Gracie Limauro
, February 23, 2023

A Useful Guide To Croatian Adverbs: 50+ Examples & How To Use Them

In any language, adverbs are the part of speech that gives that extra ‘oomph’ to sentences. That ‘oomph’ can be described as extra emotion, beauty, and detail. The adverb’s job is to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. This means that they bring precision and detail into sentences, making language so beautiful and worth learning!

This article focuses on Croatian adverbs, or ‘prilozi’ as they are called in Croatian. English students remember adverbs because they usually end in ‘ly’ (examples: quietly, carefully, calmly, etc).

Though it’s not the same in Croatian, there are similarities in how English and Croatian adverbs are categorized. Both languages use adverbs that fall into 5 categories: time, place, frequency, manner, and degree.

In this article, we will look at the placement and formation of Croatian adverbs, how to use them in a sentence, and give you examples of useful Croatian adverbs that native speakers use on a day-to-day basis. Let’s get started!

Five Types Of Croatian Adverbs

Croatian Adverbs Of Time

Adverbs of time tell you when something is happening. This is common in daily interactions, so pay attention because you will frequently use these words in everyday conversations!

Adverbs of time answer types of questions that use when? (kada), since? (otkada), and until when? (dokada).

Time to get learning! Let’s take a look at some adverbs of time in Croatian & example sentences.

*Notice how all of these adverbs start each sentence. It’s common in Croatian for adverbs of time to begin a sentence. In English, you can also begin sentences with adverbs of time, though it’s not necessary.

For example, in English:

Yesterday, I said goodbye.

I said goodbye yesterday.

This sentence has the same meaning. In Croatian, you put the adverb first.

English	Croatian	Example Sentence	Translation	Pronunciation
Now	Sada	Sada sam tužan.	I am sad now.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Sada[/Speechword]
Never	Nikada	Nikada ne odlaze.	They never leave.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Nikada[/Speechword]
Yesterday	Jučer	Jučer sam se oprostio.	I said goodbye yesterday.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Jučer[/Speechword]
Today	Danas	Danas sam sretan.	I am happy today.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Danas[/Speechword]
Tomorrow	Sutra	Sutra ću plivati.	Tomorrow I will swim.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Sutra[/Speechword]
This week	Ovaj	Ovaj tjedan imam nastavu.	I have class this week.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Ovaj[/Speechword]
Tonight	Večeras	Večeras ću izaći van.	I will go out tonight.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Večeras[/Speechword]
Next week	Sljedeći tjedan	Sljedeći tjedan imam ispit.	I have an exam next week.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Sljedeći tjedan[/Speechword]

Croatian Adverbs Of Place

Adverbs of place tell you where something is happening. These words are frequently used in everyday situations, so it’s essential to master them if you want to improve your speaking skills in Dutch.

Adverbs of place answer types of questions that use where? (gdje), how long? (dokle), and where to? (kamo).

Let’s take a look at some adverbs of place in Croatian & example sentences.

English	Croatian	Example Sentence	Translation	Pronunciation
Here	Ovdje	Moja sestra živi ovdje.	My sister lives here.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Ovdje[/Speechword]
There / Over there	Tamo	Djeca su se tamo igrala.	The kids were playing there.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Tamo[/Speechword]
Far	Daleko	Daleko su.	They are far away.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Daleko[/Speechword]
Everywhere	Svagdje / Posvuda	Pčele su bile posvuda.	The bees were everywhere.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Svagdje[/Speechword] / [Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Posvuda[/Speechword]
Outside	Vani	Jeli smo vani.	We ate outside.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Vani[/Speechword]
Inside	Unutra	Ja sam unutra.	I am inside.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Unutra[/Speechword]
Somewhere	Negdje	Tamo je negdje.	It is somewhere over there.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Negdje[/Speechword]
Nowhere	Nigdje	Nema ih nigdje.	They are nowhere.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Nigdje[/Speechword]

Croatian Adverbs Of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency tell you how often something happens. They add details that are useful to gauge when speaking to a person about their daily routine, likes and dislikes, and special occasions.

Adverbs of frequency answer types of questions that use how many times? (koliko puta), how much? (koliko).

Let’s look at examples of adverbs of frequency and sentences to help you.

English	Croatian	Example Sentence	Translation	Pronunciation
Never	Nikada	Nikad ne jedeš sladoled.	You never eat ice cream.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Nikada[/Speechword]
Rarely	Rijetko	Rijetko pijete alkohol.	Rarely do you drink alcohol.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Rijetko[/Speechword]
Usually	Obično	Obično se rano probudim.	Usually, I wake up early.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Obično[/Speechword]
Often	Često	Često puta jedemo zajedno.	Often times we eat together.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Često[/Speechword]
Sometimes	Ponekad	Ponekad plačeš.	You cry sometimes.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Ponekad[/Speechword]
Almost	Skoro	Skoro sam otišao.	I almost left.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Skoro[/Speechword]
Always	Uvijek	Uvijek ću te voljeti.	I will love you always.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Uvijek[/Speechword]

Croatian Adverbs Of Manner

Adverbs of manner are descriptor words usually ending in ‘ly’ in English. This is what we think of when we first think of adverbs. They add juice and beauty to sentences to give vivid descriptions and enlighten language.

Adverbs of manner answer types of questions that use how? (kako). How can you give detail to describe something?

Listen up to the examples for adverbs of manner and sentence structure. This will help you to make sentences sound beautiful!

English	Croatian	Example Sentence	Translation	Pronunciation
Angrily	Ljutito	Ljutito je projurio kraj mene.	He stormed past me angrily.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Ljutito[/Speechword]
Happily	Sretno	Pizzu sam sretno pojela.	I ate the pizza happily.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Sretno[/Speechword]
Beautifully	Lijepo	Lijepo je plesala.	She danced beautifully.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Lijepo[/Speechword]
Loudly	Glasno	Priča glasno.	He talks loudly.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Glasno[/Speechword]
Easily	Lako	Dolazi lako.	It comes easily.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Lako[/Speechword]
Badly	Loše	Veza je loše završila.	The relationship ended badly.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Loše[/Speechword]
Quickly	Brzo	Brzo sam potrčao.	I ran quickly.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Brzo[/Speechword]
Carefully	Pažljivo	Pažljivo je prošao pokraj.	He walked carefully past.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Pažljivo[/Speechword]

Croatian Adverbs Of Degree

Adverbs of degree tell you to what extent something is happening. They are helpful when expressing strong feelings, whether they be good or bad.

Adverbs of degree answer types of questions that use why? (zašto), for what? (zbog čega).

Below are examples sentences and adverbs of degree.

English	Croatian	Example Sentence	Translation	Pronunciation
Very	Vrlo	Ja sam vrlo tužan.	I am very sad.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Vrlo[/Speechword]
Completely	Potpuno	Potpuno ste u pravu.	You are completely right.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Potpuno[/Speechword]
A lot	Puno	Puno izlazim.	I go out a lot.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Puno[/Speechword]
Hardly	Jedva	Jedva da mi šalješ poruke.	You hardly text me.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Jedva[/Speechword]
A bit	Malo	Malo sam umoran.	I am a bit tired.	[Speechword voice=”Croatian Male” isinline]Malo[/Speechword]

Wrapping Up

Adverbs are the underrated ‘part of speech’ in language. They are used in almost every sentence and are essential to know if you want to improve your conversational speaking skills.

It would be best if you felt confident in your understanding of the placement of Croatian adverbs. Start practicing using the example sentences as a guide. You got this!

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