Learn Croatian: Drago mi je, gospođo. - Pleased to meet you, madam.

The phrase Drago mi je literally translates to 'It is dear to me' or 'It is pleasing to me'. Croatians use this as a fixed expression anytime they want to say 'Pleased to meet you' or 'I am glad'.

Why use mi instead of ja (I) here?

The word mi means 'to me'. Because the literal meaning of the phrase is that the meeting is pleasing TO you, you must use this 'to me' form (known as the dative case) rather than the basic word for 'I'.

What does the word je do in this phrase?

The word je means 'is'. It pairs with Drago (dear/pleasing) and mi (to me) to complete the literal sentence 'It is dear to me'.

Why does the word for madam end in -o (gospođo) instead of the usual -a (gospođa)?

In Croatian, when you are addressing someone directly, the ending of their name or title often changes. This is called the vocative case. For feminine words ending in -a like gospođa, the ending changes to -o when you speak directly to them.