Dates, Months & Celebrations
Here's a fact that surprises every learner: Croatian ignored the Roman calendar names. No januar, no februar — Croatian kept its own twelve, each describing what the land is doing that month. They're beautiful, they're mandatory, and this lesson makes them stick.
The Twelve Originals
| Croatian | Month |
|---|---|
| siječanj | January |
| veljača | February |
| ožujak | March |
| travanj | April |
| svibanj | May |
| lipanj | June |
| srpanj | July |
| kolovoz | August |
| rujan | September |
| listopad | October |
| studeni | November |
| prosinac | December |
Croatian
siječanj
Month
January
Croatian
veljača
Month
February
Croatian
ožujak
Month
March
Croatian
travanj
Month
April
Croatian
svibanj
Month
May
Croatian
lipanj
Month
June
Croatian
srpanj
Month
July
Croatian
kolovoz
Month
August
Croatian
rujan
Month
September
Croatian
listopad
Month
October
Croatian
studeni
Month
November
Croatian
prosinac
Month
December
The Mnemonics Are Built In
The names describe the countryside — use the pictures:
| Month | The picture inside |
|---|---|
| travanj (April) | trava — grass grows |
| srpanj (July) | srp — the sickle, harvest time |
| listopad (October) | list + padati — leaves fall |
| studeni (November) | studen — the cold one |
Month
travanj (April)
The picture inside
trava — grass grows
Month
srpanj (July)
The picture inside
srp — the sickle, harvest time
Month
listopad (October)
The picture inside
list + padati — leaves fall
Month
studeni (November)
The picture inside
studen — the cold one
Saying the Date
Dates go in the genitive — including the ordinal:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| Danas je treći svibnja. | Today is May 3rd. |
| Rođendan mi je petog lipnja. | My birthday is on June 5th. (genitive = on-a-date) |
| U svibnju je najljepše. | It's loveliest in May. (u + locative for in-a-month) |
Croatian
Danas je treći svibnja.
English
Today is May 3rd.
Croatian
Rođendan mi je petog lipnja.
English
My birthday is on June 5th. (genitive = on-a-date)
Croatian
U svibnju je najljepše.
English
It's loveliest in May. (u + locative for in-a-month)
The Holiday Code
| Croatian | What happens |
|---|---|
| Badnjak | Christmas Eve — the fasting feast |
| Božić | Christmas — Djed Božićnjak brings the presents |
| sveti Nikola (6. prosinca) | St. Nicholas fills children's boots (čizmice) |
| Uskrs | Easter — pisanice, the painted eggs |
Croatian
Badnjak
What happens
Christmas Eve — the fasting feast
Croatian
Božić
What happens
Christmas — Djed Božićnjak brings the presents
Croatian
sveti Nikola (6. prosinca)
What happens
St. Nicholas fills children's boots (čizmice)
Croatian
Uskrs
What happens
Easter — pisanice, the painted eggs
Congratulating
| Croatian | When |
|---|---|
| Sretan rođendan! | birthday |
| Sretan Božić! | Christmas |
| Sretan Uskrs! | Easter |
| Sve najbolje! | all-purpose — all the best (your superlative at work) |
Croatian
Sretan rođendan!
When
birthday
Croatian
Sretan Božić!
When
Christmas
Croatian
Sretan Uskrs!
When
Easter
Croatian
Sve najbolje!
When
all-purpose — all the best (your superlative at work)
💬 The birthday call
A
Sretan rođendan! Koliko godina imaš sada?
Happy birthday! How old are you now?
B
Trideset. Slavimo u subotu — dođi!
Thirty. We're celebrating on Saturday — come!
A
Dolazim! Sve najbolje ti želim.
I'm coming! Wishing you all the best.