English
French
Most of the natives you’ll encounter in Croatia will be fluent in at least one other language besides Croatian, usually English, or German or Italian. However, if you try to learn at least a few rudimentary words and phrases in this Slavic variant, you will be richly rewarded for your efforts. Pronunciation is not as difficult as it looks when you’re staring at a word that appears to be devoid of vowels. With a few guidelines and a little practice, you should be able to make yourself understood.
Here are a few useful words and phrases:
Ordering a meal (& paying for it)
English Croatian Pronunciation
- menu: jelovnik (yay-lohv-neek)
- order: naručiti (nah-roo-chee-tee)
- waiter : konobar (koe-noe-bar)
- I am hungry: Ja sam gladan. (Ya sahm glah-dahn)
- Do you serve food here? Da li poslužujete hranu ovdje? (Dah lee poe-sloozh-oo-yay-tay ha-ra-noo ohv-day?)
- What would you like to order? Što bi ste željeli naručiti? (Shtoe bee stay zjehl-yay-lee nah-roo-chee-tee?)
- We would like to order . . . Željeli bi smo naručiti . . . (Zjehl-yay-lee bee smaw nah-roo-chee-tee . . .)
- Table for two (three, four) Stol za dvoje (troje, četvoro) (Stall za dvo-ye (troe-ye, chet-voe-roe)
- We would like to pay. Željeli bi smo platiti. Zjehl-yay-lee bee some plah-tee-tee.
Basics
English Croatian Pronunciation
- breakfast doručak doe-roo-chahk
- lunch ručak roo-chahk
- dinner večera veh-chair-ah
- knife nož noezh
- fork viljuka vee-loosh-kah
- spoon žlica zhlee-tsa
- plate tanjur tah-nyoor
- cold hladno hah-lahd-noe
- hot vruće vrooch-eh
- warm toplo toe-ploe
- sugar ećer shay-chair
- without sugar bez ećera bayz shay-chair
- salt sol soal
- pepper papar pah-pahr
- bread kruh crew
- pastry pecivo pay-tsee-voe
- meat meso may-soe
- I am a vegetarian. Ja sam vegetarijanac. Yah sahm vay-gay-tahr-ee-yah-nahts.
Beverages
English Croatian Pronunciation
- white wine bijelo vino bee-yeh-lo vee-noe
- red wine crno vino tser-noe vee-noe
- (fruit) juice sok sock
- tea čaj chai
- coffee kava kah-vah
- coffee with milk/cream kava sa mlijekom/vrhnjem kah-vah sah ml-yay-kum/ver-nyem
- ice led layd
- lemonade limunada lee-moo-nah-dah
- milk mlijeko ml-yay-koe
- beer (cold) pivo pee-voe
- brandy (usually homemade) rakija rah-kee-yah
- water voda voe-dah
Soups & Starters
English Croatian Pronunciation
- Swiss chard boiled with potatoes blitva sa krumpirom bleet-vah sa kroom-peer-om
- sausage kobasica koe-bah-see-tsa
- goat cheese kozji sir koezh-yee seer
- Zagorje potato soup juha od krumpira na zagorski način yoo-ha ode kroom-peer-ah nah zah-gore-ski na-cheen
- spicy sausage from Slavonia kulen koo-len
- bean and veggie soup from Istria manetra mah-nay-strah
- mixed salad mijeana salata mee-yeh-shah-na sa-lah-tah
- hard sheep’s cheese with olive oil from Pag paki sir pahsh-kee seer
- smoked ham prut per-shoot
- stuffed red peppers punjene paprika poon-yen-ay pah-pre-kah
- shish kabob ražnijiči rahz-nyee-chee
- spicy seafood/fish stew with paprika riblji paprika/fis paprika reeb-lyee pah-pre-kash/fish pah-pre-kash
- hams unka shoon-kah
Fish/Pasta
English Croatian Pronunciation
- fish stew brodet/brodetto bro-debt/bro-debt-toe
- black risotto made with squid ink, olive oil, onion, and garlic crni rižot tser-nee ree-zhote
- Istrian egg pasta in a special twisted shape fuži foo-zhee
Pronunciation Guide
All letters are pronounced.
c sounds like “ts” in cats
č sounds like “ch” in chew
ć sounds like “tu” in picture
đ sounds like “dj” in adjunct
g sounds like “g” in god
j sounds like “y” in your
š sounds like “sh” in shut
ž sounds like “z” in azure
e sounds like “e” in bet
i sounds like “ee” in meet
o sounds like “o” in dog
u sounds like “oo” in loot
r is trilled
Basic Vocabulary
English Croatian Pronunciation
- yes da dah
- no ne nay
- good dobro doe-broe
- bad loe losh-eh
- I don’t know. Ne znam. Nay znahm.
- I don’t understand. Ne razumijem. Nay ra-zoo-mee-yem.
