North Macedonia is a country most visitors arrive in knowing very little about linguistically, and the first surprise is the alphabet. Macedonian is written in Cyrillic, not Latin, so signage, menus and bus destinations are in a script most arrivals cannot read. The second surprise is that a quarter of the country speaks Albanian as a first language, and in some regions that is the language you will hear first.
The alphabet is the highest-value hour
| Cyrillic | Sounds like | Cyrillic | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| А а | a | П п | p |
| Б б | b | Р р | r |
| В в | v | С с | s |
| Г г | g | Т т | t |
| Д д | d | У у | u |
| Ѓ ѓ | soft g, like "dj" | Ф ф | f |
| Ж ж | zh, as in measure | Х х | h |
| К к | k | Ц ц | ts |
| Љ љ | ly, as in million | Ч ч | ch |
| Њ њ | ny, as in canyon | Ш ш | sh |
Two letters are specific to Macedonian and worth flagging: Ѓ and Ќ, soft consonants that Serbian writes as Ђ and Ћ and that Bulgarian does not have at all. They appear in common words and place names.
The phrases
| Macedonian | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Здраво | ZDRA-vo | hello |
| Добар ден | DO-bar den | good day |
| Благодарам | bla-go-DA-ram | thank you |
| Ве молам | ve MO-lam | please, you're welcome |
| Извинете | iz-vi-NE-te | excuse me, sorry |
| Да / Не | da / ne | yes / no |
| Колку чини? | KOL-ku CHI-ni | how much is it? |
| Не разбирам | ne raz-BI-ram | I don't understand |
| Каде е…? | KA-de e | where is…? |
Macedonian puts its definite article on the end of the noun. Град is a city, градот is the city. It is the only Slavic language family branch to do this — Bulgarian does it too — and it is why a word you looked up will not match the word on the sign. Strip a trailing -от, -та or -то before you reach for the dictionary.
Albanian, and where it matters
Albanian is co-official and is the majority language across the north-west. In Tetovo, Gostivar and Debar, a greeting in Albanian — Përshëndetje, or the everyday Tungjatjeta — lands where a Macedonian one would be merely correct. The two languages are entirely unrelated, so nothing transfers; they are separate sets of phrases to carry.
Practicalities
The currency is the denar, not the euro, and cash still matters outside Skopje. Ohrid in summer is the one place where English is reliably present; Skopje is mixed; anywhere else, expect to be pointing. Bus timetables are posted in Cyrillic only, which is the single most common reason a visitor misses one — and the best argument for spending the hour on the alphabet before arriving rather than after.
Look up Macedonian words offline
The free English-Macedonian Dictionary gives Cyrillic script with meanings, working without a connection.
Open the dictionary appFrequently asked questions
What language do they speak in North Macedonia?
Macedonian, a South Slavic language written in Cyrillic, is the official language and the first language of about two-thirds of the population. Albanian is co-official nationally and is the majority language in the north-west, including much of Tetovo and Gostivar.
Do they speak English in North Macedonia?
In Skopje and Ohrid, and among people under about forty, commonly yes. In smaller towns and with older people, much less so. It is noticeably weaker than in Serbia or Croatia's tourist areas, so a few words of Macedonian go further here than they would next door.
Is Macedonian the same as Bulgarian?
They are very close and mutually intelligible in large part, and the question is politically charged rather than purely linguistic. Bulgaria has historically treated Macedonian as a dialect of Bulgarian; North Macedonia treats it as a separate standard language. For a traveller the practical point is that either one will be understood.