If you find yourself in Serbia, you will often hear the word polako in everyday communication (it is pronounced ‘polahko’ and the second syllable is stressed). The word is hardly translatable into English but it reflects the worldview of the people of Serbia. Below we discuss what the Serbian polako exactly means.

What is ‘polako’?

The Serbian word ‘polako’ is used as an imperative and it urges the interlocutor to be relaxed. This word is indicative of the general Serbian philosophy and the pace of life. It could be translated as ‘calmly’ or ‘slowly’. In what communicative situation should you expect to hear this word? If you started fussing about something or getting nervous about a small thing, a Serb would tell you ‘polako’. This would mean ‘There is nothing to worry about, don’t get stressed, everything will be alright!’

Polako is the Serbians’ worldview, their lifestyle, their philosophy.

Polako: the Serbian lifestyle

This is an attitude to life that can be infectious. If you live among Serbians for a long time, you begin to feel ‘polako’. New immigrants arriving from the countries where the pace of life is faster are often shocked by this attitude. If your parking lot is occupied with somebody else’s car or if somebody pushes you accidentally, you may become irritated. A Serb would say ‘polako’ in such a situation. The explanation for this is simple: you will forget about your minor trouble tomorrow but you will save many nervous cells if you adopt the polako attitude. You will be kinder and more open to people.

Serbians also say ‘live without forgetting to live’. This is also about polako. It is very important for Serbians to enjoy life: this is their primary objective. They believe that if you live at a fast pace, you can hardly enjoy life. Throughout the day, you will find many happily looking Serbians sitting in multiple kafanas (see below) with a cup of tea or a glass of beer simply enjoying life. A Serbian would rather spend time with his/ her family than try to make some extra money.

A curious note: The working day normally starts at 7 a.m. in Serbia. A break for breakfast is at 10 a.m. If you find yourself in a Government agency at that time of the day, you will see that the office closes even if there is a long line. Serbians do not get irritated about having to wait in line for a longer time. Instead, they start talking to each other in a relaxed manner. 

If you stay in Serbia for a considerable time, you may be surprised to find out that locals do not mind being late for meetings at all. They don’t worry about being late. Trifles don’t irritate them because they have polako.

You could hardly change this attitude to life: ‘When in Rome, do as Romans do’. But isn’t there something extremely attractive about ‘living without forgetting to live’? If you would like to do what Serbians do – enjoy life – you should consider relocating to Serbia. This opportunity is especially attractive because it’s very easy to establish legal residence there. Find a job in Serbia and you will qualify for a residence permit. Start a small company (even a sole proprietorship) and you will qualify for a residence permit. Buy livable residential accommodations and you will qualify for a residence permit. Enroll in a Serbian language class and you will qualify for a residence permit. Please note that this list of legal opportunities to establish residence in Serbia is not exhaustive: there are other paths to residency in the country too.

Reasons for the polako attitude

It’s hard to point out the exact reasons why Serbian people have a polako attitude to life. One of the explanations can be found in their history. The land where Serbians live now has changed hands many times in the course of history. Therefore, the people inhabiting this land have had to be patient and calm about the conquerors.

Another explanation can be based on the climate of the country. It is extremely hot in large Serbian cities in the summertime and you could hardly move fast when the sun is blazing. Your body will adapt to the heat in a more efficient way if you move slowly.

We can also offer a psychological explanation of the polako attitude characteristic of Serbs. Suppose you are asking a Serb to help you with something. Suppose now that he or she is unable to help you. Instead of denying help to you, the Serb would rather say that he/ she would help you but then go back on his/ her promise. Serbians try to be nice to people even if being nice means lying to them.

Not only Serbians

The polako lifestyle is characteristic not only of Serbians but of other Balkan nations too. You will find the polako attitude if you go to Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina or another Balkan country. If they say ‘polako vozi’, they are telling you to drive slowly and carefully. If a personal conflict is about to break out, a Montenegrin or a Bosnian will say ‘polako, prijatel’, which means ‘easy, buddy’.

Kafana culture

The word ‘kafana’ refers to a restaurant, a café, a bar, or a tea shop where you can sit down, talk to your friends, and relax. If Serbians have free time, they spend it in kafanas. A town with a population of 100,000 will have 200 cafes or more.

Serbians visit kafanas in order to practice their polako style rather than eat and drink. They may buy a cup of tea or a glass of beer and sip it for hours simply enjoying the atmosphere. We have to note that tea and beer is likely to be accompanied with a cigarette. Sadly, Serbians still smoke a lot and you would have a hard time finding a café or a restaurant where smoking is prohibited. There are such places in Serbia but they are few and far between.

Thanks to the Serbians’ worldview, kafanas always have clients. They are full of customers at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time and in between. Serbians are neve in a hurry including the time when they work. They take everything slowly.

In addition to that, Serbians are fond of reading newspapers and magazines. Large cities have a great number of kiosks that sell newspapers, tobacco, and soft drinks. This is another instrument that Serbians use to slow down their pace of life.

This is what polako is all about. Such an attitude often shocks people from other countries but if you spend a long time in Serbia, you will start appreciating the local way of life. If you take all things easy and never worry over trifles, life becomes more comfortable. Isn’t it great?