Saying Goodbye Warmly | Croatian Grammar

Croatian goodbyes carry warmth that a flat „bye" misses. Many of the best ones are not really „goodbye" at all — they are little promises: vidimo se („we'll see each other"), čujemo se („we'll hear from each other"), javi se („get in touch"). These share a grammatical thread: they are reflexive verbs (with se) in the 1st-person plural or the imperative, so learning a couple of forms unlocks the whole set. This page sorts the farewells from formal to affectionate, and shows the small grammar that makes them tick.

The basic goodbyes: formal vs informal

The neutral-to-formal goodbye is doviđenja (one word, „until [we] see [each other]") — safe with anyone. The informal one is bok (in northern/Zagreb usage it serves as both „hi" and „bye"); along the coast and generally you will also hear ćao (from Italian ciao), purely informal.

Croatian	Meaning	Register
doviđenja	goodbye	(formal–neutral)
bok	hi / bye	(informal)
ćao	bye	(informal)
laku noć	good night	(neutral)

Doviđenja, hvala Vam na svemu!

Goodbye, thank you for everything! — formal 'doviđenja' + formal 'Vam'.

Bok, vidimo se sutra!

Bye, see you tomorrow! — informal 'bok' + 'vidimo se'.

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In Zagreb and much of the north, bok does double duty as both „hello" and „bye" — context tells you which. Ćao is felt as slightly more casual/Mediterranean. Neither is appropriate to a stranger you are addressing with Vi; with them, use doviđenja. The formal/informal divide runs through all of Croatian — see ti vs Vi.

See you / talk soon: the 1st-person plural reflexives

These are the warm, idiomatic farewells. Vidimo se („we'll see each other") and čujemo se („we'll hear from each other / talk soon") are 1st-person plural present-tense reflexive verbs — vidjeti se („to see each other") and čuti se („to hear from each other"). The se makes them reciprocal („each other"), and the plural -mo ending means „we". You are saying „we two will see/hear each other", which is why they feel friendly: they assume a next time.

Croatian	Literal	Means
vidimo se	we see each other	see you
čujemo se	we hear each other	talk soon / we'll be in touch
vidimo se sutra	we see each other tomorrow	see you tomorrow
čujemo se uskoro	we hear each other soon	speak soon

Moram ići, čujemo se večeras!

I have to go, we'll talk tonight! — 'čujemo se', 1st-pl reflexive, promising contact.

Vidimo se u ponedjeljak na poslu.

See you on Monday at work. — 'vidimo se' + 'u ponedjeljak'.

Get in touch: javi se (the imperative)

When you want the other person to be the one who reaches out, switch to the imperative: javi se („get in touch", informal singular) / javite se (formal or plural). The verb is javiti se („to get in touch, to let someone know"), reflexive. You can add kad stigneš („when you arrive") or kad budeš mogao/mogla („when you can").

Croatian	Meaning	To whom
javi se	get in touch / let me know	(informal, one person)
javite se	get in touch	(formal or plural)
javi mi se kad stigneš	let me know when you arrive	(informal)

Javi se kad dođeš kući, da znam da si dobro.

Let me know when you get home, so I know you're OK. — imperative 'javi se' + 'kad dođeš'.

Javite se ako Vam nešto zatreba.

Get in touch if you need anything. — formal 'javite se' + 'Vam'.

For the verb itself, see javiti se.

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Notice the pattern: vidimo se / čujemo se are „we" forms (a shared promise), while javi se is a command aimed at „you" (asking them to act). All three carry the reflexive se. So the difference is grammatical person — the -mo plural says „we'll both do it", the imperative says „you do it".

Affectionate sign-offs: take care, all the best

The warmest closers wish the person well. Čuvaj se („take care", literally „guard yourself", imperative of čuvati se) is the standard caring goodbye; formal/plural is čuvajte se. Sve najbolje („all the best") is a warm well-wish, and sretan put („safe travels / bon voyage") is what you say to someone leaving on a journey.

Croatian	Meaning	Register
čuvaj se	take care	(informal)
čuvajte se	take care	(formal/plural)
sve najbolje	all the best	(neutral)
sretan put	safe travels / bon voyage	(neutral)

Čuvaj se i javi se čim sletiš!

Take care and get in touch as soon as you land! — 'čuvaj se' + 'javi se'.

Sretan put, vidimo se za tjedan dana!

Safe travels, see you in a week! — 'sretan put' + 'vidimo se'.

Sve najbolje i laku noć!

All the best, and good night! — 'sve najbolje' + 'laku noć'.

The verb behind „take care" is čuvati (and its perfective sačuvati) — see sačuvati. For the full hello-and-goodbye set, see greetings and farewells.

Common Mistakes

❌ Vidim se sutra.

Wrong person — the farewell is the 'we' form 'vidimo se' (we'll see each other), not 'vidim se'.

✅ Vidimo se sutra.

See you tomorrow. — 1st-plural 'vidimo se'.

❌ Čuvaj. (dropping se)

Incomplete — the reflexive 'se' is obligatory: 'čuvaj se'.

✅ Čuvaj se!

Take care! — reflexive 'čuvaj se'.

❌ Bok, gospodine Horvat. (to a stranger you address formally)

Too casual — to someone you call 'Vi', use 'doviđenja', not 'bok'.

✅ Doviđenja, gospodine Horvat.

Goodbye, Mr Horvat. — formal 'doviđenja'.

❌ Javi mi. (when you mean keep in touch)

Missing 'se' — for 'get in touch' the verb is reflexive 'javi se'; 'javi mi' alone means 'tell me'.

✅ Javi mi se kad stigneš.

Let me know when you arrive. — reflexive 'javi se' + dative 'mi'.

Key Takeaways

Formal/neutral goodbye: doviđenja. Informal: bok (also „hi" in the north) and ćao. Bedtime: laku noć.
The warm „see you" farewells are 1st-person plural reflexives: vidimo se („we'll see each other"), čujemo se („we'll be in touch") — the -mo
- se makes them a shared promise.
To ask the other person to reach out, use the imperative: javi se (informal) / javite se (formal). Keep the se — javi mi alone means „tell me".
Affectionate sign-offs: čuvaj se („take care", čuvati se), sve najbolje („all the best"), sretan put („safe travels").
The thread through it all: the reflexive se — drop it and the phrase changes meaning.

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