Please and thank you
molim on its own is please; molim vas is the full polite form, and the one to default to with a stranger. Molim is also the answer to thank you — Croatian uses the same word both ways.
hvala is thanks; hvala lijepa — literally beautiful thanks — is thank you very much. The reply is nema na čemu, don't mention it.
| Please, where is the station? | Molim vas, gdje je kolodvor? |
| Thank you very much! — You're welcome. | Hvala lijepa! — Nema na čemu. |
Here you are
izvoli (to one person you know) and izvolite (polite or plural) cover a remarkable range: here you are when handing something over, go ahead when giving someone the floor, and what can I do for you? from behind a counter.
| Here you are, this is your bill. | Izvolite, ovo je vaš račun. |
When you have not understood
These two are the most useful sentences in the language while you are learning:
| Ne razumijem. | I don't understand. |
| Možete li ponoviti? | Could you repeat that? |
| Što znači…? | What does … mean? |
ponoviti is perfective, which is why it appears here after možete li rather than on its own.
| I don't understand. Could you repeat that? | Ne razumijem. Možete li ponoviti? |
Fine, and so-so
u redu is all right, OK — the same red as the queue. tako-tako is so-so, the honest answer to kako ste? on a mediocre day.
| All right, I understand. | U redu, razumijem. |
