Croatian A2

This deck is designed for learners working at the A2 level in Croatian, with a clear focus on one of the trickier building blocks of the language: forming the past tense, known as the perfekt. The cards walk you through how to construct past-tense sentences using the correct past participle and the appropriate form of the verb "to be." You'll practice with a handful of very common verbs such as "raditi" (to work), "ići" (to go), "jesti" (to eat), "piti" (to drink), and "vidjeti" (to see), which gives you a solid foundation that you can later extend to many other verbs following the same patterns.

Because Croatian is a gendered language, a big part of this deck is paying attention to whether the speaker or the subject is masculine or feminine. You'll see separate cards for masculine and feminine past participles, as well as sentences like "I was" and "we were," so you can train your ear and your memory to make the right agreement choice. The deck also covers negation, which is essential for building real, usable sentences rather than only affirmative ones.

To get the most out of these cards, try to focus on the pattern rather than memorizing each answer in isolation. Once you notice how the past participles are formed and how the helping verb changes with gender and number, new verbs will feel much more familiar. Spacing your reviews over several short sessions works especially well here, since verb forms tend to stick better when you come back to them after a little time has passed. And if you can, try writing one or two of your own past-tense sentences after each review to lock the structure into active use.

The past tense in Croatian, called the perfekt, is built by combining the present tense of biti (to be) with a past participle. For example, "I worked" becomes radio sam when a man says it and radila sam when a woman says it: jučer sam radio cijeli dan and jučer sam radila cijeli dan both translate as "Yesterday I worked all day." The participle matches the gender of the speaker, so "I was" is bio sam in the masculine and bila sam in the feminine, as in bio sam u Zagrebu and bila sam kod kuće. In the plural, the form is bili smo, seen in bili smo na moru (We were at the seaside). Other common past participles follow this same gender pattern: išao and išla from ići (to go), as in išao sam pješice and išla sam autobusom; došao and došla from doći (to come), as in došao sam kasno and došla sam ranije; and irregular masculine forms like jeo (ate) from jesti, pio (drank) from piti, vidio (saw) from vidjeti, and rekao (told) from reći. With a second-person subject, you say radio si (Radio si previše — You worked too much), and for third-person plural, radili su (Radili su do kasno — They worked until late).

To negate a past-tense sentence, keep the participle but replace sam, si, je and so on with the negative forms nisam, nisi, nije. For example, nisam radio jučer means "I did not work yesterday," and nisam išao na posao means "I did not go to work." This pattern is consistent regardless of which verb the participle comes from, which makes it easy to negate any past-tense clause once you have the affirmative version in mind.

The future tense (futur I) uses a different construction: the infinitive of the main verb is followed by a short form of htjeti — ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će. So radit ću sutra means "I will work tomorrow," ići ću u kino means "I will go to the cinema," and doći ćemo u osam means "We will come at eight." To make the future negative, the helping verb becomes neću, nećeš, neće and so on while the infinitive stays in place: neću doći means "I will not come," and neću moći doći sutra means "I will not be able to come tomorrow."

Modal verbs in Croatian express obligation, ability, need, desire, and permission. Morati means "to have to" or "must," as in moram ići (I have to go). Moći means "can" or "to be able to," so ne mogu doći translates as "I cannot come." Trebati means "to need" or "should," appearing in trebam pomoć (I need help). Htjeti is the straightforward "to want," used in hoću vodu (I want water). Smjeti means "to be allowed to" or "may," and its negative is very common: ne smiješ pušiti ovdje means "You must not smoke here," where "must not" really means "are not allowed to."

When you want to make a polite request, the conditional form of htjeti is the standard. A man says htio bih and a woman says htjela bih, both meaning "I would like." A typical sentence is htio bih kavu, molim (I would like a coffee, please). To ask whether someone is willing to do something, build a question with hoćeš li plus an infinitive: hoćeš li mi pomoći, molim te? means "Will you help me, please?"

