How to Speak Basic Croatian
In Croatian there are five or six vowels, depending on what you count, since R can sometimes function as a vowel., In Croatian there are 25 consonants: B, b: as the "b" in "bag", C, c: as the "ts" in "cats"., After you read the pronunciation, you're...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: In Croatian there are five or six vowels
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A, a:
Stressed /a/ sounds like the "a" of Spanish or Italian "mano".
English-speakers should aim for a sound that is between the "a" of "fat" and the "a" of "father"
but somewhat closer to the latter.
Unstressed /a/ generally approaches the sound of "u" in English "cup" or, especially when final, the "a" of "sofa".
E, e:
Stressed /e/ generally comes close to the "e" of English "bed"; in the vicinity of /j/, however, Croatian /e/ sounds more like the "a" of English "make".
The unstressed variety sounds like a cross between the "e" of "bed" and the "u" of "bud".
I, i:
Stressed /i/ is pronounced like the "i" of Spanish or Italian "si".
It is similar to the "i" of English "police"
but shorter than the diphthong of English "green" or "seed".
Unstressed /i/ is more like the "i" of English "sit"
or, better, German "mit".
O, o:
Stressed /o/ is quite close to the "o" of Spanish "bola" or English "port".
Unstressed /o/ tends to sound a little more like the "u" of American English "putt".
U, u:
Stressed /u/ is similar to the "u" of Spanish or Italian "tu" or the "oo" of English "boot".
When unstressed, /u/ sounds more like the "u" of English "put".
R, r (which isn't always counted as a vowel, depending on its function in the context):
Stressed or unstressed syllabic /r/ consists of a short schwa , as in Spanish "rojo" or "perro" (see also the "consonantal /r/" below).
The initial syllable of "Hrvat"
for example, sounds roughly like English "her" pronounced with a trilled /r/. , This phoneme can occur word-initially in Croatian, a position it does not occupy in standard English.
In vernacular English, however, the sound does occur initially in "'tsup?"
an abbreviation of the phrase "What's up?" Č ,č: as the "ch" in "check" Ć ,ć: no English equivalent.
Place the tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth and try to produce a "mixed sound" between the "ch" of "check" and the "t" (actually "ty") of British English "tune" D, d: as the "d" in "dog"
except that the tip of the tongue touches the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum, as in English Dž, dž as "j" in "jeep" or "jungle"
but pronounced harder than in English Đ ,đ: no English equivalent.
Place the tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth and try to produce a "mixed sound" between the "j" of "jar" and the "d" (actually "dy") of British English "duke" F, f: as the "f" in English "fun" G, g: as the "g" in English "get" H, h: as the "j" of Spanish "mujer" or the "ch" of German "ach"
but generally softer, less "harsh"-sounding than these.
In unstressed syllables, /h/ may approach the of English "hot".
Some speakers use in all positions.
J, j: as the "y" of English "yes" or the "y" of English "boy"
depending on whether it occurs at the beginning or the end of a syllable K, k: as the "c" of Spanish or Italian "caro" or the "unaspirated 'k'" of English "ski" L, l: as the "clear 'l'" of British English "like" or "let"(or that of Spanish or Italian "la").
In American English, these words may be pronounced with a "clear 'l'" or with a much "darker" variety similar to that which occurs at the ends of English words such as "dull" and "call".
Croatian /l/ is always "clear".
In addition, the tip of the tongue touches the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum, as in English.
LJ, lj: as the British English pronunciation of the "lli" in "million"
i.e., with a "clear 'l'" followed by a short "y"-sound M, m: as the "m" in "meet" N, n: as the "n" in "note"
but with the tip of the tongue touching the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum, as in English NJ, nj: as the "ni" in "onion"
i.e., an "n" followed by a short "y"-sound P, p: as the "p" in Spanish or Italian "palma" or the "unaspirated 'p'" of English "spy" R, r: as the "r" of Spanish or Italian "caro"
i.e., a single flap of the tongue against the upper gum.
