Ways to say it
| Croatian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ime | /îme/ | Latin, neuter |
| naziv | Latin, masculine |
In Croatian, the word for name depends on whether you are referring to a person or a concept. Use ime when talking about a person's given name or a person's name in general. Use naziv to refer to the name of a thing, a concept, a book or a specific term.
Which one should you use?
ime is used for personal names, whereas naziv is used for a title, designation or the name of an object or idea.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ime is imena. The genitive singular form of naziv is naziva.
How do you pronounce it?
/îme/
When do people say it?
When addressing people formally, you can use the honorifics Gospodin for Mr. and Gospođa for Mrs., such as in Gospodin Novak or Gospođa Horvat. In more personal or affectionate contexts, names may change. For example, the name Petar can become the diminutive Perica and Ana can be called Ančica.
Did you know?
- There is a distinct difference between ime and prezime. While ime is the given name, prezime literally translates to 'behind-name', referring to the family name.
- Croatian names often change their endings based on the grammatical case. For example, the name Ivan becomes Ivana when it is the object of a sentence, which is different from the female name Ivana.
- The Croatian word ime is a distant relative of the English word 'name'. Both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁nómn̥.
Examples in context
- Zdravo. Moje ime je Sergej.Hi. My name is Sergey.This sentence demonstrates how to introduce your name using ime.Tatoeba #6078321 by kkupus, translation #6077633 by carlosalberto
- Tom je promijenio svoje ime.Tom has changed his name.This sentence shows the use of ime when discussing a change to a name.Tatoeba #4700955 by b_ana_na, translation #4700121 by CK
- Nisam se mogao sjetiti njegovog imena.I couldn't remember his name.This sentence illustrates using the form of ime to express a lack of memory regarding a name.Tatoeba #5738904 by puzz, translation #287658 by CK
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Marko and Ana are meeting for the first time at a party.
- MarkoBok, ja sam Marko. Koje je tvoje ime?Hi, I am Marko. What is your name?
- AnaBok, Marko. Moje ime je Ana.Hi, Marko. My name is Ana.
- MarkoDrago mi je, Ana.Nice to meet you, Ana.
- AnaTakođer, drago mi je.Nice to meet you too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “name” translations and entries ime, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ime, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
