Important Phrases to Know When You’re in Croatia

First of all, we need to address some letters in the Croatian alphabet.

Č,Ć, DŽ, Đ, LJ, Š, Ž – looks like Elvish or Valyrian? Nope. Croatian. It does, however, look harder than it is. This is how you pronounce them:

Č –    sounds like ch in church

Ć –    pronounced like the sound of t in British English tune (ty)

DŽ – pronounced like j in joy, only a bit harder

Đ  – pronounced like the sound of d in duty (British English again)

LJ – sounds like lli in million

Š – sounds like sh in wash

Ž – equals to s in treasure

There you go. Easy enough, isn’t it? The Croatian language is complex but it has one big advantage. You pronounce everything as you see it on paper.

 

These are the phrases that will help you in everyday situations

Dobro jutro! – Good morning!

Dobar dan! – Good afternoon!

Dobra večer – Good night!

Oprostite! – Excuse me!

Drago mi je! – Pleased to meet you!

Da! – Yes!

Ne! – No!

Imate li slobodnih soba? – Do you have any rooms available?

Gdje je najbliža mjenjačnica? – Where is the closest exchange office?

Kojavam je šifra za internet? – What’s the wifi code here?

Možete li nas fotografirati? – Can you take a picture of us?

Prihvaćate li kartice? – Do you accept cards?

Služite li još uvijek ručak? – Do you still serve lunch?

Služite li još uvijek večeru? – Do you still serve dinner?

Možemo li pogledati jelovnik? – Can we see the menu?

Molim Vas račun! – Can I please have the receipt?

Ne razumijem! – I don’t understand!

Koliko ovo košta? – How much does this cost?

Izgubljen (man) sam. Izgubljena (woman) sam. – I’m lost.

Mogu li se poslužiti Vašim telefonom?- Can I use your phone?

Hitno je! –  It’s an emergency.

Pomozite! – Help!

Pazite! – Look out!

Hvala! – Thank you!

Živjeli! – Cheers!

Doviđenja! – Good bye!

Sretan put! – Bon voyage!

 

Ashley Colburn

I’m Ashley, a TV producer and host from San Diego, California, however now I live half the year in my new home, Croatia.
I am a two-time Emmy award-winning TV producer and host and have traveled to more than 50 countries. I spend about 9 months a year on the road filming, but several of these months I am based in Croatia. I have two TV series that are airing around the world. In the USA you can watch “Takeoff with Ashley Colburn” on AWE and my other series “WONDERS” airs around the world.

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