1000 Words

Learn Croatian – start with the 1000 most important words

Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Croatian vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and native-speaker audio.

Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.

A taste: Croatian vocabulary with example sentences

EnglishCroatianExample sentence
the applejabukaI eat the apple.
Jedem jabuku.
the bookknjigaShe reads the book.
Ona čita knjigu.
the catmačkaThe cat is sleeping.
Mačka spava.
the dogpasThe dog is barking.
Pas laje.
the carautoHe drives the car.
On vozi auto.
the housekućaWe live in a house.
Živimo u kući.
the chairstolicaShe sits on the chair.
Ona sjedi na stolici.
the tablestolPut the book on the table.
Stavi knjigu na stol.
the windowprozorOpen the window.
Otvori prozor.
the doorvrataClose the door.
Zatvori vrata.
the pencilolovkaI write with the pencil.
Pišem olovkom.
the paperpapirThe paper is on the table.
Papir je na stolu.
the schoolškolaThe school is big.
Škola je velika.
the teacheručiteljThe teacher teaches math.
Učitelj predaje matematiku.
the studentučenikThe student is studying.
Učenik uči.
the boydječakThe boy is playing.
Dječak se igra.
the girldjevojčicaThe girl is singing.
Djevojčica pjeva.
the adultodrasla osobaThe adult is working.
Odrasla osoba radi.
the friendprijateljMy friend is here.
Moj prijatelj je ovdje.
the treedrvoThe tree is tall.
Drvo je visoko.

The 100 most important Croatian words →

Essential Croatian verbs & adjectives

to acceptprihvatiti
to adddodati
to agreeslagati se
to allowdopustiti
to askpitati
to believevjerovati
to borrowposuditi
to breakrazbiti
to bringdonijeti
to buildgraditi

Croatian sentences for beginners

I like applesVolim jabuke.
She is my friendOna je moja prijateljica.
It is a sunny daySunčan je dan.
He runs fastOn brzo trči.
We are happySretni smo.
They play soccerOni igraju nogomet.

How you learn Croatian with 1000 Words

🎬 Learning videos

Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.

🎧 Audiobooks

All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.

📖 Ebooks & PDFs

All words and sentences to look up and read offline.

🧠 Vocabulary trainer

Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.

✨ AI stories

Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.

📴 Offline mode

Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need to understand Croatian?

With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.

Does learning Croatian while sleeping really work?

Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.

Is 1000 Words free?

Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.

Who is 1000 Words for?

For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Croatian vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with native-speaker audio.

Start learning Croatian for free

Learn in the browser Watch Croatian videos

App Store · Google Play

Learn more languages

German · Spanish · French · Italian · Portuguese · Polish · Russian · Turkish · Arabic · Ukrainian · Chinese · Dutch · Swedish · Danish · Norwegian · Finnish · Czech · Slovak · Hungarian · Bulgarian · Romanian · Greek · Japanese · Korean · Vietnamese · Indonesian · Thai · Hindi · Persian · Swahili · Afrikaans