Apologizing in Croatian is not one phrase but a small spectrum, and choosing the wrong end of it sounds either cold or melodramatic. Bumping someone on the tram calls for a quick oprosti; a heartfelt apology for letting a friend down calls for žao mi je („I'm sorry," literally „sorrow is to me"). The grammar splits along the same line: oprosti is a plain imperative addressed to the other person, while žao mi je is one of those subjectless, dative-experiencer constructions that run through the whole language — you don't say you are sorry, you say that sorrow exists „to you." This page sorts the apologies by weight, shows how to wave off someone else's apology, and covers giving reasons with jer and zbog.
The quick sorry: Oprosti / Oprostite
Oprosti (informal) and oprostite (formal/plural) are the everyday „excuse me / sorry." They are imperatives of oprostiti („to forgive") — literally „forgive (me)." Use them to get past someone, to interrupt politely, to get a waiter's attention, or for small bumps and slips. This is the apology you reach for ten times a day.
| Expression | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Oprosti. | Sorry. / Excuse me. | (informal) |
| Oprostite. | Excuse me. / Sorry. | (formal / plural) |
| Oprostite, smijem li proći? | Excuse me, may I get past? | (formal) |
| Pardon. | Sorry. / Oops. | (informal), borrowed |
Oprosti, nisam te vidio!
Sorry, I didn't see you! — a small bump, light 'oprosti'.
Oprostite, gdje je najbliža ljekarna?
Excuse me, where's the nearest pharmacy? — 'oprostite' to flag down a stranger.
Oprostite što kasnim, zaglavio sam u prometu.
Sorry I'm late, I got stuck in traffic. — apology + reason with 'što'.
The deeper regret: Žao mi je
When you really regret something — you missed a friend's birthday, you hurt someone, you're sorry for their loss — the phrase is žao mi je. This is a dative-experiencer construction with no grammatical subject: žao is a neuter adverb, je is a frozen „is," and the person who feels the regret appears in the dative (mi, ti, mu, joj…). Literally: „sorrow is to-me."
| Expression | Literal | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Žao mi je. | sorrow to-me is | I'm sorry. |
| Jako mi je žao. | very to-me is sorrow | I'm so sorry. |
| Žao mi je zbog tebe. | sorrow to-me is because-of you | I feel sorry for you / about your situation. |
| Žao mu je. | sorrow to-him is | He's sorry. |
Žao mi je, zaboravio sam na tvoj rođendan.
I'm sorry, I forgot your birthday. — real regret, so 'žao mi je', not 'oprosti'.
Jako mi je žao zbog tvoje bake.
I'm so sorry about your grandmother. — condolence; 'zbog' + genitive gives the reason.
Žao mi je što sam te povrijedila.
I'm sorry I hurt you. — 'žao mi je što' + clause; feminine 'povrijedila' = a woman speaking.
To change who is sorry you change only the dative pronoun; žao and je stay frozen: žao *mi je (I'm sorry), žao joj je (she's sorry). This is the same subjectless machinery as *drago mi je („I'm glad") and hladno mi je („I'm cold") — see feelings and states and the deeper treatment on impersonal and subjectless sentences.
The formal apology: Ispričavam se
In writing, at work, or to apologize properly to someone you address with Vi, the verb is ispričavam se („I apologize," reflexive). It is the register-appropriate choice for emails, announcements, and customer-facing situations, where oprosti would be too casual and žao mi je too emotional.
| Expression | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Ispričavam se. | I apologize. | (formal) |
| Ispričavam se na neugodnosti. | I apologize for the inconvenience. | (formal), customer-facing |
| Ispričavam se zbog zakašnjenja. | I apologize for the delay. | (formal), 'zbog' + genitive |
| Molim Vas da mi oprostite. | Please forgive me. | (formal), elevated |
Ispričavam se na kašnjenju, sastanak se odužio.
I apologize for being late, the meeting ran long. — formal 'ispričavam se' at work.
U ime tvrtke, ispričavamo se zbog nastalih problema.
On behalf of the company, we apologize for the problems that arose. — corporate plural.
The conjugation and the difference between ispričavati se („to apologize") and ispričati („to tell a story / recount") are on the verb ispričati. Politeness vocabulary more broadly — molim, hvala — is on please and thank you.
