Sarajevo!
Lesson goals
Vocabulary
- Learn basic greetings such as zdravo, dobar dan, hvala, and molim
- Learn key Baščaršija place words
- Walk the full Latin Bosnian alphabet, including č ć š ž đ dž lj nj
Grammar
- Learn all 30 Latin Bosnian letters from A to Ž, with sound examples
- Type accented letters on a plain keyboard
- Use simple greeting exchanges before full conjugation
Culture
- See Baščaršija as Sarajevo’s old bazaar heart
- Use warm everyday greetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Watch the companion video
Watch when you can, then come back for words, dialogue, and practice on this page.
How to speak Bosnian (YouTube). Companion video for this lesson
Baščaršija, Sarajevo’s old heart
Baščaršija is the historic bazaar of Sarajevo. Narrow streets, copper shops, cafés, and the sound of footsteps on stone. Ana arrives with a backpack and a phrase list. Shopkeepers greet visitors with a warm Dobar dan! Learning greetings here is not just polite. It opens doors (and often a free smile). The special letters in Baščaršija (š, č) are your first real Bosnian workout.
Lesson vocabulary
Tap a word to hear it. Use Loop and slower speed when you want to shadow.
Grammar
The full Latin Bosnian alphabet
Bosnian in this course uses the Latin script only. There is no Cyrillic here. There are 30 letters. Most match English shapes, and a few need extra care. Say the full order out loud. The letters are A B C Č Ć D Dž Đ E F G H I J K L Lj M N Nj O P R S Š T U V Z Ž.
- A a: as in father
- B b: as in bed
- C c: as in tsunami (ts)
- Č č: as in church
- Ć ć: softer than č, shorter ch
- D d: as in dog
- Dž dž: as in jam (one letter)
- Đ đ: softer j, as in duke (British)
- E e: as in bed
- F f: as in fun
- G g: as in go
- H h: as in hotel
- I i: as in machine
- J j: as in yes
- K k: as in kite
- L l: as in love
- Lj lj: as in million (one letter)
- M m: as in mother
- N n: as in no
- Nj nj: as in canyon (one letter)
- O o: as in more
- P p: as in pen
- R r: trilled r
- S s: as in sun
- Š š: as in ship
- T t: as in top
- U u: as in boot
- V v: as in very
- Z z: as in zoo
- Ž ž: as in measure / vision
Hats, tails, and two-letter letters
Hold this as a spoken pattern. Do not treat it as a grammar grid. Hard sounds wear a little hat. Those letters are č, š, and ž. Soft sounds wear a little tail. Those letters are ć and đ. Dž, lj, and nj look like two characters, and they still count as one letter. Drill by pairing each special letter with a vowel. Say ča če či. Then switch close pairs. Say ča then ća. Say dža then đa. Say sa then ša. Say za then ža. Write the hat or the tail. Do not fall back to plain c, s, z, or d.
- ča then ća: hard ch, then softer ch
- dža then đa: jam sound, then softer j
- sa then ša: sun s, then ship sh
- za then ža: zoo z, then measure zh
Greeting exchanges
Start simple. Say a greeting, hear one back, then add hvala or molim. Formal day greetings use dobar dan. Friends often say zdravo.
- Zdravo!: Hello!
- Dobar dan!: Good day!
- Hvala. Molim.: Thank you. You're welcome.
Say again
Warm up with four lines you already know.
- Učim bosanski.: I am learning Bosnian.
- Dobrodošli.: Welcome.
- Bosanski jezik.: Bosnian language.
- Zdravo!: Hello!
Lesson A. Walk the full alphabet
Say the whole Latin Bosnian alphabet out loud once. The letters are A B C Č Ć D Dž Đ E F G H I J K L Lj M N Nj O P R S Š T U V Z Ž. That is thirty letters. Dž, Lj, and Nj count as one letter each. Next, drill the sounds English does not have. Hard sounds wear a little hat. Those letters are č, š, and ž. Soft sounds wear a little tail. Those letters are ć and đ. Say each special letter plus a vowel. Try ča če či čo ču, then ća će ći. Switch pairs. Say ča then ća. Say dža then đa. Say sa then ša. Say za then ža. Practice čaj, džezva, đak, and žena. Ana drills them on the plane, then reads Baščaršija on a street sign.
- Hats mark č, š, and ž. Tails mark ć and đ.
