Meaning
Expressing likelihood or probability.
Cultural Background
When offered a third helping of Sarma, saying 'Verovatno ne mogu više' is a polite way to start the 'refusal dance' before eventually giving in. If a Serb says they will 'verovatno' be there at 8:00, expect them at 8:15. It's a linguistic buffer for the relaxed local attitude toward punctuality. People often use 'verovatno' to avoid sounding too certain about good news, fearing that absolute certainty might attract bad luck or 'urok'. In the 'kafanologija' (coffee house philosophy), 'verovatno' is used to debate everything from football scores to global politics with an air of authority.
The 'Da' Trick
If you are struggling to integrate 'verovatno' into a sentence, just start with 'Verovatno da...' and then say a full sentence. It's always correct!
Don't Overuse
If you use 'verovatno' in every sentence, you will sound very indecisive. Mix it up with 'sigurno' when you are sure.
Meaning
Expressing likelihood or probability.
The 'Da' Trick
If you are struggling to integrate 'verovatno' into a sentence, just start with 'Verovatno da...' and then say a full sentence. It's always correct!
Don't Overuse
If you use 'verovatno' in every sentence, you will sound very indecisive. Mix it up with 'sigurno' when you are sure.
The Standalone
In casual conversation, 'Verovatno' is a perfect one-word answer to almost any 'Will you...?' question.
Politeness
Use 'verovatno' when correcting someone to make it sound like a suggestion rather than a confrontation.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with 'verovatno' to say 'He is probably late'.
On _______ kasni.
'Verovatno' indicates he is likely late, which fits the context of a guess.
Which sentence means 'It will probably rain'?
Choose the correct translation:
The future tense 'će padati' is needed for a prediction.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
A: Da li dolaziš na kafu? B: ________, ali javiću ti još.
'Verovatno' is a common way to say 'most likely' while leaving room for a final confirmation.
Match the Serbian word to its English probability level.
Match these:
Verovatno represents high probability.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
The Serbian Certainty Scale
Common Contexts for Verovatno
Weather
- • Kiša
- • Sunce
- • Sneg
Plans
- • Dolazak
- • Kafa
- • Putovanje
Guesses
- • Lokacija
- • Vreme
- • Identitet
Practice Bank
4 exercisesOn _______ kasni.
'Verovatno' indicates he is likely late, which fits the context of a guess.
Choose the correct translation:
The future tense 'će padati' is needed for a prediction.
A: Da li dolaziš na kafu? B: ________, ali javiću ti još.
'Verovatno' is a common way to say 'most likely' while leaving room for a final confirmation.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Verovatno represents high probability.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
14 questionsIt is neutral and can be used in any context, from a chat with a friend to a news broadcast.
'Verovatno' is about 80% certain, while 'možda' is 50/50.
It's rare. It usually comes before the verb or at the very beginning.
No, as an adverb, it is always 'verovatno'. Only the adjective 'verovatan' changes.
Use 'neverovatno' (ne + verovatno).
Yes, 'vjerojatno' is used in Croatian (with a 'j'), but the meaning and usage are identical.
Yes, e.g., 'On je verovatno bio tamo' (He was probably there).
Not really, but in fast speech, the middle 'v' can be very quiet.
'Neverovatno' (unlikely/incredible) or 'nemoguće' (impossible).
Yes, that means 'very probably'.
Extremely often, to discuss projections and likelihoods.
Yes, it is very similar to the Russian 'вероятно' (veroyatno).
Yes: 'Mislim da je verovatno tako' (I think it's probably so).
It is in the top 100 most used words in Serbian.
Related Phrases
Možda
similarMaybe
Sigurno
contrastSurely/Certainly
Verovatnoća
builds onProbability
Neverovatno
contrastUnbelievable/Incredible
Izgleda
synonymIt looks like
