Polish and Serbian: 28 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 | Polish | Serbian |
|---|---|---|---|
| ipl /i/sr /ˈi/ | and | #6 | #5 |
| tu/ˈtu/ | here | #28 | #100 |
| onipl /ˈɔ.ɲi/sr /ǒni/ | they | #213 | #134 |
| problempl /ˈprɔ.blɛm/sr /prǒbleːm/ | problem | #293 | #246 |
| minutpl /ˈmi.nut/sr /mǐnuːt/ | minute | #362 | #826 |
| telefonpl /tɛˈlɛ.fɔn/sr /telěfoːn/ | telephone | #451 | #584 |
| jednapl /ˈjɛd.na/sr /ˈjednɐ/ | one | #463 | #254 |
| onepl /ˈɔ.nɛ/sr /ǒne/ | they; nonvirile third-person plural pronoun, used for all… | #638 | #329 |
| bratpl /ˈbrat/sr /brât/ | brother | #657 | #477 |
| dalekopl /daˈlɛ.kɔ/sr /dalěko/ | far | #684 | #523 |
| zna/ˈzna/ | to know | #739 | #186 |
| drugipl /ˈdru.ɡi/sr /drûɡiː/ | second | #822 | #242 |
| bratapl /ˈbra.ta/sr /ˈbratɐ/ | brother | #823 | #658 |
| obojepl /ɔˈbɔ.jɛ/sr /ˈoboje/ | both | #912 | #594 |
| sekspl /ˈsɛks/sr /sêks/ | sex | #1,016 | #777 |
| osobapl /ɔˈsɔ.ba/sr /ôsoba/ | person | #1,055 | #487 |
| sekundpl /ˈsɛ.kunt/sr /ˈsɛkʊnd/ | second | #1,150 | #1,535 |
| starapl /ˈsta.ra/sr /ˈstɑrɐ/ | old | #1,238 | #754 |
| programpl /ˈprɔ.ɡram/sr /ˈproɡrɐm/ | program | #1,336 | #1,140 |
| jajapl /ˈja.ja/sr /ˈjɑjɐ/ | egg | #1,417 | #927 |
| znakpl /ˈznak/sr /znâːk/ | sign | #1,458 | #772 |
| grupapl /ˈɡru.pa/sr /ɡrûpa/ | group | #1,559 | #1,173 |
| starepl /ˈsta.rɛ/sr /ˈstɑrɛ/ | old | #1,585 | #1,144 |
| kontaktpl /ˈkɔn.takt/sr /kǒntakt/ | contact | #1,606 | #1,305 |
| autopl /ˈaw.tɔ/sr /ǎuto/ | car, automobile | #1,760 | #342 |
| ustapl /ˈus.ta/sr /ǔːsta/ | mouth | #1,888 | #767 |
| milionpl /ˈmi.ljɔn/sr /milǐoːn/ | million | #1,898 | #1,253 |
| autapl /ˈaw.ta/sr /ˈaʊtɐ/ | car, automobile | #1,915 | #1,018 |
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.