Prepositions in Croatian always govern a specific grammatical case, and the choice of case often shifts the meaning. The preposition u (in/into) is the clearest example: when u expresses motion toward the inside of a place, it takes the accusative, as in idem u grad (I am going into town); when u expresses location, it takes the locative, as in ja sam u gradu (I am in town). The preposition s or sa (with) takes the instrumental case, used in idem s prijateljem (I am going with a friend). Bez means "without" and is followed by the genitive, producing phrases like kava bez šećera (Coffee without sugar). The directional preposition prema (towards) governs the dative, so idemo prema centru means "We are going towards the centre." The preposition kod (at someone's place) also takes the genitive, used in bio sam kod liječnika (I was at the doctor's).

A handful of common locutions are worth memorising in their idiomatic forms. Kod kuće means "at home," as in ostajem kod kuće (I am staying at home). To refer to going to a person rather than merely being at their place, you can say k liječniku with the dative or stay with kod liječnika; either appears in moram ići k liječniku (I have to go to the doctor). Note that this k-versus-kod alternation parallels the u accusative versus u locative alternation: one form encodes motion toward, while the other encodes presence at.

A shopping trip starts with the names of places. A trgovina or dućan is a shop, as in trgovina se zatvara u devet (The shop closes at nine). A tržnica is an outdoor market, used in idem na tržnicu po povrće (I am going to the market for vegetables). Buying is kupiti or kupovati (kupio sam kruh — I bought bread), and selling is prodati or prodavati (prodaju voće na tržnici — They sell fruit at the market). The noun for money is novac (masculine), so nemam dovoljno novca means "I do not have enough money." To ask the price, use koliko košta? (How much does it cost?), and you can comment on the answer with skupo je (it is expensive) or jeftino je (it is cheap). Phrases you may hear and use include imate li popust? (Do you have a discount?) and mogu li dobiti račun? (Can I get the receipt?), where popust or the related rasprodaja refers to a discount or sale.

When you are browsing, you can politely let the shopkeeper know with hvala, samo gledam (Thanks, I am just looking). If you want to try on clothes, ask mogu li probati? Clothing sizes are expressed with veličina or, more often, broj, as in koji broj nosite? (What size do you wear?). To pay, use platiti, choosing between karticom (by card) and gotovinom (in cash), as in želim platiti karticom and platit ću gotovinom.

Travel opens up another set of frequent nouns and verbs. The basic means of transport are vlak (train), autobus (bus), and autom or kolima (car), and the activity itself is putovati, seen in volim putovati vlakom (I like travelling by train). Tickets are called karta, and you can specify a karta u jednom smjeru (one-way ticket) or a povratna karta (return ticket). To inquire about schedules, ask kada polazi? (When does it leave?) — for example, kada polazi sljedeći vlak? — or kada stiže? (When does it arrive?). Major hubs are the kolodvor (station) and zračna luka or aerodrom (airport). To find your way, ask kako doći do...? (How do I get to...?) and follow the directions: lijevo (left), desno (right), ravno (straight ahead), blizu (near), or daleko (far).

Restaurant vocabulary centres on the three daily meals: doručak (breakfast), ručak (lunch), and večera (dinner). Asking for the menu, you say mogu li dobiti jelovnik?, and you signal the konobar (waiter) when you are ready. Orders are introduced politely with phrases like želio bih... or za mene..., molim (for example, za mene juha, molim — Soup for me, please). To comment on the food, use ukusno or fino (delicious), as in bilo je jako ukusno. At the end of the meal, ask račun, molim (the bill, please). Common ingredients include povrće (vegetables), voće (fruit), and meso (meat), and to express hunger or thirst, say gladan sam (masculine) or žedna sam (feminine).

Domestic vocabulary begins with the dwelling itself. A kuća is a house, and a stan is a flat or apartment; you might hear živim u malom stanu (I live in a small flat). Inside, the rooms are kuhinja (kitchen), spavaća soba (bedroom), and kupaonica (bathroom), as in gdje je kupaonica? (Where is the bathroom?) or kuhinja je nova (The kitchen is new). Renting a place is iznajmiti, so iznajmili smo stan means "We rented a flat," and a neighbour is susjed (masculine) or susjeda (feminine), as in susjedi su tihi (The neighbours are quiet).

