Day 1: Foundations: Greetings, Politeness & First Introduction
Getting started and being polite
Greet people, say thank you, apologize, and introduce yourself simply.
Objectives
- Greet people and say goodbye
- Say thank you and apologize
- Introduce yourself with name and where you live
- Ask Gdje je…? and Mogu li…?
Vocabulary
Tap play to hear pronunciation (browser speech engine).
Bok
Hi / Bye (casual)
Dobar dan
Good day
Dobro jutro
Good morning
Dobra večer
Good evening
Doviđenja
Goodbye
Hvala
Thank you
Hvala lijepa
Thank you very much
Nema na čemu
You're welcome
Oprostite
Excuse me / Sorry (polite)
Žao mi je
I'm sorry
Da
Yes
Ne
No
Molim
Please / You're welcome / Pardon?
Zovem se…
My name is…
Živim u…
I live in…
Radim u…
I work in…
Gdje je…?
Where is…?
Mogu li…?
May I / Can I…?
| Target | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bok | Hi / Bye (casual) | ||
| Dobar dan | Good day | ||
| Dobro jutro | Good morning | ||
| Dobra večer | Good evening | ||
| Doviđenja | Goodbye | ||
| Hvala | Thank you | ||
| Hvala lijepa | Thank you very much | ||
| Nema na čemu | You're welcome | ||
| Oprostite | Excuse me / Sorry (polite) | ||
| Žao mi je | I'm sorry | ||
| Da | Yes | ||
| Ne | No | ||
| Molim | Please / You're welcome / Pardon? | ||
| Zovem se… | My name is… | ||
| Živim u… | I live in… | ||
| Radim u… | I work in… | ||
| Gdje je…? | Where is…? | ||
| Mogu li…? | May I / Can I…? |
Patterns
Introducing yourself
Basic self-introduction
- Zovem se + [ime]
- Živim u + [mjesto]
- Radim u + [mjesto/tvrtka]
Polite requests
Asking permission
- Mogu li + [glagol]?
- Mogu li pitati?
- Mogu li dobiti…?
Finding things
Asking for locations
- Gdje je + [stvar/mjesto]?
- Gdje je WC?
- Gdje je autobus?
Speaking Practice
Record yourself, listen back, and download anything worth keeping.
Greeting + Introduction
Bok. Zovem se [tvoje ime]. Živim u Zagrebu. Radim u Hrvatskoj.
Polite version
Dobar dan. Oprostite. Zovem se [ime]. Hvala lijepa.
Asking for help
Oprostite. Gdje je WC?
Oprostite. Gdje je autobus?
Full baseline recording (45–60 seconds)
Save this recording — compare it on Day 30
Bok. Zovem se [ime]. Dolazim iz Amerike. Živim u Hrvatskoj. Radim ovdje. Hvala lijepa.
Writing Practice
- Introduce yourself in 3–4 short sentences.
- Write 5 ways to say thank you or apologize.
- Write 3 Gdje je…? questions for your first week.
Scenario: Entering a shop
You greet someone and ask a simple question.
You: Dobar dan.
Them: Dobar dan.
You: Oprostite. Gdje je [WC / lift / trgovina]?
Them: [pokazuje / odgovara]
You: Hvala lijepa. Doviđenja.
Immersion Tasks
- Add a Croatian keyboard on your phone
- Label 5 home objects in Croatian (vrata, prozor, stol, stolica, krevet)
- Speak only Croatian out loud for 2 minutes
Self-Check
- Greet someone and say goodbye
- Say thank you very much
- Say excuse me / sorry
- Introduce yourself with name + city + work
- Ask Where is…?