Checking out at a Croatian supermarket involves a few specific terms, from handling your groceries to completing your payment. Let's look at the essentials for navigating the register.
Baskets and Cashiers
When you are done shopping, you will take your shopping basket (košarica) to the cashier (blagajnica).
Before we look at more interactions, let's introduce a handy grammar tool. In Croatian, the word se can be used with a verb to create an impersonal or passive construction. This translates closely to "it is [verb]ed" in English, such as smatra se (it is believed) or očekuje se (it is expected).
Barcodes and Machines
At the register, the cashier will scan the barcode (barkod) on your items using a scanner or machine (aparat).
Here is another example of the impersonal se, this time using pretpostavljati (to assume):
If you are paying by card, the store will likely have a contactless (beskontaktni) machine. You just need to tap (prisloniti) your card against the reader.
For larger purchases, the machine may prompt you to enter (unijeti) your PIN (pin).
Cash and Coins
If you prefer physical money, it is always appreciated when you can provide exact or small change (sitniš). You will often receive your change back in coins (kovanica).
