Czech and Serbian: 52 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Czech | Serbian |
|---|---|---|---|
| secs [ˈsɛ]sr /se/ | myself | #2 | #4 |
| necs [ˈnɛ]sr /ne/ | not | #13 | #3 |
| oncs [ˈon]sr /ôːn/ | he | #121 | #48 |
| dvacs [ˈdva]sr /dʋâː/ | two | #153 | #177 |
| životcs [ˈʒɪvot]sr /ʒǐʋot/ | life | #179 | #173 |
| onacs [ˈona]sr /ǒna/ | she | #209 | #86 |
| sebecs [ˈsɛbɛ]sr /sêbe/ | myself | #251 | #241 |
| zlatocs [ˈzlato]sr /zlâːto/ | gold | #313 | #1,148 |
| jednacs [ˈjɛdna]sr /ˈjednɐ/ | one | #327 | #254 |
| ženacs [ˈʒɛna]sr /ʒěna/ | woman | #350 | #205 |
| autocs [ˈau̯to]sr /ǎuto/ | car, automobile | #379 | #342 |
| onics [ˈoɲɪ]sr /ǒni/ | they | #384 | #134 |
| minutcs [ˈmɪnut]sr /mǐnuːt/ | minute | #406 | #826 |
| obacs /oba/sr /ôba/ | both | #437 | #1,286 |
| nadcs [ˈnat]sr /nâd/ | over, above | #452 | #896 |
| očics [ˈot͡ʃɪ]sr /ˈotʃɪ/ | eye | #554 | #457 |
| našics [ˈnaʃɪ]sr /ˈnaʃɪ/ | our, ours | #560 | #820 |
| ženucs [ˈʒɛnu]sr /ˈʒɛnʊ/ | woman | #595 | #446 |
| autacs /ˈaʊta/sr /ˈaʊtɐ/ | car, automobile | #608 | #1,018 |
| doktorcs [ˈdoktor]sr /dôktor/ | doctor, physician | #612 | #617 |
| smrtcs [ˈsmr̩t]sr /smr̩̂t/ | death | #633 | #508 |
| šestcs [ˈʃɛst]sr /ʃêːst/ | six | #638 | #545 |
| onocs [ˈono]sr /ǒno/ | it | #640 | #127 |
| desetcs [ˈdɛsɛt]sr /dêset/ | ten | #669 | #602 |
| dolecs [ˈdolɛ]sr /dôle/ | down | #689 | #356 |
| sestracs [ˈsɛstra]sr /sěstra/ | sister | #753 | #587 |
| voducs [ˈvodu]sr /ˈvodʊ/ | water | #962 | #740 |
| pivocs [ˈpɪvo]sr /pîːʋo/ | beer | #1,045 | #836 |
| okolocs [ˈokolo]sr /ôkolo/ | around | #1,089 | #832 |
| vodacs [ˈvoda]sr /ʋǒda/ | water | #1,122 | #846 |
| dušecs [ˈduʃɛ]sr /ˈduʃɛ/ | soul | #1,142 | #1,438 |
| osobacs [ˈosoba]sr /ôsoba/ | person | #1,214 | #487 |
| čajcs [ˈt͡ʃaj]sr /t͡ʃâj/ | tea | #1,272 | #1,026 |
| detektivcs [ˈdɛtɛktɪf]sr /ˈdɛtɛktɪv/ | detective | #1,279 | #1,227 |
| testcs [ˈtɛst]sr /têst/ | test | #1,322 | #1,034 |
| školacs [ˈʃkola]sr /ʃkôːla/ | school | #1,439 | #1,174 |
| prstencs [ˈpr̩stɛn]sr /pr̩̂steːn/ | ring | #1,481 | #1,080 |
| ulicecs [ˈulɪt͡sɛ]sr /ˈulit͡sɛ/ | street | #1,500 | #1,208 |
| zvukcs [ˈzvuk]sr /zʋûːk/ | sound | #1,520 | #1,204 |
| stocs [ˈsto]sr /stôː/ | hundred | #1,562 | #311 |
| zločincs [ˈzlot͡ʃɪn]sr /zlǒt͡ʃin/ | crime | #1,609 | #1,348 |
| kontaktcs [ˈkontakt]sr /kǒntakt/ | contact | #1,612 | #1,305 |
| bombacs [ˈbomba]sr /bôːmba/ | bomb | #1,722 | #1,581 |
| očimacs [ˈot͡ʃɪma]sr /ˈotʃɪmɐ/ | eye | #1,761 | #1,019 |
| prostorcs [ˈprostor]sr /prǒːstor/ | space | #1,784 | #1,577 |
| stanicecs [ˈstaɲɪt͡sɛ]sr /ˈstanɪtsɛ/ | station | #1,809 | #1,624 |
| hotelcs [ˈɦotɛl]sr /xǒtel/ | hotel | #1,810 | #1,047 |
| klubcs [ˈklup]sr /klûːb/ | club | #1,861 | #1,065 |
| parkcs [ˈpark]sr /pârk/ | park | #1,942 | #1,465 |
| milioncs [ˈmɪlɪjon]sr /milǐoːn/ | million | #1,955 | #1,253 |
| cenacs [ˈt͡sɛna]sr /t͡sěːna/ | price | #1,962 | #1,870 |
| trikcs [ˈtrɪk]sr /trîk/ | trick | #1,976 | #1,506 |
The speaker plays the voice the LangX app uses for that language — synthesised, not a native speaker, so treat it as a guide.
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.