If you’re planning to travel to Croatia, it might be a good idea to learn a few essential beginner phrases to help you get by! Here’s why:
Learning a few Croatian phrases before you travel will go a long way in
making sure you have the ultimate experience. You can learn so much about a place by chatting with the local people (much more than in any guide book or pamphlet).
Although most Croatian people do speak English (especially in the popular tourist destinations), they really appreciate the effort when someone tries to learn and say a few Croatian words.
Learning a few Croatian phrases before you travel will go a long way in
making sure you have the ultimate experience. You can learn so much about a place by chatting with the local people (much more than in any guide book or pamphlet).
Although most Croatian people do speak English (especially in the popular tourist destinations), they really appreciate the effort when someone tries to learn and say a few Croatian words.
The conversation will probably switch to English pretty quickly (which will likely be a relief to you), but trying out your skills shows you care and means a lot to the people here!
In this post you’ll learn 65 Croatian travel phrases that can help you in different situations, encourage you to mix with the locals, and make your experience much more authentic (you might even make a new friend or two)!
I’ll start off by briefly outline the alphabet so you can have all of the letters and how to pronounce them, right in one spot! (Even if you don’t understand a word, at least you’ll be able to say it like an expert :) And don't let the accents scare you, those letters are all a breeze.
In this post you’ll learn 65 Croatian travel phrases that can help you in different situations, encourage you to mix with the locals, and make your experience much more authentic (you might even make a new friend or two)!
I’ll start off by briefly outline the alphabet so you can have all of the letters and how to pronounce them, right in one spot! (Even if you don’t understand a word, at least you’ll be able to say it like an expert :) And don't let the accents scare you, those letters are all a breeze.
The Croatian Alphabet
If you just want to be able to properly read some things off the menu or some street signs, knowing the alphabet is going to be your best bet.
Here’s a quick outline that might be helpful:
The Croatian alphabet is very similar to the English alphabet (with a few different letters). Here’s a simple chart I created to compare which letters make up each one.
Here’s a quick outline that might be helpful:
The Croatian alphabet is very similar to the English alphabet (with a few different letters). Here’s a simple chart I created to compare which letters make up each one.
To keep things simple, most of the Croatian consonants are actually pronounced quite similarly to their English counterparts, and the vowels are all short vowel sounds (except for the i, which actually sounds like the “ee” in bee).
The new letters shown in the table above are really not as scary as they look, either. See below:
ć č (basically the same sound) = “ch” like in couch
đ dž (basically the same sound) = “j” like in jam
lj (the only tricky one) = like the middle of million
nj = like the n in jalopeño or in onion
š = “sh” like in shop
ž = sounds like the j in "Taj Mahal"
Also - a couple specials notes:
j = looks like a j, but sounds exactly like a "y"
r = rrrrrrrroll it! (If you're Canadian, think "Rrrrroll up the rim to win!" - sorry, I had to)
If you want a more in depth guide to start speaking Croatian conversationally, head on over to my recent post about how I learned Croatian as an adult!
The new letters shown in the table above are really not as scary as they look, either. See below:
ć č (basically the same sound) = “ch” like in couch
đ dž (basically the same sound) = “j” like in jam
lj (the only tricky one) = like the middle of million
nj = like the n in jalopeño or in onion
š = “sh” like in shop
ž = sounds like the j in "Taj Mahal"
Also - a couple specials notes:
j = looks like a j, but sounds exactly like a "y"
r = rrrrrrrroll it! (If you're Canadian, think "Rrrrroll up the rim to win!" - sorry, I had to)
If you want a more in depth guide to start speaking Croatian conversationally, head on over to my recent post about how I learned Croatian as an adult!
Now let’s start with a few basic phrases outlining what you’ll hear and how you can respond when you meet someone and want to exchange some basic info!