- Dž, lj, and nj are one letter each. Never split them when you count letters.
- C sounds like ts. J sounds like English y.
Match the greeting
Match each Bosnian greeting to English.
Lesson B. Your first greetings
Memorize this mini set as full words. Zdravo means hi. Dobar dan means good day. Dobro jutro means good morning. Dobra večer means good evening. Hvala means thanks. Molim means please or you are welcome. Doviđenja means goodbye. Da means yes. Ne means no. Use Dobar dan with people you do not know well. Use Zdravo with friends, or with Emir once you meet him tomorrow. Notice that doviđenja needs đ and večer needs č. Write the special letters carefully when you practice.
- A smile helps more than perfect pronunciation.
- Learn each greeting as a whole phrase, not word by word.
- If you forget, Hvala still works almost everywhere.
Ana’s first hello
A narrow street in Baščaršija. Ana nearly trips over a cat. Mrvica, though she does not know the name yet.
Play the full scene once. Then tap a line to hear it. On some lines you can record yourself for a short Speak Check.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Practice
Your keyboard may not have č ć š ž đ. Tap the accent buttons under each box to insert them.
How do you say informal hello?
Hint: Starts with z
Write the polite daytime greeting (two words).
Hint: Good day
Type tea in Bosnian. Use the hat letter.
Hint: Harder ch
Which letter is in čaj. č or ć?
Hint: Hats are the harder ch
Type the coffee-pot word. It starts with dž.
Hint: One letter, even though it looks like two
Does žena start with z or ž?
Hint: Like s in measure
Type goodbye in Bosnian. It needs a tail letter.
Hint: doviđenja
Name Sarajevo’s old bazaar. Keep š and č.
Hint: The old market district
Fun facts
Baščaršija means main market
Baščaršija is not just a pretty old-town label. The name comes from Turkish roots for the chief marketplace. Craft shops, cafés, and copper work still fill those streets today. In summer, street food festivals can take over nearby squares with live music and crowds that feel like the old market still owns the night. When Ana learns greetings here, she is practicing language in a living market rather than a museum set.
One letter, one sound
Bosnian spelling is mostly phonetic, which helps beginners a lot. What you see is usually what you say once the special letters click. Hard sounds wear a hat (č, š, ž). Soft sounds wear a tail (ć, đ). Dž, lj, and nj count as one letter each. That predictability is why Lesson 1 drills the alphabet before long conversations.
Cats of the čaršija
Sarajevo’s old town is famous for friendly street cats. They claim doorsteps, café chairs, and warm stone with total confidence. Mrvica is fictional, but her attitude matches that local habit. If a cat joins your language practice in Baščaršija, you are having a very Sarajevo lesson.
Čuj Bosnu. Bembaša sings Sarajevo
Leave the studio voice for a classic Sarajevo sevdah. Himzo Polovina sings Kad ja pođoh na Bembašu.
Song · Himzo Polovina · Sarajevo / Bembaša · focus ~45–90 seconds of the song
Watch & listen
Himzo Polovina — Topic / archival performance on YouTube (YouTube Terms of Service (embed))
Play the song. Feel the pace before hunting for words.
Press play on the video above. After you have listened, show the gist question.
Bosnia today
International oversight still sits above elected offices
Bosnia and Herzegovina still has an internationally appointed High Representative with powers that can override local politics. The Office of the High Representative was created after the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement to oversee civilian implementation of the deal. Under the Bonn Powers, that office can impose laws and remove public officials. In plain terms, final legal authority does not always rest with voters and elected institutions alone.
Wikipedia. High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Practice game
Match the special letters
Match each letter to the closest English sound.
Quick review
A few words from this lesson, plus ones you missed before. Flip the card, then mark how it went.
Card 1 / 5
More resources
- How to speak Bosnian (YouTube). Companion video for this lesson
- Map. Sarajevo old town. Find Baščaršija before your next lesson
Lesson quiz
Or open the full-page quiz: Lesson 1 quiz
Lesson 1 section quiz
1. What does 'zdravo' mean?
2. Which greeting is more polite with strangers during the day?
3. Which word means 'thank you'?
4. How many letters are in the Latin Bosnian alphabet?
5. The letter š sounds most like English…
6. A džezva is…
7. How do you say goodbye?
8. Baščaršija is…
9. Which pair shows a harder vs softer 'ch'-like sound?
10. Which letters wear a little hat?
