Dialogue: Asking About Prices

Asking how much something costs is the first transaction every learner needs, and in Croatian it packs three A1 essentials into one little scene: the price question Koliko košta? ("How much does it cost?"), the comparatives you use to weigh two options (jeftinije "cheaper", skuplje "more expensive"), and the demonstratives that let you point — ovaj ("this one, near me"), taj ("that one, near you"). Prices come in eura, which quietly drills numeral government along the way. This short dialogue between a customer and a shop assistant shows it all in everyday speech.

The dialogue

— Kupac: Oprostite, koliko košta ova majica? — Prodavač: Ova plava je petnaest eura. — Kupac: A ta crvena? Je li skuplja? — Prodavač: Ne, ta je jeftinija — dvanaest eura. — Kupac: Super. A imate li nešto jeftinije? — Prodavač: Imamo ove na akciji, samo osam eura. — Kupac: Odlično. Koliko koštaju dvije? — Prodavač: Dvije su šesnaest eura, ali tri su dvadeset. — Kupac: Onda uzimam tri. Mogu li platiti karticom? — Prodavač: Naravno. Izvolite, to je dvadeset eura. — Kupac: Hvala. A gdje je blagajna? — Prodavač: Eno je tamo, desno od ulaza.

Grammar in action

The price question — Koliko košta? / Koliko koštaju? The default way to ask a price is Koliko košta…? ("How much does … cost?"), where koliko means "how much/many" and košta is the third-person singular of koštati. For a plural item the verb goes plural: Koliko koštaju dvije? ("How much do two cost?"). This verb-number agreement is automatic in Croatian — the verb tracks whether the thing priced is singular or plural, just as English switches "does it cost" / "do they cost".

The full price-and-payment phrasebook — Koliko košta, Pošto, Mogu li platiti karticom — is on shopping and money.

Comparatives — jeftinija, skuplja, jeftinije. To compare prices you use the comparative. From jeftin ("cheap") you get jeftiniji ("cheaper"); from skup ("expensive"), the irregular skuplji ("more expensive"). As an adjective it agrees with the noun: ta majica je jeftinija (feminine, agreeing with majica). As an adverb or neuter — "something cheaper" — it ends in -e: nešto jeftinije. So one root gives you jeftinija (feminine adjective) and jeftinije (the neuter/adverbial "cheaper"), depending on what it modifies.

How comparatives are formed, including the irregular skup → skuplji, is on the comparative.

Demonstratives — ovaj, taj, ova, ta. Croatian has a three-way pointing system. Ovaj marks what is near the speaker ("this, here by me"), taj what is near the listener or just mentioned ("that, by you"), and onaj what is far from both. In the shop the customer says ova majica (this one, near me) and ta crvena (that one, by you / the one you have). The demonstrative agrees in gender, number, and case with its noun — ovaj (masc.), ova (fem.), ovo (neut.), and plural ovi/ove/ova.

The three-way ovaj / taj / onaj contrast is on the demonstratives ovaj, taj, onaj.

Numerals and the noun — dvije, tri, dvadeset eura. Prices reveal numeral government quietly. After dvije (the feminine "two") and tri the noun would take the paucal, and the verb stays plural (dvije su…, tri su…); from five and up the noun is genitive plural, which is why every round price reads eura: petnaest eura, dvadeset eura. Even when only the price is spoken, the -a on eura is the genitive plural that the higher number demands.

Vocabulary

Culture & register note

Key Takeaways

• Ask a price with Koliko košta? (singular) or Koliko koštaju? (plural) — the verb agrees in number with the item.
• Comparatives weigh options: jeftinija / skuplja (feminine adjective, agreeing) vs nešto jeftinije (neuter/adverbial "cheaper"); skup → skuplji is irregular.
• Demonstratives point in three zones: ovaj (this, by me), taj (that, by you), onaj (that, far) — agreeing in gender, number, case.
• Prices are in eura (genitive plural after 5+); the verb stays plural after dvije / tri (dvije su…).
• Register is Vi; akcija = sale, and card payment (platiti karticom) is standard.