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 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.
You will start with everyday Croatian words like the food (hrana), the drink (piće), the cup (šalica) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Croatian | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | hrana | The food is delicious. Hrana je ukusna. |
| the drink | piće | I want a drink. Želim piće. |
| the cup | šalica | The cup is full. Šalica je puna. |
| the bottle | boca | The bottle is empty. Boca je prazna. |
| the plate | tanjur | The plate is clean. Tanjur je čist. |
| the spoon | žlica | I use a spoon. Koristim žlicu. |
| the fork | vilica | I eat with a fork. Jedem vilicom. |
| the knife | nož | The knife is sharp. Nož je oštar. |
| the breakfast | doručak | I eat breakfast. Jedem doručak. |
| the lunch | ručak | We have lunch at noon. Ručamo u podne. |
| the dinner | večera | They eat dinner together. Večeraju zajedno. |
| the bread | kruh | I buy bread. Kupujem kruh. |
| the butter | maslac | I put butter on the bread. Stavljam maslac na kruh. |
| the cheese | sir | I eat cheese. Jedem sir. |
| the milk | mlijeko | I drink milk. Pijem mlijeko. |
| the coffee | kava | I drink coffee in the morning. Pijem kavu ujutro. |
| the tea | čaj | I like tea. Volim čaj. |
| the juice | sok | I drink juice. Pijem sok. |
| the soda | gazirani sok | I drink soda. Pijem gazirani sok. |
| the rice | riža | I eat rice. Jedem rižu. |
The 100 most important Croatian words →
The 100 most important Croatian verbs →
| to borrow | posuditi |
| to buy | kupiti |
| to clean | očistiti |
| to close | zatvoriti |
| to cook | kuhati |
| to do | raditi |
| to drink | piti |
| to eat | jesti |
| to find | pronaći |
| to get | dobiti |
| She is my friend | Ona je moja prijateljica. |
| They have fun together | Zajedno se zabavljaju. |
| We eat lunch together | Zajedno ručamo. |
| She smiles a lot | Ona se puno smiješi. |
| He tells funny jokes | On priča smiješne šale. |
| I visit my friends | Posjećujem svoje prijatelje. |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
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.
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.
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.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Croatian vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.