ljeto
Latin, neuter
The Croatian word for summer is ljeto. Wiktionary also lists leto.
Meaning: hottest season (noun)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| ljeto | Latin, neuter |
| leto | Latin, neuter |
The word refers to the hottest season of the year. You may also encounter the adjective ljetni, which is used to describe things related to summer or the noun ljetovanje, which refers specifically to the act of spending the summer on holiday, often at the coast. The verb letovati means to spend the summer in a particular place for a holiday.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In regions bordering Slovenia, the term Poletje is used to refer to summer.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The default neuter form is ljeto. The genitive singular form is ljeta, which is used to indicate possession or to follow prepositions such as tijekom (during).
Did you know?
- The root of ljeto is shared with the word for 'year' in many Slavic languages, meaning the word originally encapsulated the entire cycle of time.
- The verb letovati implies a specific type of seasonal movement, often implying you are leaving your permanent home to reside elsewhere for a few months.
- While ljeto is the standard term, the variant leto is common in certain regions and reveals a phonetic shift where the 'lj' sound simplifies to 'l'.
Examples in context
- Na ljeto se po cijeloj hrvatskoj obali može čuti pregršt jezika iz mnogih dijelova Europe, pa i svijeta.During the summer, a handful of languages from across many parts of Europe, even the world, can be heard on the entire Croatian coast.The first sentence shows how to use ljeto when talking about many languages being heard on the coast during the season.Tatoeba #13778271 by lostmindRH, translation #13778272 by lostmindRH
- Ljeto je.It is summer.Tatoeba #12046820 by Adelpa, translation #8368864 by Adelpa
- Ljeto je gotovo.Summer is over.Tatoeba #655487 by billy_boomo_2, translation #394438 by doviende
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Petra and Marko are talking about their vacation plans.
- PetraKamo ideš ovog ljeta?Where are you going this summer?
- MarkoIdem na more, jer volim ljeto.I am going to the seaside, because I love summer.
- PetraTo zvuči super, Marko!That sounds great, Marko!
- MarkoHvala, Petra. A ti?Thanks, Petra. And you?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “summer” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leto, ljeto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
