Buying things in Croatian is straightforward conversation wrapped around three pieces of grammar that English speakers trip on every time: the instrumental case for how you pay (karticom „by card"), the numeral government that decides whether the price is jedan euro, dva eura, or pet eura, and the se-passive you read on signs (prodaje se, „for sale"). This page sorts the everyday shop and market phrases by task — asking the price, finding what you want, paying — and shows you the case machinery underneath, because in Croatian you cannot say a price correctly without it.
Asking the price
The core question is Koliko košta? — „How much does it cost?" (koliko „how much" + košta, 3rd-person singular of koštati). For more than one item it becomes Koliko koštaju? („How much do they cost?").
| Expression | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Koliko košta? | How much does it cost? | neutral |
| Koliko to košta? | How much is that? | neutral |
| Koliko koštaju? | How much do they cost? | neutral, plural |
| Koliko sam dužan/dužna? | How much do I owe? | polite; m/f agreement |
| Imate li nešto jeftinije? | Do you have anything cheaper? | neutral |
Oprostite, koliko košta ova majica?
Excuse me, how much is this T-shirt? — 'košta' for a single item.
Koliko koštaju ove jabuke po kili?
How much are these apples per kilo? — plural 'koštaju'; 'po kili' = per kilo.
Looking for something: tražim, imate li
To say what you are after, the verb is tražiti („to look for, to be after") — tražim („I'm looking for"). To ask whether a shop has it, use Imate li…? („Do you have…?"), with the clitic question particle li. See tražiti.
| Expression | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Tražim… | I'm looking for… | neutral |
| Imate li…? | Do you have…? | neutral–polite |
| Samo gledam, hvala. | I'm just looking, thanks. | (informal–neutral) |
| Mogu li probati? | Can I try it on / try it? | neutral |
Tražim poklon za mamu, nešto lijepo.
I'm looking for a gift for my mum, something nice. — 'tražim' + accusative object.
Imate li ovo u manjem broju?
Do you have this in a smaller size? — 'imate li' for 'do you have'; 'broj' here = shoe/clothing size.
Samo gledam, hvala lijepa.
I'm just looking, thanks. — the polite brush-off when a clerk hovers.
Prices: euros and numeral government
This is where Croatian demands real grammar. Croatia adopted the euro in 2023, so prices are in euro (and cents, cent). But you cannot simply attach a number to euro — the number governs the case and form of the word that follows. This is the single most error-prone point for English speakers, because English never changes „euro" no matter the count.
| Number | Form of „euro" | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | jedan euro | 1 → nominative singular |
| 2, 3, 4 | dva / tri / četiri eura | 2–4 → paucal (genitive singular form) |
| 5 and up | pet / deset / sto eura | 5+ → genitive plural ('eura') |
| 21, 22… | dvadeset jedan euro / dvadeset dva eura | the LAST digit decides |
The pattern: 1 (and any number ending in 1, except 11) takes the bare nominative singular euro; 2, 3, 4 (and numbers ending in them, except 12–14) take eura (the paucal, identical to the genitive singular here); 5 and above take the genitive plural — which for euro also happens to be eura. The endings cent → centa behave the same way.
To je jedan euro i pedeset centi.
That's one euro fifty. — 'jedan euro' (singular), 'pedeset centi' (genitive plural after 50).
Dva eura, molim.
Two euros, please. — 'dva' triggers the paucal 'eura', never 'euro'.
Kava košta tri eura, a kolač pet eura.
The coffee costs three euros, and the cake five euros. — 'tri eura' (paucal) vs. 'pet eura' (genitive plural).
Ukupno dvadeset jedan euro.
Twenty-one euros in total. — the last digit '1' rules, so singular 'euro', not 'eura'.
Paying: the instrumental of means
To say how you pay, Croatian uses the instrumental — the case of the means or instrument, English „by / with." There is no preposition: kartica („card") becomes karticom („by card"), gotovina („cash") becomes gotovinom („in cash"). The bare instrumental ending -om (feminine) carries the whole meaning of „by means of."
| Nominative | Instrumental | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kartica | karticom | by card |
| gotovina | gotovinom | in cash |
| mobitel | mobitelom | by phone (contactless) |
Plaćam karticom, može li?
I'm paying by card, is that OK? — 'karticom', instrumental of means, no preposition.
Mogu li platiti gotovinom?
Can I pay in cash? — 'gotovinom', instrumental.
Reading signs: the se-passive
Shop windows speak grammar at you. Prodaje se („for sale," literally „it sells itself") and Iznajmljuje se („for rent") use the se-passive — a reflexive se construction that turns an active verb into an agentless passive. Prodaje is „sells"; prodaje se is „is sold / for sale," with no named seller. You will also see Traži se („wanted," in job and lost-and-found ads).
| Sign | Meaning | Construction |
|---|---|---|
| Prodaje se | For sale | se-passive |
| Iznajmljuje se | For rent | se-passive |
| Ne radi | Out of order / closed | plain negation |
| Rasprodaja | Sale / clearance | noun |
Prodaje se stan, useljiv odmah.
Flat for sale, move-in ready. — 'prodaje se' = the se-passive, no stated seller.
Sve je na rasprodaji, popust trideset posto.
Everything's on sale, thirty percent off. — 'rasprodaja' = sale; 'popust' = discount.
The full reach of this construction — and how it overlaps with the impersonal se — is on the se-passive and impersonal.
Common Mistakes
❌ Dva euro.
Wrong form — '2' triggers the paucal: 'dva eura', never 'dva euro'.
✅ Dva eura.
Two euros. — paucal 'eura' after 2, 3, 4.
❌ Pet euro.
Wrong form — '5 and up' takes the genitive plural 'eura', not 'euro'.
✅ Pet eura.
Five euros. — genitive plural after 5+.
❌ Plaćam sa karticom.
Wrong — 's/sa' + instrumental means 'together with'. For 'by card' use the bare instrumental.
✅ Plaćam karticom.
I'm paying by card. — bare instrumental, no preposition.
❌ Koliko košta ove jabuke?
Wrong agreement — plural subject needs plural verb: 'koštaju', not 'košta'.
✅ Koliko koštaju ove jabuke?
How much are these apples? — plural 'koštaju'.
Key Takeaways
- Ask the price with Koliko košta? (one item) or Koliko koštaju? (several).
- Say what you want with Tražim… and check stock with Imate li…?
- Prices obey numeral government: jedan euro (1), dva/tri/četiri eura (paucal), pet eura and up (genitive plural). The last digit decides.
- Pay how with the bare instrumental: karticom („by card"), gotovinom („in cash") — no preposition.
- Signs use the se-passive: prodaje se („for sale"), iznajmljuje se („for rent").
Now practice Croatian
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Start learning Croatian→Related Topics
- Numeral Government: 1 / 2-4 / 5+A2 — The master rule for which case a counted noun takes.
- Instrumental: FormsA2 — Instrumental endings across declensions.
- The se-Passive and Impersonal ConstructionsB1 — Expressing 'one does / it is done' with se — the everyday Croatian passive.
- Food and DiningA2 — Ordering and eating in Croatian — the polite conditional 'želio bih', 'račun, molim', the toasts 'dobar tek' and 'živjeli', plus the partitive genitive behind 'daj mi kruha'.
- tražiti / potražiti (to look for/seek)A2 — The seeking pair — imperfective 'tražiti' and perfective 'potražiti' — with a bare accusative object (no preposition for English 'look FOR'), the 'demand' sense with 'tražiti od' + genitive, and the contrast with 'naći'.