Technology and the Internet | Croatian Grammar

Talking about technology in Croatian means navigating two layers at once: a careful native vocabulary that the standard language prefers (računalo for „computer", preglednik for „browser") and a parallel set of loanwords that everyone actually says in casual speech (kompjuter, browser). On top of that sit the loan verbs — English verbs swallowed whole and fitted with Croatian endings, so „to google" becomes guglati and „to like" becomes lajkati. This page gives you the device and internet vocabulary, the key action verbs, and the rules that let you conjugate a borrowed verb you have never seen before.

Devices and hardware

The standard word for „computer" is računalo (neuter, literally „the calculating thing", from računati „to calculate"); the colloquial loanword is kompjuter (masculine). Both are understood everywhere — računalo dominates in writing and formal contexts, kompjuter in casual speech. A phone is a mobitel (from mobilni telefon); a smartphone is a pametni telefon („smart phone") or just mobitel.

Croatian	Meaning	Note
računalo	computer	(neutral, preferred in writing)
kompjuter	computer	(informal loanword)
prijenosno računalo / laptop	laptop	native phrase vs loan
mobitel	mobile phone	(neutral)
zaslon / ekran	screen	native vs loan doublet
tipkovnica	keyboard	(native)

Moje računalo se sporo pokreće otkad sam instalirao nadogradnju.

My computer boots up slowly since I installed the update. — 'računalo' + the loan verb 'instalirati'.

Ostao mi je mobitel u autu, možeš li mi javiti koliko je sati?

I left my phone in the car — can you tell me the time? — everyday 'mobitel'.

💡

Croatian keeps native/loan doublets in active circulation. Use the native word (računalo, zaslon, preglednik, datoteka) in writing, school, and official contexts; the loan (kompjuter, ekran, browser, fajl) is fine in chat and casual speech. Neither is „wrong" — they are register choices. The full story of how Croatian absorbs and nativises loans is on compounding and loans.

Internet, apps, and accounts

The internet is internet; a website is a web-stranica or mrežna stranica (native: mreža „net"); an app is an aplikacija. A password is a lozinka (native) — you will also hear the loan šifra. A user account is a korisnički račun, and to log in is prijaviti se (reflexive), to log out odjaviti se.

Croatian	Meaning
aplikacija	app, application
lozinka	password
korisničko ime	username
prijaviti se	to log in
odjaviti se	to log out
preglednik / browser	browser (native vs loan)

Zaboravio sam lozinku, moram je resetirati.

I forgot my password, I have to reset it. — 'lozinka' + loan verb 'resetirati'.

Skinula sam novu aplikaciju za vježbanje jezika.

I downloaded a new app for practising languages. — 'aplikacija'; 'skinuti' is the casual word for 'download'.

Prijavi se svojim korisničkim imenom i lozinkom.

Core action verbs: poslati, kliknuti, preuzeti

Three verbs you will use constantly. Poslati („to send", perfective) — poslati e-mail, poslati poruku; its imperfective partner is slati. Kliknuti („to click", perfective) — note the -nuti ending that marks a single, instantaneous action. Preuzeti („to download", perfective, native) — built from uzeti („to take") with the prefix pre-; the casual synonym is skinuti.

Croatian	Meaning	Aspect
poslati e-mail / poruku	to send an email / message	perfective
kliknuti (na…)	to click (on…)	perfective
preuzeti	to download	perfective (native)
skinuti	to download	perfective (informal)
učitati	to upload / load	perfective
spremiti	to save	perfective

Možeš li mi poslati taj dokument e-mailom do večeras?

Can you send me that document by email by tonight? — 'poslati' + instrumental 'e-mailom' (by email).

Klikni na zelenu tipku i datoteka će se preuzeti sama.

Click the green button and the file will download by itself. — 'klikni' imperative; 'preuzeti' future with reflexive 'se'.

Spremi dokument prije nego što zatvoriš preglednik.

Save the document before you close the browser. — 'spremi' + 'preglednik' (native for browser).

For the full conjugation of poslati and its imperfective slati, see the verb poslati.

Loan verbs: -irati and the casual -ati group

Here is the part learners love: Croatian borrows English verbs by bolting on a Croatian infinitive ending. Two patterns dominate. The -irati suffix handles most international/technical verbs (instalirati „install", resetirati „reset", formatirati „format", skenirati „scan") — it conjugates like a regular -am verb in the present (instaliram, instaliraš…). The -ati group handles slangier, social-media verbs: guglati („to google"), surfati („to surf"), lajkati („to like"), četati („to chat"), šerati („to share").

Loan verb	From	Meaning	Pattern
instalirati	install	to install	-irati
resetirati	reset	to reset	-irati
guglati	Google	to google	-ati
surfati	surf	to surf (the web)	-ati
lajkati	like	to like (a post)	-ati
šerati	share	to share	-ati

Samo izguglaj recept, ima ih milijun na internetu.

Just google the recipe, there are a million of them online. — perfective 'izguglati' with the prefix iz-.

Lajkala sam ti objavu, baš je smiješna.

I liked your post, it's really funny. — 'lajkati', past tense, female speaker 'lajkala'.

Cijelo popodne surfam internetom umjesto da učim.

I've been surfing the web all afternoon instead of studying. — 'surfati' + instrumental 'internetom'.

💡

Loan verbs take Croatian aspect prefixes just like native ones: guglati (imperfective) → izguglati / proguglati (perfective, „to google up / look up"). The prefix turns an ongoing action into a completed one — the same machinery as native verbs (pisati → napisati). So a borrowed root behaves like a fully naturalised Croatian verb. Prefix-and-aspect logic is on verb prefixes.

Common Mistakes

❌ Poslat ću ti to sa e-mailom.

Wrong — 'by email' is the bare instrumental 'e-mailom'; 'sa' means physical accompaniment.

✅ Poslat ću ti to e-mailom.

I'll send you that by email. — bare instrumental for the means.

❌ Moram instalati novu verziju.

Wrong stem — international verbs take '-irati': 'instalirati', not 'instalati'.

✅ Moram instalirati novu verziju.

I have to install the new version. — '-irati' loan verb.

❌ Računalo je pametni telefon. (mixing categories)

Mismatch — a 'računalo' is a computer; a phone is a 'mobitel' / 'pametni telefon'.

✅ Imam i računalo i mobitel.

I have both a computer and a phone. — keep the categories distinct.

❌ Klikni button.

Code-switch — say 'tipku' (button) or at least click 'na tipku'.

✅ Klikni na tipku 'Spremi'.

Click the 'Save' button. — 'kliknuti na' + accusative 'tipku'.

Key Takeaways

Croatian keeps native/loan doublets: računalo / kompjuter, zaslon / ekran, preglednik / browser. Native words win in writing; loans are fine in casual speech.
Core nouns: aplikacija (app), lozinka (password), mobitel (phone), korisničko ime (username).
Core verbs: poslati (send, + instrumental e-mailom), kliknuti na (click), preuzeti / skinuti (download), spremiti (save).
Loan verbs split into the -irati group (technical: instalirati, resetirati, skenirati) and the casual -ati group (social: guglati, lajkati, surfati, šerati).
Loan verbs take native aspect prefixes (guglati → izguglati), so they conjugate like any Croatian verb.

Now practice Croatian

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Croatian→