Croatian Greetings & First Phrases

Ten phrases carry a whole first conversation. Croatian, like its Slavic neighbours, splits them into two registers: informal (ti — friends, family, people your age) and formal (Vi — strangers, shops, anyone older). Choose the right one and you already sound polite.

Croatian spelling is perfectly phonetic — if a word below looks unfamiliar, ten minutes with Croatian sounds & spelling (č/ć, lj/nj, the ije/je melody) will make everything readable.

Saying Hello

Dobar dan is your default. It works at the bakery, on the ferry, with your landlord, and with your friend's grandmother. When in doubt, dobar dan.

Please, Thank You, Sorry

Molim is the hardest-working word in Croatian: it means please, answers hvala, and — said with rising intonation — asks someone to repeat themselves.

Introducing Yourself

Zovem se… is literally "I call myself…" — the same reflexive pattern you'll meet across the Slavic family. Seal any introduction with drago mi je ("it's dear to me").

Ti or Vi?

Croatian has two words for you, and the choice matters:

The verb changes with the pronoun: Kako si? to a friend, Kako ste? to your professor. Answer either with Dobro sam, hvala — I'm fine, thanks.

Saying Goodbye

Doviđenja is literally "until seeing (each other)" — the exact twin of Russian до свидания and French au revoir.