Learn How To Say (?) In Macedonian

Time To Learn Macedonian

North Macedonia is one of the least visited countries in the Balkan Peninsula, but as we mentioned in our previous posts, it’s a country that has a lot to offer.

Hence, it’s no surprise that the number of tourists visiting Macedonia is higher than ever. As the country’s tourism keeps developing, more locals nowadays speak English, but it’s still useful to learn a few basic Macedonian phrases.

The Macedonian language belongs to the Slavic language family, but it’s the only Slavic language that doesn’t use any grammatical cases.

This makes Macedonian distinct from all the other Slavic languages and also a bit harder to learn. Another fun fact is that Macedonians use the Cyrillic script, which most people refer to as “the Russian alphabet,” but many don’t know that the first variation of this script was created on (then) Macedonian territory.

The Alphabet

Formal And Informal

As you’ll see in this article, almost every phrase in Macedonian can have a polite (formal) and casual (informal) form. These different forms can get a bit tricky for someone that’s trying to learn the language, but you shouldn’t worry a lot about it at this stage. Just remember that you should use the polite form when talking to elderly people or informal communication, and for everyone else, the informal form will do.

Like we mentioned, nowadays, more Macedonians speak English, but locals appreciate it a lot when they see a foreigner actually putting effort into learning the language. So, whether you’re planning to visit Macedonia soon or just want to learn some basic phrases, this guide to learning Macedonian will surely come in handy.

Greetings

Hello

Zdravo (zdra-vo)

Good Morning

Dobro Utro (do-bro oot-ro)

Good Afternoon

Dobar Den (Do-bar den)

Good Evening

Dobra Vecer (do-bra vech-er)

Good Night

Dobra Nokj (do-bra nokh)

*kj is one of the strangest sounding letters in the Macedonian alphabet. When pronouncing, try to say the letters k and j (y) at the same time.

The Basics

How are you?

Kako si (ka-ko si) an informal greeting; used when speaking to someone like a friend.

Kako ste (ka-ko ste) a formal greeting; used when speaking to an elderly person.

Fine, thank you

Dobro, Blagodaram. (do-bro bla-go-da-ram)

And you?

A ti? (a tee) just like above, this form is used when speaking in informal occasions.

A vie? (a V. A.) used when speaking in formal occasions or when talking to elderly people.

Please

Te Molam (the mo-lam) informal

Ve Molam (vae mo-lam)

Thank you/Thank you very much

Blagodaram (bla-go-da-ram)

/Mnogu ti blagodaram (mno-goo tee bla-go-da-ram) informal

Mnogu vi blagodaram (mno-goo vee bla-go-da-ram) formal

You’re welcome

Nema za sto (ne-ma za sh-to)

Goodbye

Until next time– Do Gledanje (do-gle-da-nye)

*Nj is another letter which is quite difficult to pronounce for foreigners. Similarly like kj, try to pronounce the letters N and J (y) at the same time.

Permanent goodbye– Zbogum- Zbo-goom

See you soon

Se gledame naskoro (se gle-da-me nas-ko-ro)

Yes

Da

No

Ne

 

 

Excuse me

Izvinete (eez-vee-ne-te)

I’m sorry/ Sorry/Pardon me

Zal mi e (zhal me-A)

Izvini (eez-vee-nee)

Izvinete me (eez-vee-ne-te mea)

What’s your name?

Kako se vikas? (ka-ko se vi-kash)

I am/ My name is

Jas sum (yas soom)

Jas se vikam (yas se vee-kam)

Nice to Meet You

Milo mi e (mee-lo me-ea)

Where are you from/ Where do you come from

Od kade si? (od ka-de see)

Od kade doagas. (od ka-de doa-gyash).

I’m from/ I come from

Jas sum od (yas soom od)

Jas doagam od (yas doa-gyam od)

How old are you?

Kolku godini imas? (Kol-koo go-dee-nee eem-ash)

I am __ years old

Jas imam __ godini (yas eem-am __ go-dee-nee)

I like/ I don’t like

Jas sakam (yas sa-kam)

Jas ne sakam (yas ne-sa-kam)

Brands We Use And Trust

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Language Difficulties

Do you speak English?

Dali zboruvate Angliski? (Da-lee zbo-roo-va-te An-glees-kee)

Is there someone who speaks English?

Dali ima nekoj sto zboruva Angliski? (da-lee ee-ma ne-koy shto zbo-roo-va an-glees-kee)

I don’t understand

Jas ne razbiram (Yas ne raz-bee-ram)

I speak a little Macedonian

Zboruvam malku Makedonski (zbo-roo-vam mal-koo ma-ke-don-ski)

I don’t speak Macedonian

Jas ne zboruvam Makedonski (Yas ne zbo-roo-vam ma-ke-don-skee)

Can you please speak a little slower?

Dali moze da zboruvas mallku pobavno? (Da-lee mo-zhe da zbo-roo-vash mal-koo po-bav-no)- Informal Form

Dali moze da zboruvate mallku pobavno? (Da-lee mo-zhe da zbo-roo-va-te mal-koo po-bav-no) -Polite Form

Could you write that down?

