Knowing how to tell time is practical. But if you’re about to be traveling, making appointments, or simply having a casual conversation, it can also be rewarding. While it may seem a bit challenging at first, learning how to tell time in Croatian becomes pretty straightforward once you understand the numbers and key phrases.
In this blog, we’ll break down all the vocabulary you need, from basic numbers to expressing time on the hour, half-past the hour, and more.
Table Of Contents
How To Tell Time In Croatian
In order to tell time in Croatian, you’ll first need to know how to ask for the time in Croatian.
The main phrase when asking for the time is: koliko je sati? (what time is it?)
Alternatively, you could also hear: koliko je sada sati? (what time is it now?)
Numbers In Croatian
Next, you’ll need to learn how to say the numbers in Croatian. Here’s a quick guide on how to say them:
| Number | Croatian name |
|---|---|
| 0 | nula |
| 1 | jedan |
| 2 | dva |
| 3 | tri |
| 4 | četiri (often shortened to četri) |
| 5 | pet |
| 6 | šest |
| 7 | sedam |
| 8 | osam |
| 9 | devet |
| 10 | deset |
Numbers 11 to 19 follow a simple pattern where you take the base number and add “-naest” at the end. So, we get:
| Number | Croatian name |
|---|---|
| 11 | jedanaest |
| 12 | dvanaest |
| 13 | trinaest |
| 14 | četrnaest |
| 15 | petnaest |
| 16 | šesnaest |
| 17 | sedamnaest |
| 18 | osamnaest |
| 19 | devetnaest |
Here’s a list of the rest of the numbers up to 60:
| Number | Croatian name |
|---|---|
| 20 | dvadeset |
| 21 | dvadeset jedan |
| 22 | dvadeset dva |
| 23 | dvadeset tri |
| 24 | dvadeset četiri |
| 25 | dvadeset pet |
| 26 | dvadeset šest |
| 27 | dvadeset sedam |
| 28 | dvadeset osam |
| 29 | dvadeset devet |
| 30 | trideset |
| 31 | trideset jedan |
| 32 | trideset dva |
| 33 | trideset tri |
| 34 | trideset četiri |
| 35 | trideset pet |
| 36 | trideset šest |
| 37 | trideset sedam |
| 38 | trideset osam |
| 39 | trideset devet |
| 40 | četrdeset |
| 41 | četrdeset jedan |
| 42 | četrdeset dva |
| 43 | četrdeset tri |
| 44 | četrdeset četiri |
| 45 | četrdeset pet |
| 46 | četrdeset šest |
| 47 | četrdeset sedam |
| 48 | četrdeset osam |
| 49 | četrdeset devet |
| 50 | pedeset |
| 51 | pedeset jedan |
| 52 | pedeset dva |
| 53 | pedeset tri |
| 54 | pedeset četiri |
| 55 | pedeset pet |
| 56 | pedeset šest |
| 57 | pedeset sedam |
| 58 | pedeset osam |
| 59 | pedeset devet |
| 60 | šezdeset |
Telling Time On The Hour
Now that you know all of the essential numbers, let’s look at how to express time on the hour. To say, “it’s one o’clock,” you would say:
- It is one o’clock – Jedan je sat
For two, three, and four o’clock, we use the genitive singular form of the word sat (hour), so you would say:
- It’s two o’clock – Dva sata su
- It’s three o’clock – Tri sata su
- It’s four o’clock – Četiri sata su
For five o’clock and beyond, you’ll use the genitive plural form of the word sati:
- It’s five o’clock – Pet je sati
- It’s six o’clock – Šest je sati
- It’s seven o’clock – Sedam je sati
- It’s eight o’clock – Osam je sati
- It’s nine o’clock – Devet je sati
- It’s ten o’clock – Deset je sati
- It’s eleven o’clock – Jedanaest je sati
- It’s twelve o’clock – Dvanaest je sati
Minutes Past The Hour
To say how many minutes is past the hour, use the word i (and) followed by the number of minutes. For example:
- It’s 20 minutes past 3 (3:20) – Tri i dvadeset
That means three and twenty.
Note that you can drop the hour if it’s already clear what time you’re talking about. So, saying i dvadeset by itself would still be understood as “and 20 minutes” past the hour already being discussed.
Half Past The Hour
In Croatian, to express ‘half past,’ you use the word pol (half) after the hour. For example:
- It’s half-past 3 (3:30) – Tri i pol
You can also say pola (half), followed by the next hour. For example:
- It’s 3:30 – Pola četiri (literally means halfway to four)
Minutes To The Hour
To express minutes to the next hour, the preposition do (to, until) is used. For example:
- It’s 5 minutes to 4 (3:55) – Pet do četiri
Similarly, for other examples:
- It’s 10 minutes to 5 (4:50) – Deset do pet
- It’s 2 minutes to 6 (5:58) – Dva do šest
Telling Time More Precisely
If you want to specify a more exact time, you can add the word točno (exactly). For example:
- Exactly at three o’clock – Točno u tri
If you want to be more relaxed about the time, you can use the word oko (around):
- Around two o’clock. – Oko dva
Noon And Midnight
In Croatian, there are special words for noon and midnight:
- Noon – Podne
- Midnight – Ponoć
For example:
- The bus arrives at noon – Autobus dolazi u podne.