- to do doh
- from od ode
- day dan dahn
- week tjedan tyay-dahn
- month mjesec myes-ets
- year godina goe-dee-nah
- why zato zah-shtoe
- where gdje gd-yay
- when kada kah-dah
- how kako kah-koe
- early rano rah-noe
- late kasno kahz-noe
- behind iza ee-zah
- in front of ispred ee-spread
- turn/go . . . vratite se/okrenite/idite vrah-tee-tay say/oh-kray-nee/ee-dee-tay . . .
- left lijevo lee-yay-voe
- right desno days-noe
- straight ahead ravno rahv-noe
- street ulica oo-lee-tsah
- square trg tur-ig-ah
- next to pored poe-red
- there tamo tah-moe
- map karta kar-tah
- I would like to buy a ticket. Želio/Željela bih kupiti kartu? Zhel-ee-ol/Zhel-yay-lah bee koo-pee-tee kar-too?
- ticket (putna) karta (poot-nah) kar-tah
- one-way ticket jednosmjema karta yed-nose-myair-na kar-tah
- round-trip ticket povratna karta poe-vraht-nah kar-tah
- ticket ulaznica (for movies, museum) oo-lahz-neetsa
- Where is the . . . ? Gdje se nalazi . . . ? Ga dyay say nah-lah-zee . . .
- bank banka ban-ka
- beach plaža plah-zha
- church crkva tserk-vah
- drugstore ljekarna lee-yay-car-nah
- market tržnica terzh-nee-tsa
- museum muzej moo-zay
- park park park
- police station policijska postaja poe-leets-ee-ska poe-shta-ya
- post office potanski ured, pota poe-stan-skee oo-raid, poe-shtah
- tourist office turistički ured
- too-ree-steech-kee oo-raid
- train station željeznička stanica/postaja centra (if central station in town, then željeznički kolodvor) zhel-yay-zneech-kee stah-nee-tsa/poe-stah-ya tsen-trah (zhel-yay-zneech koe-loe-dvoar)
- bus station autobusna (if central station in town, then autobusni kolodvor) ow-toe-boos-nah (ow-toe-boos-nee koe-loe-dvoar)
- airport zračna luka zrach-na loo-kah
- taxi stand taksi stajalite tahk-see stye-ya-lees-tay
- exchange office mjenjačnica myay-nyats-nee-tsa
- exchange rate tečajna lista tay-chai-nyah leest-ah
- Where can I find a (good) . . . ? Gdje mogu naći (dobrog) . . . ? Gd-yay moe-goo nah-chee (doe-broeg) . . . ?
- dentist zubara zoo-bah-rah
- doctor liječnika lee-yaych-nee-kah
- hospital bolnicu bole-nee-tsu
Signs
English Croatian Pronunciation
- entry ulaz oo-lahz
- exit izlaz eez-lahz
- toilets (men) toilets/WC (muskarci) moosh-kar-tsi
- toilets (women) toilets/WC (žene) zhe-neh
- police policija poe-lee-tsee-yah
- prohibited zabranjeno zah-brah-nyay-noe
Health
English Croatian Pronunciation
- I am sick. Bolestan sam/bolesna sam. Boe-less-than sahm/boe-less-nah sahm.
- I need a doctor. Potreban mi je liječnik. Poe-tray-bahn mee yay lee-yaych-neek.
- fever groznica growz-nee-tsa
- headache glavobolja glah-voe-bowl-yay
- stomachache bol u trbuhu bowl oo ter-boo
- dentist zubar zoo-bar
- I have a headache. Imam glavobolju. Eee-mom glah-voe-bowl-yoo.
- I am allergic to . . . Alcrgičan/allergična . . . Ah-lure-gee-chan/ah-lure-geech-nah . . .
- antibiotics sam na antibiotike sam ahn-tee-bee-oh-teek
- antibiotic antibiotic ahn-tee-bee-oh-teek
- penicillin penicillin peh-nee-tsee-leen
- aspirin aspirin ah-spee-reen
- I am on medications for (asthma/diabetes/epilepsy). Pijem lijekove protiv (astme, dijabetesa, epilepsije). Pee-yem lee-yay-koe-vay pro-teev (ast-may, dee-yah-bay-tay-sah, ep-ee-lep-see-yeh).
- virus virus vee-roos
Attractions
English Croatian Pronunciation
- bridge most most
- church crkva tserk-vah
- island otok oh-toke
- lake jezero yeh-zeh-roe
- old town stari grad star-ee grahd
- ruins rue vine roo-sheh vee-neh
- sea more moe-reh
Shopping
English Croatian Pronunciation
- How much/ How many? Koliko? Koe-lee-koe?
- a little malo mah-loe
- a lot puno poo-noe
- enough dosta doe-stah
- (too) expensive (pre) skupo (pray) scoo-poe