Croatian Phrases To Learn
Croatian is the official language of the country. English is widely spoken, especially amongst the younger generation, and those who work in hospitality and tourism. As the country shares a border with Italy, Italian is also spoken, especially in the north of the country in Istria. Before your Croatia trip, why not learn a few simple phrases to get you stuck in the local culture.
GREETINGS & GOODBYES
Bok is the most basic greeting in Croatia and can be used in almost any circumstance, it can also be used to say goodbye. Consider bok your Croatian aloha.
English | Croatian | Sounds Like |
---|---|---|
Hello | Bok | bohk |
Good morning | Dobro jutro | doh-broh ‘yuh-troh |
Good day | Dobar dan | doh-bahr ‘dahn |
Good evening | Dobra večer | doh-brah ‘veh/chehr |
Good night | Laku noć | lah-koo ‘nohch |
How are you? | Kako si? | kah-koh see |
Have a nice day | Ugodan dan | uh-goh-dahn ‘dahn |
AT THE BAR & RESTAURANT
This is the polite and grammatically correct way to order a drink. All you need are two words: molim, and your drink of choice. You can also swap in a specific brand – for example, Molim Zmajsko (a local craft beer – write this one down!).
English | Croatian | Sounds Like |
---|---|---|
Can I have a water please? | Molim vodu | moh-leem ‘voh-doo |
Can I have a coffee please? | Molim kavu | moh-leem ‘kah-voo |
Can I have a wine please? | Molim vino | moh-leem ‘vee-noh |
Can I have a beer please? | Molim rakiju | moh-leem ‘rah-kee-yoo |
Cheers | Živjeli | zhiv-yeh-lee |
Bon appetit | Dobar tek | doh-bahr ‘tehk |
The bill, please | Molim račun | moh-leem ‘rah-choon |
POLITENESS
Croatian can get very…colourful, even when it comes to saying thank you. We’ll spare you the wilder choices for now and keep it polite with hvala.
English | Croatian | Sounds Like |
---|---|---|
Thank you | Hvala | hvah-lah |
Many thanks | Puno hvala | poo-noh ‘hvah-lah |
Thank you kindly | Hvala lijepa | hvah-lah lee-‘yeh-pah |
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