Typical phrases from Novi Sad that you need to know even if you are a tourist.

They say that when residents of Novi Sad speak they actually „sing“. The cause of this specificity is a large number of post-punctuation lengths. However, the speech in Serbian Athens is characterized by numerous expressions that are little known even to domestic tourists. Here are some of the most interesting ones that you can use when you come to Novi Sad next time.

Gari – most commonly used phrase among young people. People from Novi Sad use this term very often in different situations. From a welcome in the form of „What’s up, Gari?“ to those nervous moments in traffic „Go, go, Gari!  It’s green!“ They say the term gari was derived from the noun „buddy“, which is a variation to the term „friend“.

Kanda – In Novi Sad, you can often hear „Kanda is going to rain.“ It’s not hard to guess, the term „Kanda“ is a replacement for the „It looks…“, as it would be said.

Za čega – If we strictly adhere to the grammar of the Serbian language, this is a deviation from the norm. However, dialectic speech allows certain sounds to be very sympathetic. From residents of Novi Sad, and especially the older ones, you will hear them wondering, „Za čega sam poneo kišobran kad kiša neće padati?“ (Why did I bring an umbrella when it’s not going to rain?“ So, this is the same thing for „why“ but in very Novi Sad way.

Gornjak – It’s about, no more or less, an expression for a denim jacket.

‘Di si? – This is a form that is also used in other parts of Serbia, you can hear it in the Eastern parts of the country as well, for example, but it is very specific in Novi Sad when it’s spoken with a specific Vojvodina dialect. Of course, it means: Where are you?

Đir – This is a typical Novi Sad word for the round. You can hear it in the context of „We went for one Đir around the city center“ which basically means; We walked one round across the city centre.

Zju – It is mostly used by young people when they want to express the amazement. For example: „Zjuuu, it’s so cold outside!.“

Mindeđ – Next time you hear a conversation between the people of Novi Sad, and when they ask,  Where are we going for a coffee downtown? – Mindeđ… it’s all the same to me… You will instantly understand that Mindeđ means the same thing as – Whatever.

It seems that Novi Sad has not only authentic destinations for its cultural attractions that should not be missed. As it turns, this is, surely, a city of unrepeatable attractions and a very unique expressions.