The family is described with a small set of nouns. Husband and wife are suprug or muž and supruga or žena, as in moj suprug radi od kuće (My husband works from home) and njegova supruga je liječnica (His wife is a doctor). The basic word for child is dijete, and its irregular plural is djeca — djeca se igraju vani means "The children are playing outside." The collective noun is obitelj, used in moja obitelj živi u Splitu (My family lives in Split).

Daily routines lean heavily on reflexive verbs. Ustati is "to get up" (ustajem u šest sati — I get up at six o'clock), and ići spavati or leći is "to go to bed" (idem spavati u jedanaest). Washing is oprati se or tuširati se (tuširam se ujutro — I shower in the morning), getting dressed is obući se (brzo sam se obukao — I got dressed quickly), and resting is odmoriti se (moram se odmoriti — I need to rest). To talk about learning, use učiti, as in učim hrvatski dvije godine (I have been learning Croatian for two years). Memory uses zapamtiti or sjećati se (to remember) versus zaboraviti (to forget), as in ne sjećam se njegovog imena (I do not remember his name) and zaboravio sam ključeve (I forgot the keys). Comprehension is razumjeti, used in ne razumijem, možete li ponoviti? (I do not understand, can you repeat?). Two phrases help you manage the conversation itself: možete li govoriti sporije? (Can you speak more slowly?) and kako se kaže... na hrvatskom? (How do you say... in Croatian?).

Health vocabulary starts with body parts and complaints. The word glava means "head," and the very common construction boli me... means "it hurts me": boli me glava (My head hurts) and boli me grlo (My throat hurts). A doctor is liječnik (masculine) or liječnica (feminine), often found in a ljekarna (pharmacy) for a lijek (medicine), as in uzimam lijek dvaput dnevno (I take the medicine twice a day). To say you are ill, use bolestan sam (masculine) or bolesna sam (feminine): bolestan sam, ostajem kod kuće and bolesna sam već tri dana both mean "I am ill." Reporting progress uses osjećam se bolje (I feel better), and a doctor's appointment is a termin, as in imam termin u deset (I have an appointment at ten). A larger facility for emergencies is a bolnica (hospital), seen in odveli su ga u bolnicu (They took him to hospital).

The workplace has its own cluster of nouns. Posao means work or job (tražim novi posao — I am looking for a new job), the workplace is an ured (radim u uredu — I work in an office), and a meeting is a sastanak (sastanak je u ponedjeljak — The meeting is on Monday). Your colleagues are kolega or kolegica, and the salary is plaća, as in plaća stiže petnaestog (The salary arrives on the fifteenth). Time off is godišnji odmor, used in idem na godišnji odmor u srpnju (I am going on holiday in July). To say you are busy, use zauzet sam (masculine) or zauzeta sam (feminine), as in danas sam jako zauzet. Useful action verbs in this context include početi (to begin), used in posao počinje u osam (Work begins at eight), and završiti (to finish), as in završio sam projekt (I finished the project).

Communication is built around a set of high-frequency verbs. Pomoći means "to help": možeš li mi pomoći? is "Can you help me?" Pokušati is "to try," as in pokušat ću ponovno (I will try again). Čekati is "to wait," used in čekam te pred kinom (I am waiting for you in front of the cinema). Upoznati introduces someone: drago mi je što smo se upoznali means "Nice to have met you." To arrange a meeting, use naći se, as in nađimo se u šest (Let us meet at six). Talking on the phone is nazvati (nazvat ću te večeras — I will call you tonight), replying is odgovoriti (nije odgovorio na poruku — He did not answer the message), asking is pitati (smijem li nešto pitati? — May I ask something?), and thinking is misliti (mislim da je to dobra ideja — I think that is a good idea).

Two verbs both translate as "to know," but with different scopes. Znati refers to facts and skills: znam gdje je means "I know where it is," and znam odgovor means "I know the answer." Poznavati refers to being acquainted with a person or familiar with a place: poznajem ga godinama means "I have known him for years." The two can appear in the same sentence, as in znam odgovor, ali ne poznajem njega (I know the answer, but I do not know him). Expressed needs use treba mi or trebam, as in treba mi pomoć (I need help), and an urgent departure uses moram ići sad, as in žao mi je, moram ići sad (I am sorry, I have to go now).