Greetings in Croatian:
1. Hello - Bok [bawk]
2. Good morning - Dobro jutro [dough-bro you-trow]
3. Good day - Dobar dan [dough-bar dun]
4. Good night - Laku noć [la-koo noch]
5. Goodbye! - Dovidenja [dough-vee-jen-ya] or for short, just ‘Denja [jen-ya]
6. How are you? - Kako si? [ka-ko see]
7. Good, thanks! - Dobro, hvala! [dough-bro, fa-la]
8. My name is … - Moje ime je … [moye ee-may ye …]
9. What’s your name? - Kako se zovete? [ka-ko say zo-ve-tay?]
10. Nice to meet you! - Drago mi je [dra-go mee ye]
11. Where are you from? - Odakle ste? [oh-da-clay stay?]
12. I’m from … - Ja sam iz … [ya sum eez … ]
You’ll almost always hear #2, #3 or #4 (it just depends on the time of day as to which one you’ll hear, of course) whenever you walk into a shop / hotel / cafe / restaurant, and you’ll ALWAYS hear #5 whenever you walk out!
Use these friendly greetings to spark a conversation with a local and they’ll be thrilled!
2. Good morning - Dobro jutro [dough-bro you-trow]
3. Good day - Dobar dan [dough-bar dun]
4. Good night - Laku noć [la-koo noch]
5. Goodbye! - Dovidenja [dough-vee-jen-ya] or for short, just ‘Denja [jen-ya]
6. How are you? - Kako si? [ka-ko see]
7. Good, thanks! - Dobro, hvala! [dough-bro, fa-la]
8. My name is … - Moje ime je … [moye ee-may ye …]
9. What’s your name? - Kako se zovete? [ka-ko say zo-ve-tay?]
10. Nice to meet you! - Drago mi je [dra-go mee ye]
11. Where are you from? - Odakle ste? [oh-da-clay stay?]
12. I’m from … - Ja sam iz … [ya sum eez … ]
You’ll almost always hear #2, #3 or #4 (it just depends on the time of day as to which one you’ll hear, of course) whenever you walk into a shop / hotel / cafe / restaurant, and you’ll ALWAYS hear #5 whenever you walk out!
Use these friendly greetings to spark a conversation with a local and they’ll be thrilled!
Getting Stuck in Conversation & Manners
Of course, sometimes you might get stuck in conversation, so you can always use these simple phrases:
13. I don’t understand - Ne razumijem [nay ra-zoom-ee-um]
14. Do you speak English? - Govorite li Engleski? [Go-vor-ee-tay lee Eng-gle-ski?]
15. Can you please repeat that? - Možete li ponoviti molim vas? [Moe-je-tay lee po-no-vee-tee mow-leem vas?] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
And let’s not forget our manners:
16. Please - Molim vas [Mow-leem vas]
17. Thank you - Hvala [Fa-la]
18. Excuse me! / Sorry! - Oprostite! [Oh-pro-stee-tay]
13. I don’t understand - Ne razumijem [nay ra-zoom-ee-um]
14. Do you speak English? - Govorite li Engleski? [Go-vor-ee-tay lee Eng-gle-ski?]
15. Can you please repeat that? - Možete li ponoviti molim vas? [Moe-je-tay lee po-no-vee-tee mow-leem vas?] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
And let’s not forget our manners:
16. Please - Molim vas [Mow-leem vas]
17. Thank you - Hvala [Fa-la]
18. Excuse me! / Sorry! - Oprostite! [Oh-pro-stee-tay]
A Few Useful (Travel) Words & Phrases in
Next, a couple of phrases that are pretty common in traveling and that will get you by in many many situations:
19. Yes - Da [da]
20. No - Ne [nay]
21. I want … - Ja želim [ya je-leem] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
22. I need … - Ja trebam [ya tray-bum]
23. How much does it cost? - Koliko košta? [Ko-lee-ko kosh-ta]
24. What time is it? - Koliko je sati? [ko-lee-ko ye sa-tee]
25. Where is (the nearest) … - Gdje je (najbliže) [gd-ye ye (nigh-blee-je)]
26. When does it open? - Kada se otvara? [ka-da say oat-va-ra]
27. When does it close? - Kada se zatvara? [ka-da say zat-va-ra]
Now a few nouns that you can pop on the end of the phrases listed above:
