A Serbian phone call must establish information that face-to-face talk supplies automatically: who answered, who is calling, whom the caller wants, and what should happen next. The reflexive verb јавити се connects several of those steps, while short object and dative pronouns keep already known people, numbers, and messages from being repeated.
Text status: This original dialogue models a neutral professional call in contemporary standard Serbian. Both speakers use polite singular Ви.
The complete dialogue
Рецепционерка:
Молим? Агенција Мост, изволите.
Hello? Most Agency, how can I help?
Ана:
Добар дан, овде Ана Илић. Да ли сам добила агенцију Мост?
Good afternoon, this is Ana Ilić. Have I reached Most Agency?
Рецепционерка:
Јесте. Како могу да Вам помогнем?
Yes, you have. How can I help you?
Ана:
Зовем у вези са сутрашњом радионицом. Могу ли да добијем господина Павловића?
I'm calling about tomorrow's workshop. May I speak to Mr. Pavlović?
Рецепционерка:
Тренутно није у канцеларији. Ко га тражи?
He isn't in the office at the moment. May I ask who's calling?
Ана:
Ана Илић из библиотеке. Молим Вас, реците му да ми се јави кад се врати.
Ana Ilić from the library. Please tell him to call me when he gets back.
Рецепционерка:
Наравно. Да ли већ има Ваш број телефона?
Of course. Does he already have your phone number?
Ана:
Има, али ћу Вам га поновити за сваки случај: 064 732 18 40.
He does, but I'll repeat it to you just in case: 064 732 18 40.
Рецепционерка:
Записала сам поруку и проследићу му је чим се врати.
I've written down the message, and I'll pass it on to him as soon as he returns.
Ана:
Хвала Вам. Очекујем његов позив. Пријатно.
Thank you. I'll await his call. Goodbye.
Рецепционерка:
Пријатно, довиђења.
Goodbye.
The idiomatic translation does not map every formula word for word. Telephone молим? is an answering formula, not a request meaning “please,” and могу ли да добијем господина Павловића? asks to speak to him, not to acquire him. Short јесте confirms the whole proposition “you have reached the agency.”
Line-by-line annotation
| Line | Grammar | Telephone function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Молим? and polite imperative изволите are context-dependent formulas. The agency name is a verbless identification. | The answerer identifies the organization and yields the floor. |
| 2 | Овде + name identifies the caller. Feminine perfect сам добила agrees with Ana and idiomatically asks whether she reached the intended number. | The caller gives her name before requesting a person. |
| 3 | Echo answer јесте confirms the caller's whole question—effectively “yes, this is the agency”—without repeating its wording. Dative Вам marks the beneficiary. | The receptionist confirms the destination and invites the purpose. |
| 4 | У вези са governs instrumental сутрашњом радионицом. Добити некога in a call means reach or be connected to someone; animate accusative gives господина Павловића. | The reason for calling precedes the transfer request. |
| 5 | Omitted subject of није is Pavlović. Accusative clitic га resumes him in ко га тражи. | The formula asks the caller to identify herself for a message; the English translation softens its literal “who is looking for him?” |
| 6 | The short nominal answer omits овде је / зове. Dative му is the recipient of реците; in да ми се јави, dative ми precedes reflexive се. | The caller repeats her identity and requests a return call after his return. |
| 7 | Ваш број is the accusative object of има; with a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form matches the nominative. The omitted subject remains Pavlović. | The receptionist checks whether the message needs a number. |
| 8 | Short има answers “he has it.” Accusative clitic га refers to masculine број; dative Вам identifies the listener. | Repeating the number “just in case” prevents a practical misunderstanding. |
| 9 | Feminine записала agrees with the receptionist. In проследићу му је, dative му precedes feminine accusative је, which refers to поруку. | The answerer confirms both recording and future delivery of the message. |
| 10–11 | Possessive његов agrees with masculine позив. Пријатно is a neutral courteous closing; довиђења makes the leave-taking explicit. | Both speakers recognize that the practical task is complete before ending the call. |
Openings identify the line and the caller
On a personal mobile call, Хало? is common. In a workplace, the answerer often gives the organization or their name immediately. A caller can identify themselves with овде, ја сам, or a full clause such as зове Ана Илић.
Хало, овде Ненад. Да ли је Милица ту?
Hello, this is Nenad. Is Milica there? (informal call)
Добар дан, зове Тамара Николић из Градске библиотеке.
Good afternoon, Tamara Nikolić from the City Library calling. (professional)
Serbian does not normally translate English This is... with demonstrative ово је in a self-identification formula. Овде Ана or ја сам Ана is the natural pattern.
