Breakdown of Žao mi je.
žao mi je
I am sorry
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Questions & Answers about Žao mi je.
How do you pronounce Žao mi je?
A natural pronunciation is roughly ZHAH-oh mee yeh.
- Ž sounds like the s in measure or the g in genre.
- ao is pronounced as two vowels in sequence, not as one English sound: a-o.
- mi sounds like mee.
- je here sounds like yeh.
So the whole phrase is approximately ZHAH-oh mee yeh.
What does žao mean by itself?
Žao is an adjective-like word that expresses regret, sorrow, or pity, but in modern usage it usually appears in this fixed pattern:
- Žao mi je = literally something like It is regrettable/sad to me
You usually do not use žao alone as a full sentence. It normally needs the rest of the structure, such as:
- Žao mi je. = I’m sorry.
- Žao nam je. = We’re sorry.
- Žao mi je zbog toga. = I’m sorry about that.
Why does Croatian say mi je? What do those words mean?