Dialogue: First Day at Work

A first day at work is the classic stage for one of Croatian's most delicate social manoeuvres: the move from Vi to ti. You walk in addressing everyone formally, and then — usually within the first hour — someone with the standing to do so offers Možemo na ti? („Shall we switch to ti?"), and the whole register of the conversation relaxes. This dialogue follows a new hire, Tina, through that exact transition, and along the way it shows you how Croatian states what someone does for a living using the instrumental case after baviti se, and how professional introductions differ from casual ones.

The dialogue

— Voditeljica: Dobro došli, vi ste sigurno Tina? Ja sam Sandra, vaša voditeljica. — Tina: Da, drago mi je. Hvala što ste me primili. — Sandra: Nema na čemu. Recite mi, čime ste se bavili na prethodnom poslu? — Tina: Bavila sam se marketingom, uglavnom društvenim mrežama. — Sandra: Odlično, baš to nam treba. Slušajte, možemo na ti? Ovdje smo svi vrlo neformalni. — Tina: Naravno, slobodno. Tako mi je puno lakše. — Sandra: Super. Onda, ovo je tvoj stol, a ono je Marko, on radi u istom timu. — Marko: Bok, Tina! Dobro došla među nas. Ako ti nešto zatreba, samo pitaj. — Tina: Hvala, hoću. Gdje se mogu prijaviti na sustav? — Marko: Poslat ću ti podatke za prijavu na mail. Stići će za koju minutu. — Tina: Savršeno. A gdje držite kavu? To mi je najvažnije. — Marko: Haha, kuhinja je niz hodnik, lijevo. Tamo se uvijek netko mota.

Grammar in action

The Vi → ti switch in real time. The conversation opens entirely in Vi: Sandra says vi ste, hvala što ste me primili, recite mi, čime ste se bavili — every form is plural-polite. The turning point is Možemo na ti?, the fixed idiom for proposing the switch. Crucially, the senior person offers it: Sandra is the manager, so it is her place to invite the informal register, not Tina's. Once Tina accepts (slobodno = „feel free"), everything downshifts — Marko greets her with bok and dobro došla (the ti/singular welcome).

Note the asymmetry: clinging to Vi after the boss has offered ti now reads as cold or standoffish, while jumping to ti before being invited would have read as presumptuous. The full social logic is on ti vs Vi.

Baviti se + instrumental — stating your occupation. To say what field you work in, Croatian uses the reflexive verb baviti se („to occupy oneself with"), and what you do goes into the instrumental case — the case of „by means of / with". So baviti se marketingom = „to do marketing", where marketing takes the instrumental -om ending. The matching question is Čime se baviš? / Čime ste se bavili? — čime is the instrumental of što („what").

Note bavila sam se with the feminine -la ending, because Tina is a woman — the past participle agrees with the speaker's gender. The verb's full conjugation and case-government are on baviti se.

Professional introductions — role apposition. A workplace introduction layers a role onto the name: Sandra says Ja sam Sandra, vaša voditeljica („I'm Sandra, your manager"), placing the role voditeljica in apposition. Notice Croatian uses the feminine title voditeljica (not voditelj) because Sandra is a woman — most job titles have distinct masculine and feminine forms, and using the right one is expected, not optional.

More on talking about jobs, fields, and study is on work and study.

Office logistics — dative recipients and reflexive systems. The practical end of the conversation shows two everyday workplace structures. First, Poslat ću ti podatke („I'll send you the login details") — the future tense plus a dative recipient ti („to you"). Second, Gdje se mogu prijaviti na sustav? uses the reflexive prijaviti se („to log in / register oneself"), the standard verb for logging into any system.

Common office phrases — meetings, email, deadlines, the coffee kitchen — are gathered on at the office.

Vocabulary

Culture & register note

Key Takeaways

• Možemo na ti? is the fixed phrase for proposing the switch from Vi to ti, and it's the senior person's place to offer it.
• State your profession with baviti se + instrumental: bavim se marketingom; the question is Čime se baviš?
• Job titles carry gender: voditelj (m.) vs voditeljica (f.) — use the form that matches the person.
• The past participle agrees with the speaker: a woman says bavila sam se, a man bavio sam se.
• Workplace logistics lean on the dative recipient (poslat ću ti…) and reflexive system verbs (prijaviti se).