lijep dan vam želim
The English phrase 'have a nice day' is translated into Croatian as lijep dan vam želim.
This phrase is used as a polite way to say goodbye in service settings or formal social interactions.
Meaning: goodbye (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, lijep dan vam želim means 'a beautiful day to you I wish'.
Which one should you use?
While lijep dan vam želim is a complete sentence, uživajte is a shorter, common way to say 'enjoy your day' or 'enjoy yourselves'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The choice of pronoun determines the level of formality or number of people addressed. Using vam makes the phrase polite or used when addressing a group of people, as seen in lijep dan vam želim. Replacing the polite vam with ti makes the phrase informal, used with friends or peers, such as in lijep dan ti želim.
Did you know?
- If you are leaving a shop in the afternoon, you might switch from lijep dan to ugodan ostatak dana, which means 'a pleasant remainder of the day'.
- The word lijep in lijep dan can mean 'beautiful', 'pretty', or 'nice', but it is also used to describe someone's physical appearance. If you call a person lijep/a, you are saying they are 'handsome' or 'beautiful'.
- The root of the word dan is shared with the English word 'day', as both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European origins. This makes the core meaning of the phrase surprisingly familiar to an English speaker.
Examples in context
- Hvala puno! I tebi želim ugodan dan!Thank you very much! I wish you a pleasant day too!
- Lijep dan vam želim.I wish you a nice day.
- Hvala, i lijep dan vam želim.Thank you, and I wish you a nice day too.
- Sve najbolje i lijep dan vam želim.All the best and I wish you a nice day.
Example conversation
Luka is leaving a bakery after buying bread.
- LukaHvala puno za kruh.Thank you very much for the bread.
- PetraNema na čemu, Luka.You're welcome, Luka.
- LukaDoviđenja, lijep dan vam želim!Goodbye, I wish you a nice day!
- PetraHvala, i vama isto, Petra.Thanks, you too, Petra.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dan, lijep, CC BY-SA 4.0.
