Asking for Directions in Croatian
You already know how to ask gdje je…? This lesson teaches you to survive the answer — and to give one yourself, which in a Croatian old town mostly means pointing past a church.
Go Straight, Then Turn
Directions arrive as polite imperatives. Take them as ready-made chunks:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| Idite ravno. | Go straight. |
| Skrenite lijevo. | Turn left. |
| Skrenite desno. | Turn right. |
| Na semaforu skrenite desno. | Turn right at the traffic light. |
Idite ravno, pa skrenite lijevo.
Go straight, then turn left.
Note: pa — then/and then: the connector that strings directions together.
Next To, Near, Across
Three location phrases, all feeding the genitive you know:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| pokraj kolodvora | next to the station |
| blizu mora | near the sea |
| preko puta kazališta | across from the theatre |
Landmarks
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| trg | square |
| ulica | street |
| semafor | traffic light |
| križanje | crossing / junction |
| most | bridge |
| riva | the seafront promenade |
Is It Far?
💬 The full navigation
Oprostite, gdje je tržnica?
Excuse me, where is the market?
Idite ravno do trga, pa skrenite desno.
Go straight to the square, then turn right.
Je li daleko?
Is it far?
Ma ne — pet minuta pješice. Blizu je.
Nah — five minutes on foot. It's close.
Hvala lijepa!
Thanks so much!
The answer you're hoping for: Blizu je — it's close. The answer you'll get in Zagreb in August: Sve je blizu, samo je vruće — everything's close, it's just hot.