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Ugljan Island – 4 things you must do
December 8, 2025Learn Croatian: the most important words and phrases to help you get around while traveling in Croatia
Plane tickets are bought, accommodation is booked, suitcases are packed, and you’re ready for an exciting adventure in Croatia.
You have everything you need, but you might have overlooked one important thing.
How will you communicate with the locals?
Although Croatians are considered among the best English speakers in the world—especially the younger population in larger cities—don’t be too sure that you’ll always be understood.
That’s why a little knowledge of the Croatian language can go a long way.
And since Croatian is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn, we’ve prepared some useful phrases below to help you in everyday situations so you’ll never have to resort to playing charades with the locals.
Ready?… Let’s begin.
Basic expressions
Croatians are a people who, in Dalmatian style, love to “ćakulati,” which means to chat or talk.
And to have a conversation, you first need to start one.
So, let’s begin with the basics:
Yes – Da – [dah]
No – Ne – [neh]
Please – Molim – [MOH–leem]
Thank you – Hvala – [HVAH–lah]
You’re welcome – Nema na čemu – [NEH–mah nah CHEH–moo]
Welcome – Dobrodošli – [DOH–broh–dosh–lee]
Cheers! – Živjeli! – [ZHEE–vyeh–lee]
Excuse me (to get attention) – Izvinite – [eez–VEE–nee–teh]
Excuse me (to pass by) – Samo malo – [SAH–moh MAH–loh]
I don’t speak Croatian – Ne pričam hrvatski – [neh PREE–chahm HRVAHT–skee]
Do you speak English? – Pričaš li engleski? – [PREE–chahsh lee EHN–gleh–skee]
I don’t understand – Ne razumijem – [neh rah–ZOO–mee–yehm]
I’m sorry – Oprosti – [oh–PROH–stee]
Of course – Naravno – [NAH–rahv–noh]
I love you – Volim te – [VOH–leem teh]
Happy birthday – Sretan rođendan! – [SREH–tahn ROH–jen–dahn]
Greetings
- Hello – Zdravo, Bok – [ZDRAH–voh, bohk]
Good morning – Dobro jutro – [DOH–broh YOO–troh]
Good afternoon – Dobar dan – [DOH–bar dahn]
Good night – Dobra večer – [DOH–brah VEH–cher]
Goodbye – Doviđenja, Adio (local) – [doh–VEE–jeh–nya], [ah–dee–oh]
See you later – Vidimo se kasnije – [VEE–dee–moh seh KAH–snee–yeh]
How are you? – Kako si? – [KAH–koh see?]
My name is… – Zovem se … – [ZOH–vem seh]
Nice to meet you – Drago mi je – [DRAH–goh mee yeh]
Numbers
One – Jedan – [YEH–dahn]
Two – Dva – [dvah]
Three – Tri – [tree]
Four – Četiri – [CHEH–tee–ree]
Five – Pet – [peht]
Six – Šest – [shest]
Seven – Sedam – [SEH–dahm]
Eight – Osam – [OH–sahm]
Nine – Devet – [DEH–veht]
Ten – Deset – [DEH–seht]
Eleven – Jedanaest – [yeh–DAH–nah–ehst]
Twelve – Dvanaest – [DVAH–nah–ehst]
Days of the week
Monday – Ponedjeljak – [POH–neh–dyeh–lyahk]
Tuesday – Utorak – [OO–toh–rahk]
Wednesday – Srijeda – [SREE–yeh–dah]
Thursday – Četvrtak – [CHEHT–vehr–tahk]
Friday – Petak – [PEH–tahk]
Saturday – Subota – [SOO–boh–tah]
Sunday – Nedjelja – [NEH–dyeh–lyah]
Expressions in a restaurant
Can I have the menu, please – Mogu li dobiti jelovnik, molim – [MOH–goo lee DOH–bee–tee YEH–loh–vneek, MOH–leem]
What do you recommend? – Što preporučate? – [shtoh preh–poh–ROO–chah–teh]
I’m allergic to… – Alergičan sam – [ah–lehr–GEE–chan sahm]
A table for 4, please – Stol za 4, molim – [stohl zah CHET–ree, MOH–leem]
Can I pay by card? – Mogu li platiti karticom? – [MOH–goo lee PLAH–tee–tee KAR–tee–tsohm]
Bon appetit – Dobar tek! – [DOH–bahr tehk]
I’m full – Sit sam – [seet sahm]