28. Washroom - WC [vay-tsay]
29. Grocery store - Dućan [doo-chawn]
30. ATM - Bankomat [Bank-o-mat]
31. Beach - Plaža [Pla-ja] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
32. Hotel - Hotel [ho-tel] <--- tricky, isn't it?
33. Museum - Muzej [moo-zay]
34. Restaurant - Restoran [reh-store-an]
35. Park - Park [park] <-- also tricky, right?
36. Airport - Zračna luka [zrach-na loo-ka]
37. Train station - Željeznički kolodvor [Jel-yej-kneech-key ko-low-dvor]
38. Bus station - Autobusni kolodvor [au-to-boos-knee ko-low-dvor]
39. Taxi - Taxi [tak-see]
19. Yes - Da [da]
20. No - Ne [nay]
21. I want … - Ja želim [ya je-leem] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
22. I need … - Ja trebam [ya tray-bum]
23. How much does it cost? - Koliko košta? [Ko-lee-ko kosh-ta]
24. What time is it? - Koliko je sati? [ko-lee-ko ye sa-tee]
25. Where is (the nearest) … - Gdje je (najbliže) [gd-ye ye (nigh-blee-je)]
26. When does it open? - Kada se otvara? [ka-da say oat-va-ra]
27. When does it close? - Kada se zatvara? [ka-da say zat-va-ra]
Now a few nouns that you can pop on the end of the phrases listed above:
28. Washroom - WC [vay-tsay]
29. Grocery store - Dućan [doo-chawn]
30. ATM - Bankomat [Bank-o-mat]
31. Beach - Plaža [Pla-ja] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
32. Hotel - Hotel [ho-tel] <--- tricky, isn't it?
33. Museum - Muzej [moo-zay]
34. Restaurant - Restoran [reh-store-an]
35. Park - Park [park] <-- also tricky, right?
36. Airport - Zračna luka [zrach-na loo-ka]
37. Train station - Željeznički kolodvor [Jel-yej-kneech-key ko-low-dvor]
38. Bus station - Autobusni kolodvor [au-to-boos-knee ko-low-dvor]
39. Taxi - Taxi [tak-see]
Asking for Directions in Croatian
It might also be helpful to know a handful of direction words. Try to learn them and how they sound so you can recognize them when someone tries to explain where something is, or how to get somewhere:
40. (turn) left - (skreni) lijevo [(skre-nee) lee-ye-voh]
41. (turn) right - (skreni) desno [(skre-nee) des-no]
42. (go) straight - (idi) ravno [(ee-dee) rav-no]
43. Here - ovdje [ov-d-yeh]
44. There - tamo [ta-mow]
40. (turn) left - (skreni) lijevo [(skre-nee) lee-ye-voh]
41. (turn) right - (skreni) desno [(skre-nee) des-no]
42. (go) straight - (idi) ravno [(ee-dee) rav-no]
43. Here - ovdje [ov-d-yeh]
44. There - tamo [ta-mow]
At a Cafe
You’ll surely go to a cafe in Croatia, especially if you want to soak up some classic Croatian culture! You can also learn more about Croatian culture and etiquette or about some of the funny things Croatians do in our other recent posts :)
Here are some helpful words and phrases to order coffee or other drinks (you can start each phrase with “ja zelim / ja bih” (I want / I would like):
45. Coffee - kava [ka-va]
46. With milk - s mlijekom [s ml-yeh-comb]
47. With sugar - sa šećerom [s sheh-chair-om]
48. Water - voda [vo-da]
49. Beer - pivo [pee-voh]
50. White / red wine - bijelo / crveno vino [bee-yell-oh / ts-r-no vee-no]
51. Apple / orange juice - sok od jabuke / naranče [sok owed ya-boo-kay / na-ranch-eh]
52. Coke - cola [ko-la]
53. The bill, please! - Račun molim! [ra-choon mow-leem]
Just a note, all coffee in Croatia is typically served with a glass of water, which is amazing, and there’s no need to ask for it - it comes automatically!
Here are some helpful words and phrases to order coffee or other drinks (you can start each phrase with “ja zelim / ja bih” (I want / I would like):
45. Coffee - kava [ka-va]
46. With milk - s mlijekom [s ml-yeh-comb]
47. With sugar - sa šećerom [s sheh-chair-om]
48. Water - voda [vo-da]
49. Beer - pivo [pee-voh]
50. White / red wine - bijelo / crveno vino [bee-yell-oh / ts-r-no vee-no]
51. Apple / orange juice - sok od jabuke / naranče [sok owed ya-boo-kay / na-ranch-eh]
52. Coke - cola [ko-la]
53. The bill, please! - Račun molim! [ra-choon mow-leem]
Just a note, all coffee in Croatia is typically served with a glass of water, which is amazing, and there’s no need to ask for it - it comes automatically!
