Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| mlijeko | Ijekavian, Latin, neuter |
| mleko | Ekavian, Latin, neuter |
| mliko | Ikavian, Latin, neuter |
The term refers to the liquid produced by mammals. To specify cow's milk, you can use the phrase kravlje mlijeko. Related to this, the verb musti (along with its forms мусти and помусти) means to express or milk a mammal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Croatian uses different forms based on regional dialects. The standard and most common form is the Ijekavian mlijeko. The Ekavian form mleko is also used, while the Ikavian form mliko is found in certain regions.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
mlijeko is a neuter noun, which means any adjectives or verbs referring to it must agree with its gender. In the singular, the accusative form is identical to the nominative mlijeko. If you need to say "of milk", use the genitive form mlijeka and to say "with milk", use the instrumental form mlijekom.
Did you know?
- The word mlijeko is a cognate with the English word 'milk', as both descend from a very ancient root referring to the white color of the liquid.
- The different forms like mleko and mlijeko are not just spelling variations but represent different historical linguistic paths within the Slavic language family.
- In Croatian, the way you say 'with milk' using mlijekom involves a grammatical case called the instrumental, which is a concept that does not exist in English.
Examples in context
- Stavljaš li mlijeko u svoj čaj?Do you put milk in your tea?This sentence is useful for asking if someone puts mlijeko in their tea.Tatoeba #13793457 by mervert1, translation #8026580 by CK
- Dodala je mlijeko u svoju kavu.She added milk to her coffee.This sentence is useful for describing adding mlijeko to coffee.Tatoeba #13824452 by mervert1, translation #8742022 by deniko
- Krave daju mlijeko.Cows give milk.This sentence is useful for stating that cows produce mlijeko.Tatoeba #960427 by akvo, translation #619902 by darinmex
- Htio bih kupiti litru mlijeka.I would like to buy a liter of milk.
Example conversation
Ivan and Ana are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
- IvanAna, imamo li još mlijeka?Ana, do we have any more milk?
- AnaNe, mlijeko je potpuno nestalo.No, the milk is completely gone.
- IvanMoraš kupiti mlijeko u trgovini.You need to buy milk at the store.
- AnaU redu, idem odmah kupiti.Alright, I'm going to buy some now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
