An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common Serbian idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Serbian idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, Baš me briga literally means "it really worries me" but is used to mean I do not care about it at all. This free page ranks the 25 most common Serbian idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
Baš me briga
Literally it really worries me
Means I do not care about it at all
English idiom couldn't care less
Example Baš me briga šta drugi misle o meni.
I couldn't care less what other people think of me.
Note The words literally say the opposite of what is meant, and the tone is dismissive, so it can sound rude to the person you are talking to.
Ići nekome na živce
Literally to go on someone's nerves
Means to irritate someone over and over
English idiom get on someone's nerves
Example Komšijin pas mi već ceo dan ide na živce.
The neighbour's dog has been getting on my nerves all day.
Preko glave mi je
Literally it is over my head
Means to have had enough of something and be unable to take any more of it
English idiom have had it up to here
Example Preko glave mi je svakodnevnih gužvi u gradu.
I have had it up to here with the daily traffic jams in town.
Praviti se Englez
Literally to make oneself an Englishman
Means to act as if one has not noticed or understood something inconvenient
English idiom play dumb
Example Znam da si video poruku, nemoj da se praviš Englez.
I know you saw the message, do not play dumb.
Note No dig at English people is meant, the picture is simply a foreigner who does not follow what is going on.
Kao grom iz vedra neba
Literally like thunder from a clear sky
Means completely unexpected and sudden
English idiom out of the blue
Example Njegova ostavka je došla kao grom iz vedra neba.
His resignation came out of the blue.
Praviti od muve slona
Literally to make an elephant out of a fly
Means to exaggerate a small problem into a huge one
English idiom make a mountain out of a molehill
Example Smiri se, ne pravi od muve slona.
Calm down, do not make a mountain out of a molehill.
Biti na sedmom nebu
Literally to be on the seventh heaven
Means to be extremely happy
English idiom be on cloud nine
Example Kad je dobila posao, bila je na sedmom nebu.
When she got the job, she was on cloud nine.
Pao mi je kamen sa srca
Literally a stone fell off my heart
Means to feel a huge relief after worrying
English idiom a weight off one's shoulders
Example Kad sam čuo da su svi dobro, pao mi je kamen sa srca.
When I heard that everyone was fine, it was a weight off my shoulders.
Vući nekoga za nos
Literally to pull someone by the nose
Means to deceive someone and keep them waiting with empty promises
English idiom string someone along
Example Prestani da me vučeš za nos i reci mi istinu.
Stop stringing me along and tell me the truth.
Nemati dlake na jeziku
Literally to have no hair on the tongue
Means to speak bluntly and say exactly what one thinks
English idiom not mince words
Example Moja baba nema dlake na jeziku, sve kaže u lice.
My grandmother does not mince words, she says everything to your face.
Držati fige
Literally to hold figs
Means to wish someone good luck
English idiom keep one's fingers crossed
Example Držim ti fige za sutrašnji ispit.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for your exam tomorrow.
Note The matching gesture is a fist with the thumb pushed between the index and middle fingers, not crossed fingers.
Držati jezik za zubima
Literally to hold the tongue behind the teeth
Means to keep quiet and say nothing about something
English idiom hold one's tongue
Example Bolje drži jezik za zubima dok se šef ne smiri.
You had better hold your tongue until the boss calms down.
Ubiti dve muve jednim udarcem
Literally to kill two flies with one blow
Means to achieve two things with a single action
English idiom kill two birds with one stone
Example Ako usput svratim u poštu, ubiću dve muve jednim udarcem.
If I stop by the post office on the way, I will kill two birds with one stone.
Tražiti dlaku u jajetu
Literally to look for a hair in the egg
Means to look for faults in something that is basically fine
English idiom split hairs
Example Sve je uradio kako treba, a ti opet tražiš dlaku u jajetu.
He did everything properly, and you are still splitting hairs.
Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe
Literally when grapes grow on a willow
Means never, at a moment that will never come
English idiom when pigs fly
Example Vratiće mi taj dug kad na vrbi rodi grožđe.
