Provjerite rok trajanja.

Provjerite means check.

It is the imperative form of the verb provjeriti (to check / to verify). In this sentence, it is used as a command or instruction.

More specifically, provjerite is the imperative used for:

• you (plural) — when speaking to more than one person
• formal you (singular) — when speaking politely to one person

So it can mean either:

• Check! said to several people
• Check! said politely to one person

Croatian distinguishes between different imperative forms depending on who you are speaking to.

• provjeri = check! to one person informally
• provjerite = check! to several people or one person formally/politely

So if a label, notice, or instruction says Provjerite rok trajanja, it sounds neutral, polite, and appropriate for the general public.

Literally, rok trajanja is something like:

• rok = term, deadline, limit, period
• trajanja = of lasting, of duration

So the literal sense is the period of validity/duration.

In everyday usage, though, rok trajanja is the normal expression for:

• expiration date
• shelf life
• use-by period

The exact English translation depends on context, but for products and food it usually refers to the expiration/use-by information.

Trajanje is the basic dictionary form, meaning duration or lasting.

In rok trajanja, the word changes to trajanja because it is in the genitive case. Croatian often uses this pattern after certain nouns to show what kind of term or deadline something is.

So:

• trajanje = duration
• rok trajanja = literally term of duration

This is just the standard fixed expression. A learner will usually meet it as a whole phrase.

Yes, very much so.

Even though you can analyze the grammar, rok trajanja is best learned as a set expression meaning something like expiration date / shelf life.

You will often see it on:

• food packaging
• cosmetics
• medicine
• product instructions

So it is useful to remember the whole phrase, not just the individual words.

Croatian does not have articles like English a or the.

So Provjerite rok trajanja naturally means:

• Check the expiration date
• Check expiration date

The definiteness is understood from context. That is completely normal in Croatian.

Yes.

Depending on the variety of English and the context, good translations include:

• Check the expiration date
• Check the expiry date
• Check the use-by date

British English often prefers expiry date, while American English often prefers expiration date.

No, there are other possibilities, but rok trajanja is very common.

For example:

• datum isteka = expiry date / expiration date
• upotrijebiti do = use by
• najbolje upotrijebiti do = best before

The difference is mostly about context:

• rok trajanja often refers to the product’s valid shelf-life period in general
• datum isteka focuses more directly on the actual date when something expires

So Provjerite rok trajanja is natural, but Provjerite datum isteka could also appear in some contexts.

The whole phrase rok trajanja is the direct object of provjerite, so the noun rok is in the accusative.

However, because rok is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative singular looks the same as its nominative singular:

• nominative: rok
• accusative: rok

Then trajanja stays in the genitive, because it depends on rok.

So grammatically:

• Provjerite = imperative verb
• rok = accusative singular direct object
• trajanja = genitive singular modifying rok

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

pro-VYE-ri-te rok tra-YA-nya

A few helpful points:

• j is pronounced like English y
• nj in trajanja sounds like the ny in canyon
• Croatian spelling is quite phonetic, so words are usually pronounced as written

So:

• Provjerite ≈ pro-vye-ri-te
• rok ≈ roke without the long English vowel; just a short rok
• trajanja ≈ tra-ya-nya

Because Croatian often leaves the subject unstated when it is already clear from the verb form.

In Provjerite, the ending already tells you that the command is addressed to:

• you plural
• or formal you singular

So there is no need to add a separate word for you.

That is very normal in Croatian. The verb ending carries that information.

Yes.

Both are possible:

• Provjerite rok trajanja.
• Provjerite rok trajanja!

With a period, it sounds like a neutral instruction, as on packaging or in a manual.

With an exclamation mark, it sounds stronger or more urgent.

On labels and notices, the period is often preferred because it looks more neutral and informational.