Buying clothes in Croatian is a workout for three grammar muscles at once: you point with demonstratives that encode distance (ovaj near me, taj near you), you describe with adjectives that must agree and that quietly shift between definite and indefinite forms, and you say what you like with sviđa mi se — a verb that puts the thing you like in the subject seat. This dialogue between a customer and a shop assistant runs all three together, plus the comparatives you need to ask for a bigger size.
The dialogue
— Prodavačica: Dobar dan, trebate li pomoć? — Kupac: Dobar dan. Tražim plavu košulju za posao. — Prodavačica: Imamo ovaj model u nekoliko boja. Sviđa li vam se ova svijetloplava? — Kupac: Sviđa mi se, ali više volim ovu tamniju. Mogu li je probati? — Prodavačica: Naravno, kabina je tamo. Koji broj nosite? — Kupac: Obično nosim L, ali ova mi je malo tijesna. Imate li veći broj? — Prodavačica: Imam. Izvolite, ovo je XL. — Kupac: Da, ova je puno bolja. Koliko košta? — Prodavačica: Trideset i pet eura. Trenutno je na sniženju. — Kupac: Odlično, uzet ću je. A onaj sivi sako u izlogu? — Prodavačica: Taj je nažalost rasprodan, ali stiže nova isporuka. — Kupac: Šteta. Onda samo košulju, hvala.
Grammar in action
Demonstratives — ovaj, taj, onaj. Croatian has a three-way pointing system tied to distance. Ovaj is "this (near me)", taj is "that (near you / just mentioned)", and onaj is "that (over there, far from both)". The customer reaches for ovu tamniju ("this darker one", in his own hands), the assistant offers taj sako ("that jacket", the one he just named), and onaj sivi sako u izlogu ("that grey jacket in the window") points across the room. Each demonstrative also declines for case and gender to match its noun.
A onaj sivi sako u izlogu?
And that grey jacket in the window? — 'onaj' points to something far from both speakers.
Taj je nažalost rasprodan, ali stiže nova isporuka.
That one's unfortunately sold out, but a new delivery is coming. — 'taj' refers back to the jacket the customer just named.
The full three-way system and its declension are on the demonstratives ovaj, taj, onaj.
Adjective agreement and the definite/indefinite split. Every adjective agrees with its noun in gender, number, and case: plavu košulju ("blue shirt", feminine accusative), sivi sako ("grey jacket", masculine). But Croatian adjectives also carry a subtler contrast — the indefinite (short) form introduces something new, the definite (long) form points to a known one. Sivi sako uses the definite -i ending because it is the grey jacket in the window, already identified; a brand-new "a grey jacket" would lean toward siv sako. This distinction is largely lost in the spoken language but alive in careful speech and writing.
Tražim plavu košulju za posao.
I'm looking for a blue shirt for work. — 'plavu' agrees with feminine accusative 'košulju'.
A onaj sivi sako u izlogu?
And that grey jacket in the window? — the definite 'sivi' (long form) marks a specific, identified jacket.
The definite/indefinite adjective contrast — when -i signals "the (known) one" — is laid out on definite and indefinite adjectives.
Sviđa mi se — the thing you like is the subject. Croatian does not say "I like X". It says X sviđa mi se — "X is pleasing to me". The thing liked is the nominative subject, the verb agrees with it, and you appear in the dative as the one pleased. So sviđa mi se ova košulja is literally "this shirt is pleasing to me", and if you like several shirts the verb goes plural: sviđaju mi se. This is the same inversion English speakers know from Spanish me gusta.
Sviđa li vam se ova svijetloplava?
Do you like this light-blue one? — 'ova' (the shirt) is the subject; 'vam' (to you) is the dative experiencer.
Sviđa mi se, ali više volim ovu tamniju.
I like it, but I prefer this darker one. — 'sviđa mi se' (it pleases me) vs 'volim' (I prefer), which takes a direct object.
Note the contrast in that one line: sviđa mi se needs a dative, but volim ("I prefer / love") is a plain transitive verb with the thing in the accusative (ovu tamniju). The full inversion pattern is on sviđati se.
Comparatives — veći broj, bolja, tamniju. Comparing sizes and shades pulls in the comparative degree. Velik → veći ("bigger"), dobar → bolji ("better"), taman → tamniji ("darker") — and each comparative still agrees with its noun. Imate li veći broj? asks for "a bigger size", ova je puno bolja says "this one is much better", and ovu tamniju is "this darker one". The comparative carries the same gender/case endings as any adjective.
Ova mi je malo tijesna. Imate li veći broj?
This one's a bit tight on me. Do you have a bigger size? — comparative 'veći' (bigger) modifies 'broj' (size).
Da, ova je puno bolja.
Yes, this one's much better. — irregular comparative 'bolja' (better, fem.) intensified by 'puno' (much).
How comparatives are formed — the regular -iji and irregular bolji / veći — is covered on the comparative.
Vocabulary
| Croatian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| košulja | shirt | feminine; accusative 'košulju' |
| sako | jacket / blazer | masculine; indeclinable in the singular |
| probati | to try (on) | 'mogu li je probati?' = can I try it on? |
| kabina | fitting room | 'kabina je tamo' = the fitting room is there |
| broj | size (lit. number) | 'koji broj nosite?' = what size do you wear? |
| tijesan | tight | feminine 'tijesna'; of clothes that don't fit |
| veći | bigger | comparative of 'velik' |
| na sniženju | on sale | 'sniženje' = a price reduction / sale |
| rasprodan | sold out | past passive participle of 'rasprodati' |
| izlog | shop window | 'u izlogu' = in the window |
Culture & register note
Key Takeaways
- Point with the three-way demonstratives: ovaj (near me), taj (near you / just mentioned), onaj (far from both) — all declined to match the noun.
- Adjectives agree in gender, number, and case; the definite (long) form like sivi marks a specific, known item, the indefinite a new one.
- Sviđa mi se puts the thing liked in the nominative subject and you in the dative — sviđaju mi se when it's plural — unlike transitive volim.
- Comparatives (veći, bolja, tamniji) still agree with their noun; ask for a bigger size with imate li veći broj?.
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Start learning Croatian→Related Topics
- Demonstratives: ovaj, taj, onajA1 — The three-way this/that/that-yonder deixis.
- Definite vs Indefinite Adjectives (long/short)B1 — Croatian's distinctive two-form adjective system.
- sviđati se / svidjeti se (to be pleasing / like)B1 — The dative-experiencer 'like' verb.
- Clothing and AppearanceA2 — Talking about clothes and how people look — 'nositi' for habitual wearing vs. 'obući se' for getting dressed, adjective agreement ('crvena haljina'), and describing appearance with 'izgledati'.