Croats love it when visitors to their country make the effort to learn their language. Plus it doesn’t hurt to say you can speak two languages!
Before we get started, let it be known that Croatian is a tough language to learn – everyone will tell you it’s a complicated language to master, given that accents and feminine/masculine nouns are involved, but when you do - gosh it feels good! Below you’ll find some basic phrases to get you started!
Table of contentsHello in Croatian
The greeting ‘Hello’ in English is one of the easiest phrases to master in the Croatian language! It simply translate to ‘Bok’ which is pronounced ‘Bohk'.
Good Morning in Croatian
Saying ‘Good Morning’ to someone in Croatian translates to ‘Dobro jutro’ in Croatian. Remembering that the letter ‘j' is often pronounced as a ‘y’ in the Croatian language, will definitely help you master this one! Dobro jutro is pronounced 'doh-broh you-troh’.
Thank you in Croatian
Basic manners are a great place to start when learning a new language! The English term ‘Thank you’ translates to ‘Hvala’ in Croatian, which sounds like ‘hva-lah’.
How are You? in Croatian
‘How are You?' in English translates to ‘Kako ste?’ in Croatian. This is pronounced as three syllables: kah-koh steh?.
Goodbye in Croatian
Goodbye in English is ‘Doviđenja’ in Croatian, which sounds like 'doh-vee-jen-yah'.
Yes in Croatian
The easiest phrase of all! Yes in English translates to ‘Da’ in Croatian, which is simply pronounced as it sounds: da!
Are you more of an auditory learner? We’ve got you covered too. Catch our Croatian Language Lessons video below and listen to how the locals would say these phrases first-hand!
To help you become a pro before you go, we’ve compiled a list of the most frequently used words and phrases strewn around the Croatian lingo - even more importantly, what to ask for when you’re after some well-deserved drinks!
| English | Croatian | Sounds Like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Bok | bohk |
| How are you? | Kako ste? | kah-koh steh? |
| I’m fine, thank you | Ja sam dobro, hvala | yah sahm doh-broh, hva-lah |
| Nice to meet you | Drago mi je | dra-goh mee yeh |
| Good morning | Dobro jutro | doh-broh you-troh |
| Good afternoon | Dobar dan | doh-bahr dahn |
| Good evening | Dobra večer | doh-brah ve-cher |
| Goodbye | Doviđenja | doh-vee-jen-yah |
| Please | Molim | moh-leem |
| Thank you | Hvala | hva-lah |
| Yes | Da | da |
| No | Ne | ne |
| Excuse me | Oprostite | oh-pro-sti-teh |
| What is your name? | Kako se zovete? | kak-koh seh zoh-ve-teh |
| My name is … | Zovem se | zoh-vhem se |
| Do you speak English? | Govorite li engleski? | goh-voh-ree-teh lee en-glees-kee |
| What time is it? | Koliko je sati? | KOH-lee-koh yeh sahtee? |
| How much is this? | Koliko ovo košta? | KOH-lee-koh oh-voh koh-shtah? |
| Where can I exchange money? | Gdje mogu razmijeniti novac? | Gdyeh MOH-goo rahz-MEE-yeh-nee-tee NOH-vahts? |
| Here’s my passport | Ovdje je moja putovnica | OH-vdyeh yeh mo-ya POO-toh-vnee-tsa |
| A beer/coffee/tea, please | Pivo/kavu/čaj, molim | PEE-voh/KAH-voo/CH-ay MOH-leem |
Now that you’re well and truly on your way to becoming fluent in Croatian, show off all you’ve learned and your new language skills the next time you cruise Croatia! You’ll buy a lot of goodwill with the local Croatian crew onboard our ships, as well as all the Croatian’s you’ll meet along the way. If you’re heading to Croatia for a holiday, why not learn all about money in Croatia and check out our Guide to Croatia Currency?
