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Essential Croatian phrases
for travellers (printable)
how to say hello in croatian
Dobar dan — DOH-bar dahn — is how you say hello in Croatian. It works at any hour, anywhere the language is spoken, with anyone. Pair it with Hvala (HVAH-lah) for thank you and you already have the two words you will use most.
Below are 36 phrases worth knowing before you land, grouped by the situation you will need them in. Every one has a plain-English respelling — stressed syllable in capitals — because IPA is no use to anyone standing at a pharmacy counter. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina — around 5 million speakers, and mutually intelligible with Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin. Also searched as Croatia, Hrvatska, Dubrovnik.
take it with you
The whole card, on one page
All 36 phrases on a single sheet — print it, fold it into a passport, or keep it on your phone. Free, no signup, no watermark.
The essentials
The six words that carry most of a trip.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dobar danDOH-bar dahnFormal, "good day". Bok (bohk) is the casual hello and goodbye. |
| Goodbye | Doviđenjadoh-vee-JEH-nyah |
| Please | MolimMOH-leemAlso "you’re welcome" and "pardon?". |
| Thank you | HvalaHVAH-lahHvala lijepa is thank you kindly. |
| Yes / No | Da / Nedah / neh |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Oprostiteoh-PROS-tee-teh |
Getting by
What to say when the conversation outruns you.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Govorite li engleski?goh-VOH-ree-teh lee EN-gles-kee |
| I don't understand | Ne razumijemneh rah-ZOO-mee-yem |
| Could you repeat that? | Možete li ponoviti?MOH-zheh-teh lee poh-NOH-vee-tee |
| Please speak slowly | Molim vas, govorite sporijegoh-VOH-ree-teh SPOH-ree-yeh |
| My name is… | Zovem se…ZOH-vem seh |
| Nice to meet you | Drago mi jeDRAH-goh mee yeh |
Getting around
Streets, stations and the one question everyone needs.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| Where is…? | Gdje je…?gdyeh yeh |
| How do I get to…? | Kako doći do…?KAH-koh DOH-chee doh |
| Where is the toilet? | Gdje je WC?gdyeh yeh VEH-tsehWC is read as the two letters in Croatian, "VEH-tseh". |
| Left / Right | Lijevo / DesnoLYEH-voh / DES-noh |
| Straight ahead | Ravno naprijedRAHV-noh NAH-pree-yed |
| Is it far? | Je li daleko?yeh lee DAH-leh-koh |
Food and drink
Ordering, allergies, and asking for the bill.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Stol za dvoje, molimstohl zah DVOH-yeh |
| The menu, please | Jelovnik, molimYEH-lohv-neek MOH-leem |
| I would like… | Želio bih…ZHEH-lee-oh beehA woman says Željela bih (ZHEH-lyeh-lah beeh). |
| Water, please | Vodu, molimVOH-doo MOH-leem |
| I am allergic to… | Alergičan sam na…ah-LEHR-gee-chahn sahm nahA woman says Alergična sam na (ah-LEHR-geech-nah). |
| The bill, please | Račun, molimRAH-choon MOH-leem |
Shopping and money
Prices, cards, and politely not buying anything.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | Koliko košta?KOH-lee-koh KOSH-tah |
| That's too expensive | Preskupo jePRES-koo-poh yeh |
| Do you take cards? | Primate li kartice?PREE-mah-teh lee KAR-tee-tseh |
| I am just looking | Samo gledamSAH-moh GLEH-dahm |
| Do you have…? | Imate li…?EE-mah-teh lee |
| A receipt, please | Potvrdu, molimPOH-tvr-doo MOH-leem |
Emergencies
Worth reading once before you need them.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| Help! | Upomoć!OO-poh-moch |
| Call the police | Zovite policijuZOH-vee-teh poh-LEE-tsee-yooEmergency number is 112. |
| Call an ambulance | Zovite hitnuZOH-vee-teh HEET-nooHitna is short for hitna pomoć, urgent help. |
| I need a doctor | Trebam liječnikaTREH-bahm LYECH-nee-kah |
| I am lost | Izgubio sam seeez-GOO-bee-oh sahm sehA woman says Izgubila sam se (eez-goo-BEE-lah sahm seh). |
| Where is the hospital? | Gdje je bolnica?gdyeh yeh BOHL-nee-tsah |
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Four things that fix
most of the accent
c is always "ts", never "k"
Cesta (road) is "TSES-tah", policija is "poh-LEE-tsee-yah". There is no word in Croatian where a plain c sounds like the c in "cat".
j is "y"
Moja is "MOH-yah", Rijeka is "ree-YEH-kah", and the lj and nj pairs are single sounds — the "lli" in million and the "ny" in canyon.
č and ć are both roughly "ch"
č is harder, ć is softer and further forward. Native speakers hear the difference and argue about it; you will be understood using "ch" for both.
Past tense and adjectives change with your gender
A man says "Izgubio sam se" for I am lost; a woman says "Izgubila sam se". Same for "I would like" and "I am allergic", which are the three you actually need.
Spotted a mistake in the Croatian? Tell us and we will fix it.
You will not remember
all 36
Nobody does. OmniTalk speaks Croatian for you in real time — point the camera at a menu, or put the phone between you and let it translate both sides of the conversation as you talk. It works offline once you download the language, so it keeps going when your roaming does not.