Family relationships form one of the richest pockets of Croatian vocabulary. Parents are majka (mother, feminine) and otac (father, masculine), siblings brat (brother) and sestra (sister), children sin (son) and kći (daughter, feminine). Extended family includes baka (grandmother), djed (grandfather), ujak (uncle, maternal), teta (aunt), rođak (cousin), and in-laws and partners such as muž (husband), žena (wife), dečko (boyfriend), djevojka (girlfriend), and susjed (neighbour, masculine). The general word obitelj covers family as a unit, while prijatelj (friend, masculine) is the everyday term for a male friend, with prijateljica for the feminine counterpart.
More general words for people include muškarac (man), žena (woman, also the word for wife), dijete (child, neuter), dječak (boy), and djevojčica (girl). These same patterns show up in the words for professions, which mostly take masculine forms: liječnik (doctor), učitelj (teacher), student (student), inženjer (engineer), odvjetnik (lawyer), policajac (police officer), vozač (driver), kuhar (cook), konobar (waiter), and prodavač (shop assistant). Common work-related vocabulary includes posao (job), ured (office), računalo (computer), telefon (phone), and mobitel (mobile).
The conversational phrases used with these words build everyday fluency. Greeting and small talk revolve around Kako si? (How are you?, informal) and Kako ste? (How are you?, formal), with Dobro sam, hvala (I'm fine, thanks) and Nisam dobro (I'm not well) as standard answers. Introductions use Kako se zoveš? (What's your name?), Zovem se … (My name is …), Drago mi je (Pleased to meet you), Odakle si? (Where are you from?), and Iz Engleske sam (I'm from England). When communication breaks down, learners can ask Govoriš li engleski? (Do you speak English?), admit Ne govorim dobro hrvatski (I don't speak Croatian well), say Razumijem (I understand) or Ne razumijem (I don't understand), and request Možeš li ponoviti? (Can you repeat?) or Govorite sporije (Speak more slowly).