- It’s already midnight – Već je ponoć.
Days Of The Week
It’s also useful to know the days of the week when telling time or scheduling events. Here are the days of the week in Croatian:
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| Monday | ponedjeljak |
| Tuesday | utorak |
| Wednesday | srijeda |
| Thursday | četvrtak |
| Friday | petak |
| Saturday | subota |
| Sunday | nedjelja |
When talking about an event happening on a particular day, use the preposition u (in/at), followed by the day of the week in the accusative case. For example:
- On Monday – U ponedjeljak
- On Tuesday – U utorak
- On Wednesday – U srijedu
- On Thursday – U četvrtak
- On Friday – U petak
- On Saturday – U subotu
- On Sunday – U nedjelju
Months
The Croatian calendar works in the same way as the Gregorian calendar used in many parts of the world, with each month having a specific name and duration. However, the Croatian names for the months are deeply rooted in local language, culture, and historical traditions.
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| January | siječanj |
| February | veljača |
| March | ožujak |
| April | travanj |
| May | svibanj |
| June | lipanj |
| July | srpanj |
| August | kolovoz |
| September | rujan |
| October | listopad |
| November | studeni |
| December | prosinac |
Weekend Plans
If you want to talk about something happening over the weekend, you can use the phrase za vikend:
- We’re going on a trip over the weekend. – Idemo na izlet za vikend.
Other Ways To Express Time
Croatian uses both the 12-hour and 24-hour systems. In formal settings like train schedules or TV guides, you’ll encounter the 24-hour system, where 3 PM becomes 15:00 (pronounced as petnaest sati). It’s a simple way to make sure everyone understands the time clearly and without confusion. It’s also quite common on official broadcasts to hear the time said in the following way:
- 11:25 – Jedanaest sati i dvadeset pet minutaTranslation: Eleven hours and twenty-five minutes
- 17:48 – Sedamnaest sati i četrdeset osam minutaTranslation: Seventeen hours and forty-eight minutes
- 23:59 – Dvadeset tri sata i pedeset devet minutaTranslation: Twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes
- 08:10 – Osam sati i deset minutaTranslation: Eight hours and ten minutes
How Do You Say Time In Croatian?
The word for time in Croatian is vrijeme.
The word sat is both the word for clock and hour.
Useful Croatian Time Vocabulary
When learning a new language, it’s often helpful to take a relaxed approach, especially when it comes to everyday topics like telling time. If you want an easy way to practice and learn more vocabulary, check out the Ling app. It makes learning fun and straightforward with interactive exercises and lessons that fit right into your day. With Ling, you can pick up time-related words and so much more, all at your own speed.
Meanwhile, here’s a list of useful Croatian vocabulary related to time to help you get started without any stress. If you’re trying to schedule an appointment or just talk about just day, these words can be useful:
| English | Croatian |
|---|---|
| hour | sat |
| clock | sat |
| minute | minuta |
| second | sekunda |
| noon | podne |
| midnight | ponoć |
| morning | jutro |
| afternoon | poslijepodne |
| evening | večer |
| today | danas |
| tomorrow | sutra |
| yesterday | jučer |
| day | dan |
| week | tjedan |
| month | mjesec |
| year | godina |
| time zone | vremenska zona |
| schedule | raspored |
| early | rano |
| late | kasno |
| on time | na vrijeme |
| duration | trajanje |
| now | sada |
| before | prije |
| after | nakon |
| often | često |
| rarely | rijetko |
| sometimes | ponekad |
| always | uvijek |
| never | nikada |
Frequently Asked Questions About Telling Time In Croatian
1. Does Croatia Have Two Time Zones?
No, Croatia does not have two time zones. The entire country uses a single time zone: Central European Time (CET) during standard time and Central European Summer Time (CEST) during daylight saving time.
2. Does Croatia Use A 24-Hour Clock?
In Croatia, the 24-hour clock is used for train schedules and official documents to keep things clear. While people might use the 12-hour clock in everyday talk, the 24-hour format is the norm for official matters.
3. What Time Do Things Close In Croatia?
Most shops in Croatia are open Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 7 PM and until 2 PM on Saturdays. On Sundays, they’re usually only open in summer. Restaurants are typically open from around noon to midnight, though some might close on Sundays.
It’s Your Time To Shine
This was your guide on how to tell time in Croatian. If you’re an expat living in Croatia, or just thinking about visiting, these basic Croatian words and phrases will be perfect for when you’re trying to arrange meetings or just figuring out when the next bus is.
So, dive in, practice a bit, and you’ll soon find yourself using these phrases without a second thought. Enjoy your time in Croatia and make the most of every moment!
