My Home in Croatian
New vocabulary, no new grammar — this lesson is the locative moving into every room of your home. By the end you can describe where you live and decode a flat listing.
The Rooms
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| soba | room |
| kuhinja | kitchen |
| kupaonica | bathroom |
| spavaća soba | bedroom |
| dnevni boravak | living room |
| balkon | balcony — the Croatian trophy room |
What's Where
The locative from last lesson does all the work — u kuhinji, na balkonu, u sobi:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| U kuhinji je stol. | There's a table in the kitchen. |
| Na balkonu je mačka. | The cat is on the balcony. |
| U sobi su knjige. | The books are in the room. |
Which Floor?
Croatians count floors the European way — the ground floor is floor zero:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| u prizemlju | on the ground floor |
| na prvom katu | on the first floor (one up) |
| na drugom katu | on the second floor |
Stan je na drugom katu, bez lifta.
The flat is on the second floor, no elevator.
Note: bez lifta — a genitive preview, and a very real listing detail.
kuća, stan or dom?
Three words English folds into "home":
| Croatian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kuća | a house — the building |
| stan | a flat / apartment |
| dom | home — the feeling |
Most city Croatians live u stanu and dream of a kuća na moru — a house by the sea. The dream has its own grammar: na + locative, naturally.
💬 The flat tour
Kakav je stan?
What's the flat like?
Malen, ali lijep. Ima dvije sobe.
Small but nice. It has two rooms.
Ima li balkon?
Does it have a balcony?
Ima! Na balkonu pijem kavu svako jutro.
It does! I drink coffee on the balcony every morning.