Appetizer – Predjelo – [PREH–dyeh–loh]
The bill – Račun – [RAH–choon]
I am a vegetarian/vegan – Ja sam vegetarijanac/vegan – [yah sahm VEH–geh–tah–ree–YAH–nahts / VEH–gahn]
A glass / bottle – Čaša / boca – [CHAH–shah] / [BOH–tsah]
I will have… – Ja bih… – [yah beeh]
Coffee – Kava – [KAH–vah]
Tea – Čaj – [ch-eye]
Beer – Pivo – [PEE–voh]
Apple juice – Sok od jabuke – [sohk ohd YAH–boo–keh]
Water – Voda – [VOH–dah]
Terms at the airport and ticket offices
Passport – Putovnica / pasoš – [POO–tohv–neet–sah / PAH–sosh]
Where is the boarding gate? – Gdje je izlaz za ukrcaj? – [gdyeh yeh EES–lahz zah OO–krt–sigh]
Where can I buy tickets? – Gdje mogu kupiti karte? – [gdyeh MOH–goo KOO–pee–tee KAR–teh]
What time does the next bus leave? – Kada kreće sljedeći autobus? – [KAH–dah KREH–cheh SLYEH–deh–chee OW–toh–boos]
How much does a ticket cost? – Koliko košta karta? – [KOH–lee–koh KOH–shtah KAR–tah]
Directions/direction
Left / Right – Lijevo / Desno – [LEE–yeh–voh / DEHS–noh]
Straight – Ravno / Pravo – [RAHV–noh]
Where? – Gdje? – [gdyeh]
When? – Kada? – [KAH–dah]
Who? – Tko? – [tkoh]
Entrance / Exit – Ulaz / Izlaz – [OO–lahz / EE–zlahz]
Where is the toilet? – Gdje je WC? – [gdyeh yeh WEE–see]
How far is…? – Koliko daleko je…? – [KOH–lee–koh DAH–leh–koh yeh]
Purchase
No, I’m just looking. – Ne, samo gledam – [neh, SAH–moh GLEH–dahm]
I’m looking for a… – Tražim… – [TRAH–zheem]
Where can I find… – Gdje vam se nalazi…? – [gdyeh vahm seh NAH–lah–zee]
How much does this cost? – Koliko ovo košta? – [KOH–lee–koh OH–voh KOSH–tah]
Do you accept foreign cards? – Primate li strane kartice? – [PREE–mah–teh lee STRAH–neh KAR–tee–tseh]
What time do you close? – Kada zatvarate? – [KAH–dah ZAHT–vah–rah–teh]
Help
Fire! – Požar! – [POH–zhar]
Leave me alone! – Pustite me na miru! – [POO–stee–teh meh nah MEE–roo]
Help! – U pomoć! – [oo POH–mohtch]
Stop! – Stani! – [STAH–nee]
Where is the pharmacy? – Gdje je ljekarna? – [gdyeh yeh LYE–kahr–nah]
Where is the nearest hospital? – Gdje je najbliža bolnica? – [gdyeh yeh NYE–blee–zhah BOHL–nee–tsah]
I don’t feel well – Ne osjećam se dobro – [neh ohs–YEH–chahm seh DOH–broh]
Do I need a prescription? – Trebam li recept? – [TREH–bahm lee REH–zept]
Headache – Glavobolja – [GLAH–voh–bohl–yah]
Hangover – Mamurluk – [MAH–moor–luhk]
A cold – Prehlada – [PREH–lah–dah]
Fever – Temperatura – [tem–peh–rah–TOO–rah]
Localism
Zvizdan – /zvees–dahn/ – The hottest part of the day
Picigin – /pee–tsee–geen/ – A traditional beach game originating from Split. It involves preventing a small rubber ball from touching the water using only the palms of your hands.
Šugaman – /shoo–gah–mahn/ – Beach towel
Ćakula – /chah–koo–lah/ – An informative, pointless, funny, or mind-numbing conversation that can last 5 minutes or several hours
Ae – /ah–eh/ – A universal word used to express a wide range of emotions, from understanding and acknowledgment to disappointment
Dišpet – /deeshpet/ – Although often compared to stubbornness or defiance, “dišpet” is a unique worldview that exists only in Dalmatia
Evala – /eyvallah/ – A Dalmatian expression used as a greeting or a sign of praise. It can mean “good day,” “hi,” “how are you,” or “thank you” depending on the context
Fjaka – /fyȃka/ – A psychological state of mind aimed at doing nothing. A sure path to happiness but also a way of life for the Dalmatian people
Pomalo – /pŏmalo/ – Literally means “slowly,” but also carries the meaning of “relax” or “take it easy”