Moze li da go zapishete toa? (mo-zhe lee da go za-pish-A-te to-a)

Could you repeat that

Moze li da go povtorite toa? (mo-zhe lee da go pov-to-ree-te to-a)

How do I say…?

Kako da kazam…? (ka-ko da kazh-am)

What does that mean?

Sto znaci toa? (Sh-to zna-chee toa)

What time is it?

Kolku e casot? (kol-koo e chas-ot)

It’s five o’clock

Chasot e pet (cha-sot ae pet)

Shopping & Money phrases

How much is this?

Kolku cini ova? (kol-koo chee-nee o-va)

I’m looking for

Baram (ba-ram)

I would like

Sakam (sa-kam)

Can I pay by credit card?

Moze li da platam so karticka? (mo-zhe lee da pla-tam so kar-tich-ka)

Can I see this?

Moze li da go vidam ova? (Mo-zhe lee da go vee-dam o-va)

Do you have this in small/medium/large

Go imate li ova vo mala/sredna/golema varijanta? (Go ee-ma-te lee o-va vo ma-la/sred-na/go-le-ma va-ri-yan-ta)

Do you have anything cheaper?

Dali imate nesto poeftino? (Da-lee ee-ma-te nesh-to po-ef-tee-no)

It’s too expensive

Ova e preskapo (o-va ee- prey-ska-po)

I’ll give you 500 denars for it

Kje ti dadam petstotini denari za ova (kye tee da-dam pet-sto-tee-nee dae-na-ree za o-va)

Where can I exchange money?

Kade moze da zamenam pari? (ka-de mo-zhe da za-mae-nam pa-ree)

Transportation Phrases

A one-way ticket to Ohrid, please

Eden bilet za Ohrid vo eden pravec, ve molam. (Ed-en beel-et za Oh-reed vo ed-en pra-vets ve mo-lam)

Here’s my passport

Eve go mojot pasos (ey-ve go mo-yot pa-sosh)

What time does the bus from Ohrid depart/arrive?

Koga trgnuva/pristiga avtobusot za/od Ohrid (ko-ga trg-noo-va/prees-tee-ga av-to-boo-sot za/od Oh-reed)

Za and od are adverbs used for direction. In this case, za means (going) to and od means (coming) from.

Plane- Avion (av-ee-on); Train-voz

Is the bus/train/flight direct?

Dali avtobusot/vozot/letot e direkten? (da-lee av-to-boos-ot/voz-ot/ le-tot ey dee-rek-ten)

Do I have to change the bus/train

Dali moram da go smenam avtobusot/vozot (da-lee mo-ram da go sme-nam av-to-boos-ot/voz-ot)

Do I need a seat reservation?

Dali treba da rezerviram (da-lee trey-ba da re-zer-vee-ram)

Is this seat taken?

Slobodno li e? (slo-bod-no lee ey)

When is the next bus to Ohrid?

Koga e sledniot avtobus za Ohrid (ko-ga e sled-nee-ot av-to-boos za Oh-reed)

Could you call me a taxi?

Moze li da mi viknes Taxi (Mo-zhe lee da mey veek-nesh ta-xi)

I’d like to go to…

Sakam da odam vo (sa-kam da o-dam vo)

Can you let me know where to get off?

Moze li da mi kazete kade da se simnam (mo-zhe lee da mey ka-zh-e-te ka-de da se seem-nam)

Direction Phrases

How do I get to…

Kako da stignam do (ka-ko da steeg-nam)

It’s on the left/right/straight ahead

Levo e/ Desno e/ Pravo e (le-vo ey; des-no ey; pra-vo ey)

How far it is?

Kolku e daleku? (Kol-koo ey da-le-koo)

Where is the closest bank/post office/exchange office?

Kade e najbliskata banka/posta/menuvacnica? (Ka-de ey nai-blees-ka-ta ban-ka/ posh-ta/ me-noo-vach-nee-tsa)

Do you have a map?

Imas li mapa? (Ee-mash lee ma-pa)

Can you show me that on the map?

Moze li da mi go pokazete toa na kartata? (Mo-zhe lee da me go po-ka-zhe-te toa na ma-pa-ta)

Where is the French embassy?

Kade e Francuskata ambasada? (ka-de e fran-tsoo-ska-ta am-ba-sa-da)

Eating And Drinking Phrases

Can you recommend a good restaurant?

Dali moze da mi preporacate dobar restoran? (da-lee mo-zhe da me prey-po-ra-cha-te do-bar res-to-ran)

There are two/three/four of us

Nie sme dvajca/trojca/cetvorica (nee-ae sme dvai-tsa/troi-tsa/chet-vo-ri-tsa)

What would you recommend?

Sto bi mi preporacale? (sh-to bee me pre-po-ra-cha-ley)

What are some local specialties?

Koi se lokalnite specijaliteti? (Koee se lo-kal-nee-te spe-tsee-ya-li-te-tee)

Could I see the menu, please?

