Oprostite! Essential Croatian to get you started
We love to travel and the adventure that comes with it — especially when you don't speak the native language! On FitCation, we manage all the details so you can enjoy your trip without being fluent. However, we encourage learning some basic phrases that can help you communicate and connect with the people you’re going to meet along the way. That’s one of the best things about travel: you don’t just collect memories but also make new friends! Here are some essential phrases we think you’ll want to know ahead of time for your trip to Croatia.
Greetings and Other Courtesies
It is always a good idea to start with greetings and courtesies. This effort on your part shows that you respect their culture and makes it easier to communicate what will come next.
"Hello" - "Bok" (bohk)
“Good Morning” - “Dobro jutro” (doh-bar you-troh)
“Good Afternoon” - “Dobar dan” (doh-bar dahn)
“Good Evening” - “Dobra večer” (doh-brah ve-cher)
“Please” - “Molim” (moh-leem)
"Thank you" - "Hvala" (hva-lah)
"Excuse me" - "Oprostite" (oh-pro-sti-teh)
“Yes” - “Da” (dah)
“No” - “Ne” (neh)
Making Small Talk
If you don’t have much to work within your Croatian lexicon, the next best thing to say might be "Do you speak English?" - "Govorite li engleski?" (goh-voh-ree-teh lee en-glees-kee)
But, you can also engage further with simple questions like these.
“How are you?” - “Kako si?” (kak-koh see)
“What’s your name?” - “Kako se zovete?” (kak-koh seh zoh-ve-teh)
“Where are you from?” - “Odakle si?”(oh-dah-kleh see)
“How do you say…” - “Kako se kaže…?” (kak-koh seh kah-zheh)
“I don’t understand” - “Ne rasumijem” (neh-reh-zoom-ee-yem
Learning these basic phrases can help you navigate your free-wheeling, strolling-around-town time with more confidence and improve your chances of making great connections with locals.
Where Can I Learn More?
Consider taking a language course or downloading a language learning app to help you practice before your trip. With a little preparation, you can make the most out of your travels and enjoy new experiences with ease.
We’ve listed our favorite apps below:
Mondly - similar to Duolingo
iTalkie - to find your own Croatian language tutor
FunEasyLearn - game-based learning - great for vocabulary building
Pimsleur - one of the original modern language teaching companies, they focus on the phrases you need most while traveling. 7-day free trials are available
There are dozens of options, we’ve just listed our top 5 that offer some of the various approaches to learning that may better suit your needs. Check online for more options.
Whatever you choose to do to prepare for your Croatian FitCation (and, yeah, that right there is more of a mouthful than it looks like on paper), we are here for you to smooth your journey. Whether you haven’t mastered “Bok” or you are a cool Croatian customer who can “Ispeci pa reci” (“Bake it, then say it” meaning you think through what you want to say and nail it!).
According to Lisa from Adriatic Allure, “Croatians will be AMAZED if they hear a bunch of Americans saying, "Ispeci pa reci" — It will garner a lot of high fives!”
Looking forward to our next journey together! Idemo!