Three related uses of јавити
The forms are similar but their argument structure differs:
| Frame | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| јавити се | answer / make contact | Нико се не јавља. |
| јавити се некоме | contact somebody | Јавите ми се сутра. |
| јавити некоме нешто | tell/inform somebody of something | Јавићу Вам одлуку. |
Звала сам два пута, али се нико није јавио.
I called twice, but no one answered.
Чим добијем потврду, јавићу Вам коначан термин.
As soon as I receive confirmation, I'll let you know the final time.
In да ми се јави, се belongs to the verb and ми names the person contacted. Omitting се changes the construction; replacing ми with accusative ме is a case error.
The full aspect and argument patterns are mapped on the јавити се verb-reference page.
Clitics preserve active references
The dialogue establishes господин Павловић, број, and порука. It then uses га, му, and је:
- ко га тражи — га = Pavlović, masculine animate accusative;
- реците му — му = to Pavlović, dative;
- поновићу Вам га — га = the phone number, masculine inanimate accusative;
- проследићу му је — му = to him, је = the message.
Послала сам Вам адресу; проследите му је кад се чујете.
I've sent you the address; forward it to him when you speak.
The cluster orders dative before accusative: му је, not је му in the neutral clitic cluster. Context, not pronoun shape alone, tells whether га refers to a man or a masculine inanimate noun.
Asking for someone and leaving a message
Могу ли да добијем...? is neutral professional language. Да ли је X ту? is more conversational and fits familiar calls. If the person is unavailable, request a message with реците му/јој да... or ask for a callback with нека ми се јави.
Молим Вас, реците госпођи Савић да ћу је позвати после састанка.
Please tell Ms. Savić that I'll call her after the meeting.
The first је in a possible clause да је позовем would be an accusative pronoun, while copular је has a different function. The sentence above avoids ambiguity through the future form ћу је позвати.
Closing naturally
A call usually closes only after the next action is confirmed. Хвала Вам, пријатно is sufficient in a service call. Чујемо се suits an expected future contact between familiar people; поздрав is common (informal) but may be too casual in a first professional call.
У реду, чујемо се сутра после десет. Поздрав!
All right, we'll speak tomorrow after ten. Bye! (informal)
Reuse the passage
Task 1: Change the requested person
Call for Ms. Savić instead of Mr. Pavlović. Replace every full noun phrase, accusative pronoun, dative pronoun, and possessive that changes gender.
Task 2: Leave a different message
State your identity, ask the person to send you a document, repeat your email address, and have the receptionist confirm the message with two clitics.
Task 3: Make the call informal
Call a friend's shared household. Use хало, да ли је ... ту, familiar singular forms, and чујемо се as the closing.
Common Mistakes
Translating “this is” mechanically
❌ Ово је ја, Ана Илић.
Incorrect—Serbian phone self-identification uses овде + name or ја сам, not ово је ја.
✅ Добар дан, овде Ана Илић из библиотеке.
Good afternoon, this is Ana Ilić from the library.
Omitting се from јавити се
❌ Реците му да ми јави кад се врати.
Wrong for 'call/contact me'—without се, јавити needs information as its object.
✅ Реците му да ми се јави кад се врати у канцеларију.
Tell him to contact me when he returns to the office.
Using accusative for the contact recipient
❌ Нека ме се јави после састанка.
Incorrect—јавити се takes a dative recipient, ми, not accusative ме.
✅ Нека ми се јави после поподневног састанка.
Have him contact me after the afternoon meeting.
Reversing the neutral clitic order
❌ Поруку ћу проследити је му одмах.
Incorrect—the clitics belong early and the dative precedes the accusative.
✅ Поруку сам записала и проследићу му је чим завршимо разговор.
I've written down the message, and I'll forward it to him as soon as we finish the call.
Key Takeaways
- Identify yourself naturally with овде + name, then state the reason and requested person.
- Јавити се некоме means contact someone; јавити некоме нешто means inform someone of something.
- Clitics track active people and objects, with dative before accusative in a neutral cluster.
- Close only after the next action—transfer, message, or callback—has been confirmed.
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Start learning Serbian →Related Topics
- javljati se / javiti se (to get in touch / respond)A2 — Reaching out, reflexive.
- Clitic Pronoun Forms and the je/ju ProblemB1 — The full clitic inventory and the je vs ju feminine accusative.
- The Order Within the Clitic ClusterB1 — The fixed sequence: li > aux > dat > acc/gen > se > je.
- ti vs Vi: Formal and Informal YouA1 — Choosing the right address pronoun and verb form.
- Conversation Openings and ClosingsA2 — Starting, holding, and ending a conversation.
- Future I (futur prvi)A1 — The main future tense: ћу, ћеш, ће, ћемо, ћете + infinitive.