This sound occurs in some Britons' pronunciation of the "r" of "very"
which Americans hear as "veddy"
as well as in most Americans' pronunciation of the "dd" in "ladder" and the "tt" of "latter"
when these words are made to rhyme.
Note:
Croatian "r" may also function as a vowel (see above).
S, s: as the "s" in English "six" Š ,š : [] as the "sh" in English "ship" T, t: as the "t" in Spanish or Italian "tu" or the "unaspirated 't'" of English "stop"
except that the tip of the tongue touches the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum V, v: as the "w" in Dutch "wat".
When preceeding /e/ and /i/ in stressed syllables, the Croatian /v/ sounds similar to the English "v" in "vat"
but with a "looser"
more lax, contact between the lower lip and the upper teeth.
When unstressed or preceeding /a/, /o/ and /u/, Croatian /v/ is weaker still, sounding to English-speakers much like the "w" of "war" Z ,z: as the "z" in English "zero" Ž ,ž: [] as the "s" in "measure" or the "zh" in "Zhivago"
I'm never going to learn it all!" But don't worry.
It's really quite simple. , -
Step 2: depending on what you count
(KAH-ko steh) ,, (NiSAM dowbro) , (KA-ko say zoveish) ,
-Koliko imaš godina? (Koleeko ee-mash go-dee-NA) , (O-pro-stee-te, nay raz-oom-ee-yem) , (gowe-vor-ee-TEh lee Ehn-GLEH-skee) ,(gdje-j(as y in yawn)-e(as in elephant)-wc-(the ve in very and tse) ,,, (MO-zhay-tay lee me po-MOchy) ,,, -
Step 3: since R can sometimes function as a vowel.
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Step 4: In Croatian there are 25 consonants: B
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Step 5: b: as the "b" in "bag"
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Step 6: c: as the "ts" in "cats".
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Step 7: After you read the pronunciation
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Step 8: you're probably thinking: "Gosh!
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Step 9: Hello- Bok!
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Step 10: How Are You?- Kako ste?
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Step 11: I am good- Ja sam dobro (Ya SAM dowbro)
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Step 12: I am not well - Nisam dobro.
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Step 13: What is your name?- Kako se zoveš?
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Step 14: How old are you?
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Step 15: I do not understand- Oprostite
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Step 16: ne razumijem.
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Step 17: Do you speak English?- Govorite li engleski?
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Step 18: Where is the bathroom?- Gdje je wc?
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Step 19: Excuse Me- Oprostite (o-pro-STEE-te)
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Step 20: I would like- Želio bih... (Zhay-LEO bee)
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Step 21: Can you help me?- Možete li mi pomoći?
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Step 22: Thank You- Hvala (Hiv-AH-la)
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Step 23: Please- molim (Mow-LEEM )
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Step 24: I Love you- Volim te (VO-lim te)
Detailed Guide
:
A, a:
Stressed /a/ sounds like the "a" of Spanish or Italian "mano".
English-speakers should aim for a sound that is between the "a" of "fat" and the "a" of "father"
but somewhat closer to the latter.
Unstressed /a/ generally approaches the sound of "u" in English "cup" or, especially when final, the "a" of "sofa".
E, e:
Stressed /e/ generally comes close to the "e" of English "bed"; in the vicinity of /j/, however, Croatian /e/ sounds more like the "a" of English "make".
The unstressed variety sounds like a cross between the "e" of "bed" and the "u" of "bud".
I, i:
Stressed /i/ is pronounced like the "i" of Spanish or Italian "si".
It is similar to the "i" of English "police"
but shorter than the diphthong of English "green" or "seed".
Unstressed /i/ is more like the "i" of English "sit"
or, better, German "mit".
O, o:
Stressed /o/ is quite close to the "o" of Spanish "bola" or English "port".
Unstressed /o/ tends to sound a little more like the "u" of American English "putt".
U, u:
Stressed /u/ is similar to the "u" of Spanish or Italian "tu" or the "oo" of English "boot".
When unstressed, /u/ sounds more like the "u" of English "put".