Brushing it off: Nema veze / Nije problem
When someone apologizes to you, the reassuring replies are short and very common. The two staples are nema veze („it doesn't matter," literally „there's no connection") and nije problem („no problem").
| Expression | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Nema veze. | It's fine / never mind / no worries. | (informal–neutral) |
| Nije problem. | No problem. | neutral |
| U redu je. | It's okay. | neutral |
| Ništa strašno. | No big deal. (lit. „nothing terrible") | (informal) |
— Oprosti što kasnim! — Nema veze, i ja sam tek stigla.
— Sorry I'm late! — Never mind, I just got here too.
Ništa strašno, svima se dogodi.
No big deal, it happens to everyone. — reassuring 'ništa strašno'.
Owning it and excuses: Kriv sam, jer, zbog
To admit fault, the phrase is kriv sam („it's my fault," literally „I am guilty"); the adjective agrees with the speaker — a woman says kriva sam. To explain why something went wrong, give a reason with jer („because") + a clause, or zbog („because of") + a genitive noun.
| Expression | Meaning | Builds with |
|---|---|---|
| Kriv sam. / Kriva sam. | It's my fault. | adjective agrees with speaker |
| …jer + clause | …because + (subject + verb) | a full clause |
| …zbog + genitive | …because of + (noun) | a noun in the genitive |
Kriv sam, trebao sam te nazvati.
It's my fault, I should have called you. — 'kriv sam' owning the mistake (male speaker).
Zakasnio sam jer mi se pokvario auto.
I was late because my car broke down. — reason with 'jer' + clause.
Nisam došla zbog kiše.
I didn't come because of the rain. — reason with 'zbog' + genitive 'kiše'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ja sam žao.
Wrong — 'žao' is not an adjective on you; regret is a dative state.
✅ Žao mi je.
I'm sorry. — dative 'mi' + neuter 'žao' + frozen 'je'.
❌ Oprosti za tvoj gubitak.
Wrong weight — a light 'oprosti' is too casual for a loss; use 'žao mi je'.
✅ Žao mi je zbog tvog gubitka.
I'm sorry for your loss. — deeper 'žao mi je' + 'zbog' + genitive.
❌ Ispričavam se! (prijatelju, jer si ga gurnuo)
Mismatch — formal 'ispričavam se' sounds stiff to a friend for a small bump.
✅ Oprosti!
Sorry! — the natural informal apology for a bump.
❌ Zakasnio sam zbog da je bila gužva.
Wrong — 'zbog' takes a noun, not a clause; for a clause use 'jer'.
✅ Zakasnio sam jer je bila gužva.
I was late because it was crowded. — 'jer' + clause.
❌ Kriv sam. (žena govori)
Wrong agreement — a female speaker says the feminine 'kriva'.
✅ Kriva sam.
It's my fault. — feminine 'kriva' for a woman.
Key Takeaways
- Match weight to offence: light oprosti(te) for bumps, interruptions, getting attention; žao mi je for genuine regret and condolences; formal ispričavam se for work, writing, and Vi.
- žao mi je is subjectless and dative — never ja sam žao. Swap only the dative pronoun to change who's sorry (žao mi je / žao joj je).
- Wave off an apology with nema veze, nije problem, u redu je, ništa strašno.
- Admit fault with kriv/kriva sam (agree with the speaker). Give reasons with jer
- a clause or zbog
- a genitive noun — don't swap them.
- a clause or zbog
Now practice Croatian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Croatian→Related Topics
- Please, Thank You, and ApologiesA1 — The everyday courtesy words — molim, hvala, oprosti(te), izvolite — with the surprising triple duty of 'molim' and the ti/Vi split in apologies.
- Impersonal and Subjectless SentencesB1 — Weather, states, necessity, and the experiencer dative.
- pričati / ispričati (to tell/chat)A2 — The pair 'pričati' (chat/tell) / 'ispričati' (recount in full) — accusative story + dative listener, 'pričati s' + instrumental, 'pričati o' + locative, and reflexive 'ispričati se' (apologise).
- Feelings and StatesA2 — Saying how you feel in Croatian — 'Kako si?', the dative-state pattern 'drago mi je / žao mi je', the reflexive 'osjećam se umorno', and gender-agreeing emotion adjectives.
- Agreeing and DisagreeingA2 — Agreeing and disagreeing in Croatian — the reflexive 'slažem se' (with 's' + instrumental for agreeing with someone), confirming with 'točno' and 'tako je', hedging with 'možda' and 'nisam siguran', and 'mislim da da / da ne'.