100+ Essential Croatian Phrases You’ll Need Before Traveling to Croatia

Croatia was always dazzling. With its beautiful lakes, exotic beaches, and unbroken forests, Croatia was and still is one of the most prominent travel destinations in the Southeast of Europe. But over the last decade, there were significantly more tourists in Croatia, probably due to the whopping success of Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik, the real-life King’s Landing, is a real gem and the main tourist attraction for a lot of people who want to visit Croatia. If you yourself are one of these avid travelers, you’ll absolutely need some Croatian phrases in your quest for adventure and dragons.

Neither easy nor impossible, the Croatian language is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language. Spoken in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (where is also an official language), the Serbian province of Vojvodina and recognized as a minority language in Serbia, Croatian is easier than you think once you start learning it with Mondly. But first, let’s help you acquire a taste of basic Croatian with this complete Croatian phrasebook you’ll need for your next trip to Westeros.

1. Hello in Croatian and other useful greetings
2. Basic Croatian phrases for travelers who need help
3. Croatian phrases for food lovers
4. Basic Croatian for travelers who need a place to spend the night
5. Croatian to English for tourists who want to have fun
6. Croatian phrases about love
7. Learn Croatian for your shopping sprees
8. Days of the week and numbers in Croatian

1. Hello in Croatian and other useful greetings

Greetings are crucial in any social context. Often regarded as a window to what someone is really like, greetings have the power to strike up conversations everywhere. It’s an excellent way to joyously open many doors in your path through the world. And now that you want to discover Croatia in all its beauty, Croatian greetings are your safe ticket toward the best Game of Thrones “behind the scenes” stories from the locals. So here’s how to say “hello” in Croatian:

• Good morning! – Dobro jutro!
• Good afternoon! – Dobar dan!
• Good evening! – Dobra večer!
• Good night! – Laku noć!
• Hello! – Dobar dan!
• How are you? – Kako si?
• Very good, thank you. – Vrlo dobro, hvala Vam.
• What is your name? – Kako se Vi zovete?
• My name is Mondly. – Moje ime je Mondly.
• Nice to meet you. – Drago mi je što sam Vas upoznao.
• Please. – Molim Vas.
• Thank you. – Hvala.
• Thank you very much. – Puno hvala.
• I’m sorry. – Žao mi je.
• You’re welcome. – Nema na čemu.
• Excuse me. – Ispričajte me.
• No problem. – Nema problema.
• Do you speak _____? – Pričaš li _____?
• Do you have _____? – Imate li ____?
• I have – Ja imam
• Speak slowly. – Pričaj sporo.
• I don’t understand. Please repeat. – Ne razumijem. Molim Vas ponovite.
• Where are you from? – Odakle ste?
• Have a good day. – Želim Vam ugodan dan.
• Yes – Da
• No – Ne

2. Basic Croatian phrases for travelers that need help

Every new travel experience should be a dream come true. Imagine visiting Dubrovnik and the Plitvice Lakes National Park for the first time. It’s a unique feeling you’ll never get to experience again. Unfortunately, emergencies sometimes happen whether we anticipate them or not. It’s best not to let them affect you and the magnificent trip you are taking. So make sure you master this handful of Croatian phrases that might save your day at some point during one of your journeys through the spectacular Krka National Park.

• Help! – Upomoć!
• Where is the hospital? – Gdje je bolnica?
• Can you help me? – Možeš li mi pomoći?
• Where can I find a taxi? – Gdje mogu pronaći taksi?
• Where is the toilet? – Gdje je toalet?
• Where is the bus station, please? – Molim Vas, gdje je autobusni kolodvor?
• Where can I buy tickets? – Gdje mogu kupiti karte?
• Where is a pharmacy? – Gdje je apoteka?
• Where is a supermarket? – Gdje je super market?
• Where is a good restaurant? – Gdje ima dobar restoran?
• Drive me to this address. – Odvezite me na ovu adresu.
• Please stop here. – Stanite ovdje, molim.
• Please wait a moment. – Pričekajte trenutak, molim Vas.
• I’ll be back immediately. – Odmah se vraćam.

