The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Croatian
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Croatian. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Dobar dan | DO-bar DAN |
| Hello (informal) | Bok | BOK |
| Goodbye | Doviđenja | do-vi-DJEN-ya |
| Thank you | Hvala | HVA-la |
| Please | Molim | MO-lim |
| Yes | Da | DA |
| No | Ne | NE |
| Sorry | Oprostite | o-PROS-ti-te |
| I don't understand | Ne razumijem | ne ra-ZU-mi-yem |
| Do you speak English? | Govorite li engleski? | go-vo-RI-te li EN-gle-ski? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Dobro jutro | DOH-broh YOO-troh |
| Good evening | Dobra večer | DOH-brah VEH-cher |
| How are you? | Kako ste? | KAH-koh STEH |
| My name is... | Zovem se... | ZOH-vem seh |
| Nice to meet you | Drago mi je | DRAH-goh mee yeh |
| I'm from Israel | Ja sam iz Izraela | YAH sahm eez EEZ-rah-eh-lah |
| See you | Vidimo se | VEE-dee-moh seh |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Gdje je izlaz? | GDYEH yeh IZ-laz? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Je li let kasni? | YEH lee LET KAS-nee? |
| Boarding pass | Ukrcajna karta | oo-KR-tsa-y-na KAR-ta |
| My suitcase did not arrive | Moj kofer nije stigao | MOY KO-fer NEE-yeh STEE-gao |
| I have a connecting flight | Imam vezani let | EE-mam VE-za-nee LET |
| Window/aisle seat | Sjedalo do prozora/uz prolaz | SYE-da-lo DO PRO-zo-ra/ooz PRO-laz |
| Where is passport control? | Gdje je kontrola putovnica? | GDYEH yeh kon-TRO-la poo-TOV-nee-tsa? |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Na ovu adresu, molim. | na OH-vu a-DRE-su, MO-lim. |
| How much to the center? | Koliko do centra? | KO-li-ko do TSEN-tra? |
| One ticket to... | Jedna karta za... | YED-na KAR-ta za... |
| Which platform? | Koji peron? | KO-yi PE-ron? |
| Where is the bus station? | Gdje je autobusna stanica? | GDYE ye AU-to-bus-na STA-ni-tsa? |
| Stop here, please. | Stani ovdje, molim. | STA-ni OV-dye, MO-lim. |
| Is it far? | Je li daleko? | YE li da-LE-ko? |
| Turn left/right. | Skreni lijevo/desno. | SKRE-ni LYE-vo/DES-no. |
| Straight. | Ravno. | RA-vno. |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Imam rezervaciju | I-mam re-zer-VAT-si-yu |
| Check-in | Prijava | PRI-ya-va |
| Check-out | Odjava | OD-ya-va |
| Is breakfast included? | Je li doručak uključen? | Ye li DO-ru-chak uk-LYU-chen |
| Room key | Ključ od sobe | KLYU-ch od SO-be |
| Wi-Fi password | Lozinka za Wi-Fi | LO-zin-ka za WI-FI |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Mogu li ostaviti prtljagu? | MO-gu li os-TA-vi-ti prt-LYA-gu |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | Klima uređaj ne radi | KLI-ma u-re-DJAY ne RA-di |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two, please. | Stol za dvoje, molim. | STOL zah DVO-yeh, MO-lim. |
| The menu, please. | Jelovnik, molim. | YE-lov-nik, MO-lim. |
| What do you recommend? | Što preporučujete? | SHTO pre-po-ROO-chu-ye-te? |
| The bill, please. | Račun, molim. | RA-chun, MO-lim. |
| Tap water, please. | Voda iz slavine, molim. | VO-dah iz SLA-vi-ne, MO-lim. |
| I have a nut allergy. | Imam alergiju na orahe. | EE-mam a-LER-gee-yu nah O-ra-he. |
| No meat, please. | Bez mesa, molim. | BEZ ME-sah, MO-lim. |
| It was excellent. | Bilo je izvrsno. | BEE-lo yeh IZ-vrs-no. |
| Can I pay by card? | Mogu li platiti karticom? | MO-gu lee PLA-ti-ti KAR-ti-tsom? |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Koliko to košta? | KO-li-ko TO KOSH-ta |
| It's too expensive | To je preskupo | TO yeh PRE-skoo-po |
| Do you accept cards? | Primate li kartice? | PRI-ma-teh li KAR-ti-tseh |
| I'm just looking | Samo gledam | SA-mo GLE-dam |
| Can I have a receipt? | Mogu li dobiti račun? | MO-gu li DO-bi-ti RA-chun |
| Where is an ATM? | Gdje je bankomat? | GDYE yeh BAN-ko-mat |
| A smaller size | Manja veličina | MAN-ya ve-li-CHEE-na |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Croatian | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Upomoć! | u-PO-motch! |
| Call a doctor. | Zovite doktora. | ZO-vi-te DOK-to-ra. |
| Call the police. | Zovite policiju. | ZO-vi-te po-LI-tsi-yu. |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Gdje je ljekarna? | g-DYE ye lye-KAR-na? |
| I don't feel well. | Ne osjećam se dobro. | ne o-SYE-cham se DO-bro. |
| I'm lost. | Izgubio sam se. | iz-GU-bi-o sam se. |
| I need a hospital. | Treba mi bolnica. | TRE-ba mi BOL-ni-tsa. |
| It hurts here. | Boli me ovdje. | BO-li me OVD-je. |
Where it takes you
Countries that speak Croatian
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Croatian?
"Hvala" (HVA-la). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Croatian do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Croatian is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Croatian as an official language?
Croatian is a main language in 4 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Govorite li engleski?" (go-vo-RI-te li EN-gle-ski?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data