Moze li da go vidam menito, ve molam? (Mo-zhe lee da go vee-dam me-nee-to ve-mo-lam)

A beer/coffee/tea, please

Pivo/kafe/caj, ve molam (pee-vo/ka-fe chai ve mo-lam)

Could I get the bill, please?

Moze li da ja dobijam smetkata, ve molam? (mo-zhe lee da ya do-bee-yam smet-ka-ta ve-mo-lam)

I’m allergic to…

Alergicen sum na… (al-eyr-ghee-chen soom na)

That was delicious

Toa bese vkusno (To-a be-she v-koos-no)

This isn’t what I ordered

Ova ne e toa sto go naracav (o-va ne e to-a sh-to go na-rach-av)

Can I buy you a drink?

Moze li da ti kupam pijacka (moo-zhe lee da tee koo-pam pee-yach-ka)

Let’s have another one…

Ajde uste po edna (ay-dey ush-te po ed-na)

Sightseeing Phrases

Are there guided tours?

Ima li tura so vodic? (ee-ma lee too-ra so vo-deech)

What is the entrance fee?

Kolku cini vleznicata? (Kol-koo chee-nee vlez-nee-tsa-ta)

What is that building?

Sto e taa zgrada? (shto e taa zgra-da)

Is it open on Sundays?

Dali e otvoreno vo nedela? (da-lee ey ot-vo-re-no vo ney-dey-la)

What’s at the cinema/theater tonight?

Sto ima vo kino/teatar vecer? (sh-to ee-ma vo kee-no/ te-a-tar vech-er)

That’s a beautiful church/cathedral/building

Toa e prekrasna crkva/katedrala/zgrada (to-a e pre-kras-na tsrk-va/ ka-ted-ra-la/ zgra-da)

What is there to see around here?

Sto ima da se vidi naokolu? (sh-to ee-ma da se vee-dee na-oko-loo)

Accommodation Phrases

Can you recommend me a cheaper hotel?

Dali moze da mi preporacate nekoj poeftin hotel? (da-lee mo-zhe da mee prey-po-ra-cha-te ne-koy po-ef-teen ho-tel)

I have a reservation

Jas imam rezervacija (yas ee-mam re-zer-va-tsee-ya)

Do you have any rooms available?

Dali imate slobodni sobi? (da-lee ee-ma-te slo-bod-nee so-bee)

Could I see the room?

Dali moze da ja vidam sobata? (da-lee mo-zhe da ya vee-dam so-ba-ta)

I’d like to stay for __ nights

Bi sakal/a (the a form is used if you’re a female) da ostanam __ veceri

(bee sa-ka-la da os-ta-nam __ ve-che-ree)

Is breakfast included?

Dali pojadokot e vklucen? (da-lee po-ya-dok-ot e v-kloo-chen)

Is there anywhere I can leave my luggage?

Kade moze da go ostavam bagazot? (ka-de mo-zhe da go os-ta-vam ba-gazh-ot)

When do I have to check out?

Koga treba da se odjavam? (ko-ga tre-ba da se od-ya-vam)

The __ in my room doesn’t work

__ vo mojata soba ne raboti (__ vo mo-ya-ta so-ba ne ra-bo-tee)

Could I get a different room?

Dali moze da dobijam druga soba? (da-lee mo-zhe da do-bee-yam droo-ga so-ba)

Is there a restaurant here?

Dali ima restoran ovde? (da-lee ee-ma res-to-ran ov-de)

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Difficult Situations And Emergencies

Help/Can you help me?

Pomos/ Dali moze da mi pomognete? (po-mosh/ da-lee mo-zhe da mee po-mog-ne-te)

Please come with me; it’s an emergency

Ve molam dojdete so mene, itno e (ve mo-lam doy-de-te so mey-ney eet-no A)

I’ve lost (my keys)

Gi izgubiv (moite klucevi) (ghee eez-goo-beev mo-ee-te kloo-chey-vee)

I need a doctor/dentist/police officer

Mi treba doktor/zabolekar/policaec (mee t-re-ba dok-tor/za-bo-lae-kar/po-lee-tsa-ets)

Is there a pharmacy nearby?

Dali ima apteka vo blizina? (da-lee ee-ma ap-te-ka vo blee-zee-na)

Can I please use your phone?

Dali moze da se javam od vasiot telefon? (da-lee mo-zhe da se ya-vam od va-shee-ot te-le-fon)

Call the police/ambulance

Javete se vo policija/brza pomos (ya-ve-te se vo po-lee-tsee-ya/ br-za po-mosh)

Leave me alone

Ostavete me na mira (os-ta-ve-te mae na mee-ra)

To summarize, you don’t really need to learn Macedonian to make the most of your trip unless you’re planning to get way off the beaten track. However, knowing some of these phrases and using them in everyday communication with locals will surely make their day.

Did this article help you learn some helpful phrases for your upcoming trip? Would you like to learn some other words in Macedonian, or perhaps some Macedonian swearing words (which, by the way, is probably the first thing the locals would try to teach you)? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll make sure to add a part 2!