A guide through useful words and phrases that will make your Kvarner holiday easier
Croatian language belongs to Indo-European language family and the Slavic sub-group of languages. It is the official language in the Republic of Croatia and one of the official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is also used by members of ethnic and language minorities in Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Italy and other countries inhabited by members of Croatian lingual community. There are 3 dialects in Croatia: Shtokavian, Kajkavian and Chakavian.
If you are planning to spend this summer in Croatia, it can be useful to know some basic words and phrases that can come in handy, especially if you’ll be staying in Kvarner and the island of Krk. Here you can find the Baška tablet, the most famous monument of early Croatian literature and the oldest known written document in which the Croatian name was written in Croatian language.
In continuation you can find some useful words and phrases most often used in everyday conversation, while searching for accommodation, in a restaurant or while talking with the locals.
Basic words, greetings and small talk
ENGLISH CROATIAN
Welcome………………………………………………………………Dobrodošli
Hello………………………………………………………………………Zdravo
Good morning………………………………………………………..Dobro jutro
Good day……………………………………………………………….Dobar dan
Good evening………………………………………………………..Dobra večer
Goodbye………………………………………………………………..Doviđenja
Yes……………………………………………………………………………..Da
No……………………………………………………………………………….Ne
Here you go………………………………………………………………….Izvoli
Thank you……………………………………………………………………Hvala
You’re welcome…………………………………………………………….Molim
Excuse me………………………………………………………………..Oprostite
Pardon me…………………………………………………………………..Pardon
You’re welcome……………………………………………………..Nema na čemu
See you later……………………………………………………..Vidimo se kasnije
What’s your name?…………………………………………………Kako se zovete?
My name is ……………………………………………………………..Moje ime je
Where is the shop?…………………………………………..Gdje je prodavaonica?
How much does this cost?………………………………………..Koliko košta ovo?
Do you speak English/German/Italia……Govorite li engleski/njemački/talijanski?
If you find yourself in a restaurant you will definitely need the following expression:
Can we get the menu?……………………………………….Možemo li dobiti menu?
What can you recommend?……………………………Što nam možete preporučiti?
Hot/cold appetizer…………………………………………..Toplo/hladno predjelo
Main course……………………………………………………………….Glavno jelo
Dessert…………………………………………………………………………Desert
Breakfast/lunch/supper…………………………………….Doručak/rucčak/večera
Spoon/fork/knife……………………………………………………Žlica/vilica/nož
Beer/wine/water/juice………………………………………….Pivo/vino/voda/sok
What is this meal made of?……………………………………..Od čega je ovo jelo?
Where is your bathroom?…………………………………………Gdje vam je toalet?
Can we get the bill please?…………………………………..Možemo li dobiti račun?
Everything was excellent………………………………………….Sve je bilo odlično.
Keep the change……………………………………………………..Zadržite ostatak.
If you’re settling details of accommodation, you might need this:
I have a reservation under the name………………………………………Imam rezervaciju na prezime
Do you have rooms available?……………………………………………………Imate li slobodnih soba?
Do you have a single/double room?…………………………Imate li jednokrevetnu/dvokrevetnu sobu?
How much is an overnight stay per person……………………………..Koliko košta noćenje po osobi?
Is the breakfast included?……………………………………………………..Da li je doručak uključen?
What time can we check in?…………………………………………..U koliko sati se možemo prijaviti?
By what time must we check out?……………………………………Do koliko sati se moramo odjaviti?
Room/accommodation/apartment/house/camp/hotel…..Soba/smještaj/apartman/kuća/kamp/hotel
Wi-Fi/TV/minibar/restaurant…………………………………………Wi-Fi/televizija/minibar/restoran
Air conditioning/window/bed/luggage/towel/key………..Klima/prozor/krevet/prtljaga/ručnik/ključ
By knowing some words and phrases in Croatian language you will leave a good impression on the local inhabitants who are always glad to hear foreigners trying to learn Croatian. Besides, you can avoid some awkward situations due to lack of understanding.
Although, most employees of travel agents, hotels and restaurants speak a third language apart from English as a second language (mostly German or Italian), it can never hurt to know a little bit of Croatian.