English isn’t widely spoken in Croatia and it is recommended to try to learn some of local language, Croatian, before arriving.
To help get you started, we have put together a guide to the most important basic Croatian phrases, vocabulary and grammar to know.
These phrases are perfect for complete beginners looking to pick up the basics of the language, or for people looking to travel and see the best locations in Croatia, we have included some essential words and phrases to help you get by.
We start with showing you can learn how to say hello, goodbye, thank you and how are you in Croatian and then some more advanced conversational topics and phrases ideal for sightseeing and tourism. You might want to download our Croatian phrases as a PDF and take it with you.
You will really be able to impress the local people, Croats will love it when they see you trying to make an effort to learn their language.
Is Croatian Hard to Learn
Croatian is a challenging language to learn, but it is not impossible especially in a short space of time, and it really isn’t as hard as some languages like German or the Asian/Arabic languages.
The Croatian language includes some native Slavic words. The most challenging thing for foreigns to grasp is the accents and the feminine/masculine nouns. But once you pick up the basics you’ll fly through more sentences. Practise is the best way to improve your language skills, you might want to take an online language course too.
100+ Basic Phrases Croatian Phrases to Learn
Greetings
Hello, Good Day (formal) – Dobar dan
Hello, Hi – Zdravo / Bok
Bye – Ćao
Goodbye (more formal) – Do viđenja / Zbogom
Good Morning – Dobro jutro
Good Evening – Dobra večer
Good Night – Laku noć
Welcome – Dobrodošli
Polite
Please – Molim
Thank you (very much) – Hvala
You’re welcome – Nema na čemu
See you later – Vidimo se kasnije
See you soon – Vidimo se uskoro
Excuse me (informal / formal) – Oprosti / Oprostite
I’m sorry – Žao mi je
Important
Yes – Da
No – Ne
Maybe – Možda
Conversational
How are you? (formal) – Kako ste?
I’m fine – Dobro / Dobro sam
I’m ok – U redu sam
How are you? (informal) – Kako ti ide? / Kako si?
I’m great – Dobro mi ide
I’m not so well – Nije mi tako dobro
What’s your name? (formal) – Kako se zovete?
What’s your name? (informal) – Kako se zoveš?
My name is… – Ime mi je …
Nice to meet you! – Drago mi je!
Where are you from? (informal) – Odakle ste?
Where are you from? (formal) – Odakle si?
I’m from… – Ja sam iz …
How old are you? (formal) – Koliko imate godina?
How old are you? (informal) – Koliko imaš godina?
I am _ years old – Ja imam _ godina
Do you speak ? (formal) – Govorite li ? / Znate li ?
Do you speak ? (informal) – Govoriš li ? / Znaš li ?
I [don’t] speak … – [Ne] Govorim / Znam …
I speak a little… – Govorim malo… / Znam malo…
I [don’t] understand. – [Ne] razumijem I [don’t] know – [Ne] znam
Could you repeat that? (formal) – Možete li to ponoviti?
What does that mean? – Što ste rekli?
How do you say in Croatian? – Kako se kaže __ na hrvatskom?
What’s new? – Šta ima novoga?
Nothing much – Ništa novog
Shopping, Food & Drink
How much is this? – Koliko je to?
I’m hungry – (male / female) – Gladan / Gladna sam
I’m thirsty – (male / female) – Žedan / Žedna sam
I would like… (male / female) – Htio / Htjela bih…
Cheers! – Živjeli!
Enjoy your meal! – Dobar tek!
Thanks, same to you! – Hvala, također!
Directions (Smjer)
Can you help me? (formal) – Možete li mi pomoći?
Can you help me? (informal) – Možeš li mi pomoći?
Where is _ ? – Gdje je _?
Right – Desno
Left – Lijevo
North sjever
South – Jug
East – Istok
West – Zapad
That way – Onim putom
Straight – Ravno
I’m lost. (male / female) – Izgubio sam se / Izgubila sam se
Weather (Vrijeme)
What’s the weather like today? – Kakvo je vrijeme? / Kako je vani?
Today it’s… – Danas je…
Sunny – Sunčano
Warm – Toplo
Hot – Vruće
Cold – Studeno
Humid – Vlažno
Foggy – Maglovito
Windy – Puše vjetar
It’s raining – Pada kiša
It’s snowing – Pada snijeg
Days (Dani) / Week
Monday – Ponedjeljak
Tuesday – Utorak
Wednesday – Srijeda
Thursday – četvrtak
Friday – Petak
Saturday – Subota
Sunday nedjelja
Tonight – Večeras
Yesterday – Jučer
Tomorrow – Sutra
Day – Dan
Week – Tjedan
Today – Danas
Weekend – Vikend
Morning – Jutro
Afternoon – Poslije podne
Evening – Večer
This week – Ovaj tjedan
Next week – Idući tjedan
Last week – Prošli tjedan
Night – Noć
Months
January – Siječanj
Month – Mjesec
February – Veljača
March – ožujak
April – Travanj
May – Svibanj
June – Lipanj
July – Srpanj
August – Kolovoz
September – Rujan
October – Listopad
November – Studeni
December – Prosinac
Month – Mjesec
This month – Ovog mjeseca
Next month – Idući mjesec
Last month – Prošli mjesec
Year – Godina
Time
What time is it? – Koliko je sati?
It’s… – Sada je…
01:00 – jedan sat
03:05 – Tri i pet
06:10 – šest i deset
04:15 – četiri i četvrt / četiri i petnaest
07:30 – Sedam i trideset / pola osam
12:45 – četvrt do jedan
midnight – Ponoć
Noon – Podne
Hour – Sat
Minute – Minuta
Emergencies
Help! – Upomoć!
Love / Romance
I like you – Sviđaš mi se
I love you – Volim te
Sweet dreams – Slatki snovi
Events & Celebrations
Congratulations! – Čestitam!
Birthday – Rođendan
Happy birthday! – Sretan rođendan!
Merry Christmas! – Sretan Božić!
Happy New Year! – Sretna nova godina!
Holiday – Praznik
Croatia is a diverse and beautiful country with some of the best beaches in Europe and some of the most spectacular national parks. Having just a basic grasp of the local language will really enhance your trip, make it more fun and also impress the locals.
