Croatian 101

(post by Sarah)

I thought it might be helpful to write a post about some useful words and phrases when visiting Croatia. When I first stepped off the plane back in 2007, I only knew a few words from my little Lonely Planet pocket phrasebook and boy have I had my share of embarrassing language mishaps along the way. Want some examples? I told Ivan I was going to kill him on one of our first dates (I’m surprised he stuck around :), I told a woman I liked her new body hair (seriously strange reaction), I asked a neighbour to help me bring my bike into the butt-hole in the basement (definitely the most awkward reaction to date), and the list goes on.

This little phrasebook is where I learned my first Croatian words.

This little dictionary was very well used! Each time I learned a word, I'd tick it. Next time through, I'd highlight it, and lastly, I'd underline it when I was sure I had memorized it 100%.

My first roommate drew a little map on the first page of where we lived, in case I ever got lost :)

Here's where I learned all of my beginning Croatian - I went to cafes, alone, and studied the small English-Croatian dictionary in the back of this phrasebook.

I still have a lot to learn when it comes to Croatian. I can do all the regular stuff and chit chat about most things, but my grammar is just plain ugly. My advice is to just throw grammar out the window. Speak like a little toddler, in short, few-word-sentences and you’ll be just fine - I did it for years. Usually locals find it endearing when foreigners try and speak the language, and they’ll be super helpful.  

Croatian is not an easy language. I’m going to try and save you some trouble and lay down the real basics you need to know. The alphabet and Croatian letters mostly look and sound similar to their English counterparts, except for a few new ones: č ć š j ž đ nj lj

The rest of the consonants look and sound as they do in English.

Vowel Sounds:
a like apple
e like end
i like bee
o like otter
u like moo

There! Now you have all the sounds of the alphabet. The great thing about Croatian is that all the letters only have one sound, so it's super easy to read. Now let’s put it all to use.

Phrases - these are going to be the only ones you really need to know while travelling around (although almost everyone speaks English, so it’s more about showing an effort in speaking the local language, rather than out of necessity that you might want to learn a few).

Here are a few helpful words to add to your phrases:

That's it! You've just mastered Croatian 101 :) I know you can look up words on smart phones these days, but sometimes they don’t give the best translations...hence why I told a woman I liked the hair growing all over her body. Bottom line - languages are hard, especially when you learn them as an adult, but Croats really do appreciate you making the effort - even if you accidentally say something offensive. Let me know how it goes if you find yourself in Croatia, trying out your new skills!
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-Sarah