Basics
With these words and phrases, you'll manage any everyday situation. Croatians are thrilled when you try a few words of their language!
Greetings & Farewells
| Croatian | Pronunciation | German |
|---|---|---|
| Bok! | Bok | Hello / Goodbye (informal, universal) |
| Dobar dan | DOH-bar dahn | Good day |
| Dobro jutro | DOH-bro YOO-tro | Good morning |
| Dobra večer | DOH-bra VEH-tscher | Good evening |
| Laku noć | LAH-koo nohtj | Good night |
| Doviđenja | doh-vee-DJEH-nja | Goodbye (formal) |
| Ćao | Tschau | Goodbye (informal, from Italian) |
Politeness
| Croatian | Pronunciation | German |
|---|---|---|
| Molim | MOH-leem | Please / You're welcome |
| Hvala | HVAH-lah | Thank you |
| Hvala lijepa | HVAH-lah lee-YEH-pah | Thank you very much |
| Nema na čemu | NEH-mah nah TSCHEH-moo | You're welcome / No problem |
| Oprostite | oh-PROH-stee-teh | Excuse me |
| Ispričavam se | ees-pree-TSCHAH-vahm seh | I'm sorry |
| Da | Dah | Yes |
| Ne | Neh | No |
Communication
| Croatian | German |
|---|---|
| Govorite li njemački? | Do you speak German? |
| Govorite li engleski? | Do you speak English? |
| Ne razumijem | I don't understand |
| Možete li ponoviti? | Can you repeat that? |
| Kako se kaže...? | How do you say...? |
| Govorim malo hrvatski | I speak a little Croatian |
💡 Tipp
“<strong>Bok</strong>” is the Swiss Army knife of the Croatian language — it works as hello AND goodbye, formal and informal, morning and evening. If you learn only one word, make it this one!