Croatian Numbers & Counting
Numbers open the market, the konoba, and the ferry timetable. Croatian numbers are regular — the only genuinely new idea is that what you count changes form after certain numbers.
One to Ten
| # | Croatian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | jedan | YE-dan |
| 2 | dva | dva |
| 3 | tri | tree |
| 4 | četiri | CHE-ti-ri |
| 5 | pet | pet |
| 6 | šest | shest |
| 7 | sedam | SE-dam |
| 8 | osam | O-sam |
| 9 | devet | DE-vet |
| 10 | deset | DE-set |
Jedan agrees like an adjective (jedan grad, jedna kuća, jedno selo); dva has a feminine twin, dvije (dva grada but dvije kuće) — ijekavian where Serbian says dve.
Teens and Tens
Teens add -naest; tens mostly add -deset:
| Croatian | Value |
|---|---|
| jedanaest | 11 |
| dvanaest | 12 |
| petnaest | 15 |
| dvadeset | 20 |
| trideset | 30 |
| pedeset | 50 |
| sto | 100 |
Composites just stack: dvadeset jedan (21), trideset pet (35), devedeset devet (99).
The 2-3-4 Rule
Here's the Slavic specialty. What you count changes with the number:
| After… | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | singular | jedna kava |
| 2–4 | counting form (gen. sg.) | dvije kave, tri kave |
| 5+ | genitive plural | pet kava, deset kava |
Masculine: jedan grad, dva grada, pet gradova. The same rhythm — one / a few / many — runs through every Slavic language you'll ever study.
Dvije kave i tri soka, molim.
Two coffees and three juices, please.
Note: The 2–4 counting form, exactly where you'll need it.
Saying Your Age
Age uses imati (to have) plus godina in the right counting form:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| Koliko imaš godina? | How old are you? |
| Imam dvadeset jednu godinu. | I'm 21. |
| Imam dvadeset dvije godine. | I'm 22. |
| Imam trideset godina. | I'm 30. |
Same 1 / 2–4 / 5+ pattern: godinu / godine / godina.
— Koliko imaš godina? — Imam dvadeset pet godina.
— How old are you? — I'm twenty-five.
Note: Croatian owns its years — literally 'I have 25 years'.
Prices and Shopping
Croatia counts in euri (euros) since 2023:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| Koliko košta? | How much does it cost? |
| Pet eura. | Five euros. |
| To je jeftino! | That's cheap! |
| To je skupo. | That's expensive. |
Notice eura after pet — the genitive plural again. Numbers and cases are old friends in Croatian; once you hear the pattern at the tržnica a few times, it locks in for good.
Put it all together at the bakery — tap the speakers to listen:
💬 Buying burek and gibanica
Dobar dan. Koliko košta burek?
Good day. How much is the burek?
Dva eura i pedeset centi.
Two euros and fifty cents.
Dva bureka i jedan jogurt, molim.
Two bureks and one yogurt, please.
Izvolite. Šest eura ukupno.
Here you are. Six euros in total.
Hvala lijepa!
Thanks very much!
Common Mistakes
- Using dva with feminine nouns. Two coffees is dvije kave — dva kave grates on every Croatian ear. (And it's dvije, not the Serbian dve.)
- Plain plural after 2–4. Dva gradovi is wrong; small numbers take the counting form: dva grada.
- Plain plural after 5+. Five coffees is pet kava (genitive plural), not pet kave.
- Translating age with "to be". Croatian has years: Imam trideset godina, never Ja sam trideset.
- Hearing dvanaest as twenty. The teens all end in -naest; dvanaest is 12, dvadeset is 20. Count aloud daily for a week and the pair separates.
What You Can Do Now
You can count to a hundred, order dva bureka and dvije kave with the right forms, ask and give prices in euros, and tell anyone your age. That's the tržnica, the konoba, and small talk unlocked — and the 1 / 2–4 / 5+ rhythm you've absorbed here is the exact pattern the case system runs on.