R, r (which isn't always counted as a vowel, depending on its function in the context):
Stressed or unstressed syllabic /r/ consists of a short schwa , as in Spanish "rojo" or "perro" (see also the "consonantal /r/" below).
The initial syllable of "Hrvat"
for example, sounds roughly like English "her" pronounced with a trilled /r/. , This phoneme can occur word-initially in Croatian, a position it does not occupy in standard English.
In vernacular English, however, the sound does occur initially in "'tsup?"
an abbreviation of the phrase "What's up?" Č ,č: as the "ch" in "check" Ć ,ć: no English equivalent.
Place the tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth and try to produce a "mixed sound" between the "ch" of "check" and the "t" (actually "ty") of British English "tune" D, d: as the "d" in "dog"
except that the tip of the tongue touches the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum, as in English Dž, dž as "j" in "jeep" or "jungle"
but pronounced harder than in English Đ ,đ: no English equivalent.
Place the tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth and try to produce a "mixed sound" between the "j" of "jar" and the "d" (actually "dy") of British English "duke" F, f: as the "f" in English "fun" G, g: as the "g" in English "get" H, h: as the "j" of Spanish "mujer" or the "ch" of German "ach"
but generally softer, less "harsh"-sounding than these.
In unstressed syllables, /h/ may approach the of English "hot".
Some speakers use in all positions.
J, j: as the "y" of English "yes" or the "y" of English "boy"
depending on whether it occurs at the beginning or the end of a syllable K, k: as the "c" of Spanish or Italian "caro" or the "unaspirated 'k'" of English "ski" L, l: as the "clear 'l'" of British English "like" or "let"(or that of Spanish or Italian "la").
In American English, these words may be pronounced with a "clear 'l'" or with a much "darker" variety similar to that which occurs at the ends of English words such as "dull" and "call".
Croatian /l/ is always "clear".
In addition, the tip of the tongue touches the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum, as in English.
LJ, lj: as the British English pronunciation of the "lli" in "million"
i.e., with a "clear 'l'" followed by a short "y"-sound M, m: as the "m" in "meet" N, n: as the "n" in "note"
but with the tip of the tongue touching the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum, as in English NJ, nj: as the "ni" in "onion"
i.e., an "n" followed by a short "y"-sound P, p: as the "p" in Spanish or Italian "palma" or the "unaspirated 'p'" of English "spy" R, r: as the "r" of Spanish or Italian "caro"
i.e., a single flap of the tongue against the upper gum.
This sound occurs in some Britons' pronunciation of the "r" of "very"
which Americans hear as "veddy"
as well as in most Americans' pronunciation of the "dd" in "ladder" and the "tt" of "latter"
when these words are made to rhyme.
Note:
Croatian "r" may also function as a vowel (see above).
S, s: as the "s" in English "six" Š ,š : [] as the "sh" in English "ship" T, t: as the "t" in Spanish or Italian "tu" or the "unaspirated 't'" of English "stop"
except that the tip of the tongue touches the backs of the upper teeth, rather than the gum V, v: as the "w" in Dutch "wat".
When preceeding /e/ and /i/ in stressed syllables, the Croatian /v/ sounds similar to the English "v" in "vat"
but with a "looser"
more lax, contact between the lower lip and the upper teeth.
When unstressed or preceeding /a/, /o/ and /u/, Croatian /v/ is weaker still, sounding to English-speakers much like the "w" of "war" Z ,z: as the "z" in English "zero" Ž ,ž: [] as the "s" in "measure" or the "zh" in "Zhivago"
I'm never going to learn it all!" But don't worry.
It's really quite simple. ,
(KAH-ko steh) ,, (NiSAM dowbro) , (KA-ko say zoveish) ,
-Koliko imaš godina? (Koleeko ee-mash go-dee-NA) , (O-pro-stee-te, nay raz-oom-ee-yem) , (gowe-vor-ee-TEh lee Ehn-GLEH-skee) ,(gdje-j(as y in yawn)-e(as in elephant)-wc-(the ve in very and tse) ,,, (MO-zhay-tay lee me po-MOchy) ,,,
About the Author
Isabella Turner
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
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