Going to the post office requires specific vocabulary to navigate sending letters, handling packages, and dealing with clerks. Let's look at the essentials for preparing your mail.
Mailboxes and Senders
To send a simple letter, you can drop it directly into a postal mailbox (poštanski sandučić). The person sending the mail is known as the sender (pošiljatelj).
| He puts the letter in the postal mailbox. | Stavlja pismo u poštanski sandučić. |
| The sender changed his mind in front of the post office. | Pošiljatelj se predomislio ispred pošte. |
Envelopes and Stamps
Before mailing your letter, it needs to be placed inside an envelope (omotnica). Depending on the destination, you will also need to attach one or more stamps (markica).
| This envelope needs a few stamps. | Za ovu omotnicu treba nekoliko markica. |
Weighing and Postage
If you are sending a larger envelope or a package, you will need to take it to the counter. The clerk will weigh (izvagati) your item on a scale (vaga) to calculate the correct postage (poštarina).
| I need to weigh the envelope and pay the postage. | Trebam izvagati omotnicu i platiti poštarinu. |
| The clerk must weigh the package on the scale because of the postage. | Službenik mora izvagati paket na vagi zbog poštarine. |
Customs and Registered Mail
When shipping items internationally, your package may need to clear customs (carina).
| The clerk will weigh your cargo before customs. | Službenik će izvagati vaš teret prije carine. |
If you are sending important documents and want to track their delivery, you should send them as a registered (preporučen) shipment. This often requires additional details, like a return address.
| I am sending this as a registered shipment. | Šaljem ovo kao preporučenu pošiljku. |
| For a registered letter we need the sender's address. | Za preporučeno pismo trebamo adresu pošiljatelja. |
