How to Tell Time and Dates in Croatian for English Speakers

Understanding the Croatian Clock System

In Croatian, telling time can be done using both the 12-hour and 24-hour clock systems. The 24-hour clock is commonly used in formal contexts such as schedules and timetables, while the 12-hour clock is more common in everyday conversation, often accompanied by words like ujutro (in the morning), popodne (in the afternoon), or navečer (in the evening).

Basic Vocabulary for Telling Time

Here are some essential Croatian words and phrases related to time:

• sat – hour/clock
• minuta – minute
• sekunda – second
• ujutro – in the morning
• popodne – in the afternoon
• navečer – in the evening
• ponoć – midnight
• podne – noon

How to Ask for the Time in Croatian

To ask someone what time it is, you can say:

• Koliko je sati? – What time is it?
• Koje je vrijeme? – What is the time?

Telling the Time in Croatian

When telling the time, Croatians usually say the hour first, followed by the minutes. For example:

• Tri sata – Three o'clock
• Tri i petnaest – Three fifteen (3:15)
• Petnaest do četiri – Quarter to four (3:45)
• Četiri i pola – Half past four (4:30)

Note that i means "and", do means "to", and pola means "half". The phrase petnaest do četiri literally translates to "fifteen to four."

Using the 24-Hour Clock

In formal settings, the 24-hour clock is used, especially in writing. For example, 14:30 is read as četrnaest trideset (fourteen thirty). Minutes are simply stated after the hour without additional words.

Dates in Croatian

Basic Vocabulary for Dates

Here are some important words related to dates:

• dan – day
• tjedan – week
• mjesec – month
• godina – year
• danas – today
• jučer – yesterday
• sutra – tomorrow

Days of the Week in Croatian

• ponedjeljak – Monday
• utorak – Tuesday
• srijeda – Wednesday
• četvrtak – Thursday
• petak – Friday
• subota – Saturday
• nedjelja – Sunday

Months of the Year in Croatian

• siječanj – January
• veljača – February
• ožujak – March
• travanj – April
• svibanj – May
• lipanj – June
• srpanj – July
• kolovoz – August
• rujan – September
• listopad – October
• studeni – November
• prosinac – December

How to Say Dates in Croatian

The typical format for dates in Croatian is day-month-year. For example, 5th of May 2024 is said as petog svibnja dvije tisuće dvadeset i četvrte godine. Notice that the day and year are in the genitive case.

Here is how to say the date:

• petog – fifth (day in genitive)
• svibnja – of May (month in genitive)
• dvije tisuće dvadeset i četvrte godine – two thousand twenty-fourth year (year in genitive)

Common Phrases for Dates