Montenegrin Language
The local language is called Montenegrin. It has been added to the list of language codes recognized by the International Organization for Standardization, identifying it as a separate language, in 2017. It is the same language that is spoken in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Hercegovina, but with dialectical differences.
Montenegrin is a Slavic language, that belongs to the Indo-European family and can be written in either Latin or Cyrillic alphabets. (The Latin alphabet is more often used.) There are 32 letters, including 5 vowels. Each letter has only one sound and every letter is pronounced. So as long as you know how to pronounce each letter, speaking the language is easy. Understanding it, on the other hand, may be a little harder, but first things first.
Although many of the locals speak English in Montenegro, it always makes traveling a little more accessible and interesting when you have a few tools to communicate. Here are some phrases to get by:
Key Phrases
Hello (informal) | Zdravo (zdr-vo), also Ćao (chow)**
Good afternoon (hello) | Dobar dan (dob-ar-dun)**
Good morning | Dobro jutro (dob-ro yoo-tro)**
Good night | Laku noć (la-koo noch)**
Goodbye /See you later | Dovidenja (dovee-jen-ya)**
How are you? | Kako ste? (ka-ko steh)**
Yes / No | Da (dah) / Ne (neh)**
Please | Molim (mol-im)**
Great! | Odlično! (od-leech-no)**
Thank you | Hvala (fa-la)**
Thank you very much | Hvala puno (fa-la poo-no)**
I know | Znam (znum)**
I don't know | Ne znam (neh znum)**
How much... | Koliko (kol-eeko)**
How much is that (pointing).. | Koliko to košta (kol-eeko toh koshra)**
Do you speak English? | Da li govoriš engleski? (dah lee govoreesh..)**
Where is the washroom? | Gdje je toalet? (gd-yeh yeh twa-let)**
Nice to meet you! | Drago mi je (dra-go mee yeh)**
I am single | Ja sam neoženjen (ya sum neh-oshen-yen)**
I am single | Ja sam neudata (ya sum neh-ood-ata)**
This is my wife | Ove je moja žena (ov-o yeh moya shen-a)**
This is my husband | Ove je moj muž (ov-o yeh moy moosh)**
Which way to... | Koji je put...(koyee yeh poot)**
Beach | Plaža (plash-ah)**
Airport | Aerodrom (ah-air-o-drom)**
Restaurant | Restoran (rest-oran)**
I'm sorry | Žao mi je (sha-o mee yeh)**
