Idioms are where a language stops being a code and starts being a culture. The phrases on this page are the ones you hear constantly on a Zagreb tram, in a café, in a group chat — and many are invisible to learners because they look like ordinary words doing something extraordinary. Nema veze literally means „there's no connection," but it functions as „never mind." The trick is that you cannot decode them word by word; you learn them whole and then notice the grammar inside. Each entry below gives the literal sense, the real meaning, the register (this matters enormously here — pun mi je kufer is fine with friends, awkward in an interview), and the construction worth understanding.
The everyday cushions: nema veze, u redu
These two are the conversational shock absorbers — said dozens of times a day to smooth things over.
| Idiom | Literal | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nema veze. | (There) is no connection. | Never mind / it doesn't matter. | (neutral) |
| U redu. | In (a) row / order. | OK, all right, agreed. | (neutral) |
| Može. | (It) can. | OK, sure, that works. | (informal–neutral) |
| Nema problema. | (There) is no problem. | No problem. | (neutral) |
Oprosti što kasnim! — Nema veze, ni ja nisam dugo tu.
Sorry I'm late! — Never mind, I haven't been here long either. — 'nema veze' defuses the apology.
Možemo li se naći u šest? — Može, vidimo se.
Can we meet at six? — Sure, see you. — 'može' = 'that works', extremely common.
Not caring: baš me briga
To wave something off as utterly unimportant to you, the idiom is Baš me briga — „I couldn't care less." Literally it is „really me concern(s)," with the same experiencer structure as boli me: briga („concern, care") is the nominative subject, me („me") is the accusative object, and baš („really, just") is the intensifier. The bare Briga me is the curt version; baš me briga is the emphatic one. Note the register: it ranges from breezy to dismissive depending on tone — fine among friends, rude to a boss.
| Idiom | Literal | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baš me briga. | Really me concerns. | I couldn't care less. | (informal) — can sound dismissive |
| Briga me. | Me concerns. | I don't care. | (informal) — curt |
| Svejedno mi je. | All-the-same to-me is. | I don't mind either way. | (neutral) — softer, dative |
Reći će da kasnimo. — Baš me briga, neka kažu.
They'll say we're late. — I couldn't care less, let them. — dismissive 'baš me briga'.
Hoćeš čaj ili kavu? — Svejedno mi je, biraj ti.
Tea or coffee? — I don't mind either way, you choose. — softer 'svejedno mi je', dative.
Encouragement: drži se
To tell someone to hang in there — to stay strong through something hard — the idiom is Drži se! Literally „hold yourself," it is the reflexive of držati („to hold") plus se. It is warm, supportive, and also doubles as a casual „take care" on parting.
Znam da ti je teško sad. Drži se!
I know it's hard for you right now. Hang in there! — encouragement; reflexive 'drži se'.
Idem sad, drži se i javi se!
I'm off now, take care and stay in touch! — 'drži se' as a warm parting.
Being fed up: pun mi je kufer (colloquial)
When you have had enough of something, the vivid colloquial idiom is Pun mi je kufer — literally „my suitcase is full (of it)." Kufer (a Germanism, from Koffer „suitcase") is the image of being so full up you cannot take any more. It is firmly (colloquial) / (informal) — punchy and expressive, but not for formal writing. What you are fed up with goes in the genitive after pun („full of").
| Idiom | Literal | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pun mi je kufer. | My suitcase is full. | I'm fed up / I've had it. | (colloquial / informal) |
| Dosta mi je (svega). | Enough to-me is (of everything). | I've had enough (of it all). | (neutral) — milder |
| Ide mi na živce. | It goes on my nerves. | It gets on my nerves. | (informal) |
Pun mi je kufer ovog posla.
I'm fed up with this job. — colloquial; what you're fed up with ('posao') goes in the genitive 'posla'.
Dosta mi je čekanja, idemo.
I've had enough of waiting, let's go. — milder 'dosta mi je' + genitive 'čekanja'.
Slang approval: mrak, sve pet
Younger and casual speech has its own approval words. Mrak literally means „darkness / pitch dark," but as (slang) it means „awesome, brilliant" — the way English „sick" or „wicked" invert a dark word into praise. Sve pet literally is „all five" (a five being the top school grade in Croatia) and means „all good, everything's great."
| Idiom | Literal | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrak! | Darkness! | Awesome! / Brilliant! | (slang) |
| Sve pet. | All five. | All good, everything's great. | (informal / slang) |
| Extra / Genijalno! | Extra / Genius! | Great! / Brilliant! | (informal) |
Bio je na koncertu? Kako je bilo? — Mrak, najbolji ikad!
Were you at the concert? How was it? — Awesome, the best ever! — slang 'mrak' as praise.
Kako si? — Sve pet, a ti?
How are you? — All good, and you? — 'sve pet', the upbeat casual reply.
Common Mistakes
❌ Nema veza.
Wrong case — the negative existential 'nema' forces the genitive: 'veze', not nominative 'veza'.
✅ Nema veze.
Never mind. — genitive of negation 'veze'.
❌ Ja sam baš briga. (misleći 'I couldn't care less')
Wrong structure — you don't make 'I' the subject. 'Briga' is the subject, 'me' the object.
✅ Baš me briga.
I couldn't care less. — nominative 'briga' + accusative 'me'.
❌ Pun mi je kufer ovaj posao.
Wrong case — 'pun' ('full of') takes the genitive: 'ovog posla', not nominative 'ovaj posao'.
✅ Pun mi je kufer ovog posla.
I'm fed up with this job. — genitive 'ovog posla' after 'pun'.
❌ Drži! (misleći 'hang in there')
Wrong — without 'se' it just means 'hold (it)!'. The encouragement is reflexive: 'drži se'.
✅ Drži se!
Hang in there! — reflexive 'drži se'.
Key Takeaways
- Nema veze („never mind") and u redu / može („OK") are the everyday conversational cushions — neutral and safe.
- Baš me briga („I couldn't care less") uses the boli me skeleton: briga (nominative) + me (accusative); it can sound dismissive. The gentle alternative is svejedno mi je (dative).
- Drži se! („hang in there / take care") is the reflexive of držati — encouragement and a warm goodbye.
- Pun mi je kufer („I'm fed up," colloquial) takes the genitive for what you're fed up with; milder neutral version: dosta mi je.
- Mrak (slang „awesome") and sve pet („all good") are casual praise — never in formal settings.
- Idioms live or die by register: match the phrase to the room, and keep a neutral equivalent in reserve.
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