3. Croatian phrases for food lovers

Food is all that some of us can think about. Yep. We all know that one friend who has to try every new food when visiting a new country. We sometimes are that friend. But who can blame the gourmand? Food is soooo good! And Croatia is nothing short of delightful food. You’ll absolutely need to try Peka (baking meat, seafood, and veggies), Brudet (fish stew), Stuffed peppers, Zagreb Schnitzel and the addictive Fritule dessert. So here’s how to order drinks or food in Croatian restaurants:

• I have a reservation. My name is _____. – Imam rezervaciju. Moje ime je ____.
• What would you like to drink? – Što biste željeli za piće?
• What would you recommend? – Što možete preporučiti?
• We would like two glasses of wine. – Mi bismo htjeli dvije čaše vina.
• I’d like something without meat. – Htio bih nešto bez mesa.
• I would like a tea with lemon. – Htio bih čaj s limunom.
• Would you like that with pasta? – Želite li to s tjesteninom?
• No sugar. – Bez šećera.
• I’d like a mineral water. – Rado bih mineralnu vodu.
• I’d like an orange juice. – Rado bih sok od naranče.
• I would like a coffee. – Rado bih kavu.
• Can I have some ice cream? – Mogu li dobiti sladoleda?

4. Basic Croatian for travelers who need a place to spend the night

Finding the perfect place to stay can get stressful sometimes. Now imagine you found the perfect place on Airbnb, but the host only speaks Croatian. It wouldn’t hurt knowing some basic Croatian in this situation, would it?

• I have booked a room. – Rezervirao sam sobu.
• The key for room _____, please. – Molio bih Vas ključ za sobu ____.
• This room is too noisy. – Ova soba je prebučna.
• When is check-out time? – Kada je vrijeme za odjave?
• Thank you for your help. – Hvala Vam na Vašoj pomoći.
• How was your stay with us? – Kakav je bio Vaš boravak kod nas?
• Very pleasant, thank you. – Vrlo ugodan, hvala Vam.
• Here is your bill, please look it over. – Izvolite Vas Racun, molimo pregledajte ga.

5. Croatian to English for tourists who want to have fun

You’ll have to admit that parties connect people. Phones used to do that, but not anymore. Now going to a party is the best way to connect with people and get to know a new culture. Thus, if you have already planned your trip to Croatia, also squeeze in a night out to party and enjoy the Old Town from another perspective. It may reveal itself differently.

• Is there a pub here? – Ima li ovdje pub?
• Would you like to dance? – Želiš li plesati?
• Are tickets for the theatre still available? – Ima li još karata za kazalište?
• Are tickets for the football game still available? – Ima li još karata za nogometnu utakmicu?
• Can you get me a ticket? – Možete li mi nabaviti kartu?
• How much does a ticket cost? – Kolika je cijena karte?
• One ticket, please. – Jednu kartu bih Vas molio.
• Are there seats available? – Ima li slobodnih mjesta?

6. Croatian phrases about love

Love is paramount and ubiquitous. So don’t be surprised if you fall in love in Croatia. Everywhere is the perfect place to fall in love. Your soulmate can be right beside you or maybe thousands of miles away. So why not be thoughtful and learn some Croatian phrases about love beforehand? You never know who you might bump into. Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke could be roaming the streets of Dubrovnik right now (hihihi).

• Let’s go dancing. – Idemo plesati.
• I’d like to see you again. – Volio bih te vidjeti ponovo.
• I’d like that very much. – Jako bih to voljela.
• You are very beautiful. – Jako si lijepa.
• You are very handsome. – Jako si zgodan.
• May I kiss you? – Smijem li te poljubiti?
• May I hold your hand? – Smijem li te držati za ruku?
• I like you a lot. – Jako mi se sviđaš.
• Are you single? – Jesi li slobodna?
• I’m married. – Oženjen sam.
• I’m not interested. – Nisam zainteresiran.
• Would you like to go out this evening? – Bi li htjela izaći večeras?
• Would you like to have dinner with me? – Bi li htio sa mnom na večeru?
• I love you. – Volim te.

7. Learn Croatian for your shopping sprees

Choosing souvenirs for the entire family is the most atrocious punishment the humanity has ever seen. The stress of shopping for souvenirs often gets to ruin our sleep until very last evening of our vacation. But there’s a solution! Plan your shopping spree for the first day of the trip and just get it over with.

• How much does it cost? – Koliko to košta?
• I would like _____. – Ja bih htio ____.
• How much are they? – Koliko one koštaju?
• Can I have a receipt? – Mogu li dobiti račun?
• What would you like? – Što bi željela?
• Can I have some ice cream? – Mogu li dobiti sladoleda?

8. Days of the week and numbers in Croatian

The days of the week and the numbers are absolutely essential words in any language. Sooner or later you’ll need them when roaming the world. So here are the days of the week and the numbers in Croatian.

Days of the week in Croatian

• Monday – ponedjeljak
• Tuesday – utorak
• Wednesday – srijeda
• Thursday – četvrtak
• Friday – petak
• Saturday – subota
• Sunday – nedjelja

Numbers in Croatian

And… this was it! These are the 100+ essential Croatian phrases you’ll need to know for your next trip to real-life Westeros. Bookmark this article and make sure you get your Croatian travel phrases on point beforehand.

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