A small group of words covers the most common time references. Jučer is yesterday, sutra is tomorrow, prekjučer the day before yesterday, and prekosutra the day after tomorrow — for example, jučer sam bio umoran (Yesterday I was tired) and prekosutra putujem (The day after tomorrow I am travelling). Weeks are referred to with prošli tjedan (last week) and sljedeći tjedan (next week), as in prošli tjedan sam bio bolestan (Last week I was ill) and sljedeći tjedan počinjem (Next week I start).

How often an action happens is described with adverbs of frequency. Uvijek means "always" (uvijek pijem kavu ujutro — I always drink coffee in the morning). Nikad or nikada means "never" (nikad ne kasnim — I am never late). Ponekad is "sometimes," često is "often," rijetko is "rarely," and obično is "usually," as in obično ustajem u šest (I usually get up at six). For a regular cadence, use svaki dan (every day), as in svaki dan učim hrvatski.

The noun for weather is vrijeme, used in the question kakvo je vrijeme danas? (What is the weather like today?). Specific conditions are expressed with impersonal constructions: pada kiša (it is raining), pada snijeg (it is snowing), vruće je (it is hot), and hladno je (it is cold). Other weather nouns are sunce (sun) and vjetar (wind), as in puše jak vjetar (A strong wind is blowing) and sunce sja (The sun is shining). The four seasons are proljeće (spring), ljeto (summer), jesen (autumn), and zima (winter); ljeto je moje omiljeno godišnje doba means "Summer is my favourite season," and zima je duga means "The winter is long."

Comparatives in Croatian often have forms that need to be memorised because they do not always follow a single regular rule. Velik (big) becomes veći (bigger), used in ovaj stan je veći (This flat is bigger). Dobar (good) becomes bolji (better), as in ovo je bolje rješenje (This is a better solution). Loš (bad) becomes gori (worse), as in vrijeme je gore nego jučer (The weather is worse than yesterday). The superlative is built by adding the prefix naj- to the comparative, so najbolji means "the best" (ovo je najbolji restoran — This is the best restaurant). To compare two things, use nego (or od) after a comparative: viši je nego ja means "He is taller than me." The plain comparative words for quantity are više (more) and manje (less), as in trebam više vremena (I need more time) and danas radim manje (Today I work less).

Conjunctions connect clauses and express logical relationships. Jer or zato što introduces a reason: ne idem jer sam umoran (I am not going because I am tired). Ali is the everyday "but," as in htio bih doći, ali ne mogu (I would like to come, but I cannot). Ako introduces a condition (ako pada kiša, ostajemo doma — If it rains, we stay home). The temporal conjunction is kad or kada, used in nazovi me kad stigneš (Call me when you arrive). Da introduces a clause meaning "that," as in mislim da imaš pravo (I think that you are right). Iako means "although": iako je kasno, idem van (Although it is late, I am going out).

Reactions and feelings use short adjectives, adverbs, and idiomatic phrases. Naravno means "of course" (naravno da mogu pomoći), and možda means "maybe" (možda dođem kasnije). To agree or disagree, use slažem se or ne slažem se, as in slažem se s tobom (I agree with you) and ne slažem se s tom odlukom (I do not agree with that decision). Emotions are described with gendered adjectives: umoran or umorna (tired), sretan or sretna (happy), and ljut or ljuta (angry), used in umorna sam nakon posla (I am tired after work) and zašto si ljut? (Why are you angry?). Fear is expressed with the verb bojati se, as in bojim se letjeti (I am afraid of flying). Common adverbs for pace and timing are brzo (quickly), polako (slowly), rano (early), kasno (late), zajedno (together), and sam or sama (alone).

For preferences, voljeti means "to love" or "like deeply" — volim more means "I love the sea." The construction sviđati se describes finding something pleasing, with the person who likes appearing in the dative case: sviđa mi se ovaj grad means "I like this city," and the two can appear together as in volim je, ali ne sviđa mi se njezin stan (I love her, but I do not like her flat). A few stock phrases cover routine social interactions: apologise with oprostite (formal) or oprosti (informal), as in oprostite, kasnim (Sorry, I am late); ease the moment with nema problema (no problem) or nije važno (it does not matter); say goodbye with vidimo se kasnije (see you later); and add the warm čuvaj se (take care).