Hello, by time of day
Croatian greets you differently depending on the hour, and the three daytime greetings are built from dobar plus a time word:
| greeting | when |
|---|---|
| dobro jutro | good morning — until about 10 |
| dobar dan | good day — the workhorse, most of the day |
| dobra večer | good evening |
| laku noć | good night — only when parting for the night |
The endings differ because jutro is neuter, dan masculine and večer feminine. Learn each as one frozen unit; you are not choosing the ending yourself.
| Hello! How are you? | Dobar dan! Kako ste? |
Bok: hello and goodbye at once
bok is the everyday informal greeting, and — like Italian ciao — it works both on arrival and on leaving. hej is even more casual.
| Hi! How are you? | Bok! Kako si? |
Saying goodbye
doviđenja is the neutral, polite goodbye — safe with anyone. zbogom is final: it means farewell, for a parting you do not expect to undo, so do not use it when you will see the person tomorrow.
| Goodbye! You are a good neighbour. | Doviđenja! Vi ste dobar susjed. |
On the phone, and at the door
halo is for answering the telephone and nothing else. dobrodošao is welcome, said to someone arriving — it agrees like an adjective: dobrodošao to a man, dobrodošla to a woman.
| Hello! Who is that? | Halo! Tko je to? |
| Welcome! This is our house. | Dobrodošao! Ovo je naša kuća. |
