Croatian for sailors
For a sailing trip on the Adriatic: ask for a berth, sort out water and electricity, fill up with fuel, ask about the weather and do your shopping in the harbour town. Every phrase comes with pronunciation, plus six rules that help you read Croatian words correctly.
Pronunciation in six rules
Croatian is written the way it is spoken. Every letter has exactly one sound, you only need to learn the ones with little hooks.
č and ć
Both sound like the ch in "church", ć a little softer: večeras = "ve-CHE-ras", tonight.
š and ž
š is sh (košta = "KOSH-ta"), ž is the s in "measure".
c and z
c is always ts as in "cats": cijena (price) = "TSEE-ye-na". z is z as in "zoo".
v, h and j
v is v, h is breathier than in English, close to the ch in Scottish "loch", and j is the y in "yes": hvala = "HVA-la", jutro = "YOO-tro".
đ and dž
Both sound like the j in "jam", đ a little softer: rođendan (birthday), džep (pocket).
The r as a vowel
Between consonants the rolled r carries the syllable on its own: Krk, trg (square), trgovina = "TR-go-vee-na", shop.
In the transcriptions the stressed syllable is in CAPITALS, syllables are joined with "-", words are separated by spaces and "·" separates sentences. Vowels are short and pure: a as in father, e as in bed, o as in hot, ee as in see, oo as in food. ch is the ch in "church", zh the s in "measure", ts as in "cats", y the y in "yes", and r is always rolled.
Greetings and being polite
- Dobar dan!DO-bar danHello! Good afternoon! (Good morning: Dobro jutro, good evening: Dobra večer)
- Bok!bokHi! Bye! (casual, common among sailors)
- Molim. / Hvala!MO-leem · HVA-laPlease. / Thank you!
- Oprostite.o-PRO-stee-teExcuse me. Sorry.
- Ne razumijem. Govorite li engleski?ne ra-ZOO-mee-yem · GO-vo-ree-te lee EN-gle-skeeI don't understand. Do you speak English?
In the marina
It is best to ask for a berth by radio or phone before you arrive, but these phrases work on the pontoon too.
- Imate li slobodan vez za večeras?EE-ma-te lee SLO-bo-dan vez za ve-CHE-rasDo you have a free berth for tonight?
- Brod je dug dvanaest metara.brod ye doog DVA-na-est ME-ta-raThe boat is twelve metres long.
- Koliko košta vez po noći?KO-lee-ko KOSH-ta vez po NO-cheeHow much is a berth per night?
- Ima li struje i vode na vezu?EE-ma lee STROO-ye ee VO-de na VE-zooIs there electricity and water at the berth?
- Možete li nam pomoći s konopima?MO-zhe-te lee nam PO-mo-chee s ko-NO-pee-maCould you help us with the lines?
- Gdje su tuševi?gdye soo TOO-she-veeWhere are the showers?
Fuel and weather
- Gdje mogu natočiti gorivo?gdye MO-goo na-TO-chee-tee GO-ree-voWhere can I get fuel?
- Gdje mogu natočiti vodu?gdye MO-goo na-TO-chee-tee VO-dooWhere can I fill up with water?
- Kakva je prognoza za sutra?KAK-va ye pro-GNO-za za SOO-traWhat's the forecast for tomorrow?
- Hoće li puhati bura?HO-che lee POO-ha-tee BOO-raIs the bora going to blow? (Also: jugo, the south-east wind)
In the harbour town
- Stol za četvero, molim.stol za CHET-ve-ro MO-leemA table for four, please.
- Što nam preporučujete?shto nam pre-po-roo-CHOO-ye-teWhat do you recommend?
- Račun, molim.RA-choon MO-leemThe bill, please.
- Mogu li platiti karticom?MO-goo lee PLA-tee-tee KAR-tee-tsomCan I pay by card?
- Gdje je najbliža trgovina?gdye ye NAI-blee-zha TR-go-vee-naWhere is the nearest shop?
- Kilo kruha i dvije boce vode, molim.KEE-lo KROO-ha ee DVEE-ye BO-tse VO-de MO-leemA kilo of bread and two bottles of water, please.
Emergency and doctor
- Imamo kvar na motoru.EE-ma-mo kvar na MO-to-rooWe have engine trouble.
- Trebamo pomoć.TRE-ba-mo PO-mochWe need help.
- Trebam liječnika.TRE-bam lee-YECH-nee-kaI need a doctor.
- Gdje je ljekarna?gdye ye LYE-kar-naWhere is the pharmacy?
General emergency number: 112. Distress at sea: VHF channel 16 or phone 195 (Croatian maritime rescue centre). Take your GHIC (or a valid EHIC) and travel insurance details with you.
Good to know
You pay in euros
Croatia has used the euro since 2023. Small konobas and market stalls often take cash only, so it is worth keeping some change on board.
Buoys and konobas
Many bays have mooring buoy fields where someone comes round in the evening to collect the fee. Some konobas have their own jetty or buoys that are free if you eat there. Ask first.
National parks charge entry
In the Kornati, Krka and Mljet national parks you pay an entry fee for the boat, usually less if you buy the ticket in advance.
Know the winds
The bura blows cold and gusty from the north-east, often under a clear blue sky. The jugo brings waves and rain from the south-east. The maestral is the friendly afternoon breeze.
A course for exactly your sailing trip
A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: two weeks out of Split with a crew, a year-round berth in Zadar, a refit at a yard in Pula. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until you leave.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google PlayFAQ
Is English enough in Croatian marinas?
In large marinas and with charter companies, usually yes. In small harbours, at the fuel dock, with the harbour master in a village or at the market, Croatian helps a lot.
How long does it take to learn these phrases?
For greetings, berths, fuel and shopping, one to three weeks with a few minutes a day is enough.
Is Croatian the same as Serbian or Bosnian?
The languages are very close and speakers understand each other. In Croatia, though, the Latin alphabet is used and some words are different.
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