At a Restaurant
If you’re dining out, you might find these phrases helpful:
54. Table for … - stol za [stole za]
55. I’m a vegetarian - Ja sam vegeterijanac [ya sum vay-gay-tare-ee-on-ats]
56. Can I have this without … - Molim vas ovo bez … [Mow-leem vas oh-vo bez …]
57. I’m allergic to … - Ja sam alergičan na … [ya sum a-lair-gee-chan na …]
58. Do you have a table on the patio? - Da li imate stol na terasi? [Da lee ee-mah-tay stole na tare-ah-see?]
59. Do you have a child seat? - Da li imate dječju sjedalicu? [Da lee ee-mah-tay dee-yech-ee-you see-yed-all-eet-sue?]
60. Do you have a kid’s menu? - Da li imate dječji meni? [Da lee ee-mah-tay dee-yech-ee-yee men-ee?]
54. Table for … - stol za [stole za]
55. I’m a vegetarian - Ja sam vegeterijanac [ya sum vay-gay-tare-ee-on-ats]
56. Can I have this without … - Molim vas ovo bez … [Mow-leem vas oh-vo bez …]
57. I’m allergic to … - Ja sam alergičan na … [ya sum a-lair-gee-chan na …]
58. Do you have a table on the patio? - Da li imate stol na terasi? [Da lee ee-mah-tay stole na tare-ah-see?]
59. Do you have a child seat? - Da li imate dječju sjedalicu? [Da lee ee-mah-tay dee-yech-ee-you see-yed-all-eet-sue?]
60. Do you have a kid’s menu? - Da li imate dječji meni? [Da lee ee-mah-tay dee-yech-ee-yee men-ee?]
Emergencies (hopefully you’ll never need these words, but just in case):
61. Police - Policija [po-leets-ee-ya]
62. Fire - Požar [po-jore] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
63. Ambulance - Hitna pomoć [heat-na po-moch]
64. Hospital - Bolnica [bowl-neet-sa]
65. Help! - Upomoć! [oo-po-moch]
62. Fire - Požar [po-jore] {NOTE - the j is pronounced as a soft j, as in “Taj Mahal”}
63. Ambulance - Hitna pomoć [heat-na po-moch]
64. Hospital - Bolnica [bowl-neet-sa]
65. Help! - Upomoć! [oo-po-moch]
Croatia is a stunning country filled with incredible places, things to do, and sights to see! And it’s also filled with wonderfully warm-hearted people, which make the country that much more special.
All in all, you certainly can get by in Croatia without knowing a single word of Croatian, but your experience will be much more enjoyable if you pick up a few phrases, in my opinion! Take the time to learn at least a simple hello and goodbye, it’ll go a long way :)
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Sarah Cosic
Royal Croatian Tours - Specializing in custom made, luxury trips throughout Croatia. We offer exclusive experiences all over the country, and we’re passionate about providing you exceptional service that goes above and beyond for your tailor made vacation! Send us an email or give us a call to start planning today! |
If you’re interested in reading a few of our other posts about Croatia:
- 25 Strange Things Croatians Do (And Would Never Do)!
- Croatian Culture, Etiquette & Social Norms: A Complete Guide!
- My Kids Don't Speak English: Raising Bilinguals is Tough!
- 15 Places in Croatia You've Probably Never Heard Of!
- 50 Insanely Spectacular Photos of Croatia: Start Packing!
- Croatia’s Best 20 Beaches: Sandy, Pebbly & Hidden Gems
- Is Croatia Safe? Read Our 20 Useful Safety Tips for Tourists
- 5 Reasons Croatian Grannies are Cuter than Kittens
- 8 Reasons You Should Never Swim in the Adriatic
- Top 10 Day Trips From Zagreb, Within 1hr Drive
- Croatian Money: KN or EURO, Exchanging $, and Daily Costs
- How I Learned to Speak Croatian as an Adult (in 7 Steps)
- Driving in Croatia (A Helpful Guide With Practical Tips)
- 38 Local Tips & Mistakes to Avoid When Traveling to Croatia
- Travel to Croatia With a Toddler or Baby (From Experience!)
- Tipping in Croatia: A Complete Guide With Suggested Amounts!
- 20 Croatian Habits Everyone Should Adopt
