Izrazi: Everyday expressions
Besides individual words and grammar, a handful of set expressions will get you a long way in Croatia: izrazi. You use these little phrases every day, to greet, to thank, to ask something or to say goodbye, and you don't need to know the grammar behind them to use them well.
- Bok (hi)
- Dobro jutro (good morning)
- Dobar dan (good day)
- Dobra večer (good evening)
- Laku noć (good night)
- Hvala (thank you)
- Molim (please)
- Oprosti (sorry)
- Nema na čemu (you're welcome)
- Kako si? (how are you?)
- Kako se zoveš? (what's your name?)
- Koliko košta? (how much does it cost?)
- Ne razumijem (I don't understand)
- Dobro (good, okay)
- Doviđenja (goodbye)
- Vidimo se (see you)
Croatian has a formal and an informal way of addressing people, a distinction English no longer makes. With friends and people your own age you say ti (you, informal), but with strangers, older people or in official situations you use Vi (you, formal). So Kako si? is informal; formally you ask Kako ste?
| Informal (ti) | Formal (Vi) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kako si? | Kako ste? | How are you? |
| Odakle si? | Odakle ste? | Where are you from? |
| Tko si ti? | Tko ste Vi? | Who are you? (informal / formal) |
When someone asks where you are from, you answer with Ja sam iz Hrvatske (I am from Croatia).
Use these questions when you want to know who or what something is. The answer depends on how close it is.
this, here
Ovo je knjiga. (This is a book.)
that, near you
To je olovka. (That is a pencil.)
that over there, far away
Ono je kuća. (That over there is a house.)
Two little words to connect sentences: i (and) simply joins two things, while a (and / but) sets them against each other, for example when you introduce yourself and then ask the other person.
and
Ja sam iz Hrvatske i ti si iz Nizozemske. (I am from Croatia and you are from the Netherlands.)
and / but (contrasting)
Ja sam iz Hrvatske, a ti? (I am from Croatia, and you?)
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