He will pay me back that debt when pigs fly.
Bacati pare kroz prozor
Literally to throw money through the window
Means to waste money on things that give nothing back
English idiom throw money down the drain
Example Kupovati treći telefon ove godine znači bacati pare kroz prozor.
Buying a third phone this year means throwing money down the drain.
Note Pare is the everyday word for money in Serbia, the more neutral version of the phrase uses novac.
Fali mu daska u glavi
Literally a plank is missing in his head
Means to be a bit crazy or to behave very oddly
English idiom have a screw loose
Example Ponaša se toliko čudno da mu sigurno fali daska u glavi.
He behaves so strangely that he must have a screw loose.
Note This is a blunt judgement about someone's sanity, fine as a joke among friends but not to their face.
Gledati kroz prste
Literally to look through the fingers
Means to overlook someone's mistakes on purpose and go easy on them
English idiom turn a blind eye
Example Profesor mu gleda kroz prste jer je najbolji igrač u školi.
The teacher turns a blind eye to him because he is the best player in the school.
Kap koja je prelila čašu
Literally the drop that made the glass overflow
Means the small thing that finally makes someone lose patience
English idiom the last straw
Example Njegovo kašnjenje na venčanje bilo je kap koja je prelila čašu.
Him being late for the wedding was the last straw.
Ostaviti nekoga na cedilu
Literally to leave someone on the strainer
Means to abandon someone exactly when they need help
English idiom leave someone in the lurch
Example Obećao je da će pomoći, a onda nas je ostavio na cedilu.
He promised to help and then left us in the lurch.
Biti pod papučom
Literally to be under the slipper
Means to be completely controlled by one's wife or partner
English idiom be henpecked
Example Otkad se oženio, potpuno je pod papučom.
Since he got married, he has been completely henpecked.
Note It is almost always said about a husband and always as a tease, so save it for close company.
Kupiti mačku u džaku
Literally to buy a cat in a sack
Means to buy something without checking what it is first
English idiom buy a pig in a poke
Example Pogledaj auto pre nego što ga platiš, da ne kupiš mačku u džaku.
Look the car over before you pay for it, so you do not buy a pig in a poke.
Sedeti na dve stolice
Literally to sit on two chairs
Means to try to keep two opposing sides happy at the same time
English idiom have a foot in both camps
Example U ovoj svađi ne možeš da sediš na dve stolice.
In this quarrel you cannot have a foot in both camps.
Loviti u mutnom
Literally to fish in murky water
Means to profit from a confused situation that nobody can see clearly
English idiom fish in troubled waters
Example Dok su se svi svađali, on je mirno lovio u mutnom.
While everyone was arguing, he was quietly fishing in troubled waters.
Imati putera na glavi
Literally to have butter on one's head
Means to have something to hide and so be in no position to accuse anyone else
Example On najglasnije priča o poštenju, a i sam ima putera na glavi.
He talks the loudest about honesty, and he has plenty to hide himself.
Note The phrase came into Serbian from German, and it is heard less often than the other expressions here.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Baš me briga comes out as "it really worries me", which makes no sense until you know it means I do not care about it at all.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Serbian sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Serbian idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with Baš me briga, Ići nekome na živce, Preko glave mi je, Praviti se Englez, Kao grom iz vedra neba. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Serbian, "Baš me briga" translates literally as "it really worries me", but it actually means I do not care about it at all. The closest English idiom is "couldn't care less". Example: Baš me briga šta drugi misle o meni. ("I couldn't care less what other people think of me.")
The Serbian equivalent is "Baš me briga", literally "it really worries me". Example: Baš me briga šta drugi misle o meni. ("I couldn't care less what other people think of me.")
In Serbian, an idiom is called frazeologizam, and a proverb is poslovica. A frazeologizam (in everyday speech people often just say izraz) is a fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate words, while a poslovica is a complete sentence that passes on a piece of folk wisdom.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Baš me briga translates literally as "it really worries me", yet it means I do not care about it at all. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Serbian with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.