Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| hvala | Latin |
| zahvaljujem | Latin |
hvala is a common way to express gratitude and can mean 'thank you', 'thanks' or 'thank you very much'.
Which one should you use?
While hvala is the standard way to say thank you, zahvaljujem is a more formal verb that means 'I am expressing gratitude' or 'I am thanking (you/someone)'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Hvala lipo is an informal regional variation meaning 'thank you kindly'.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify hvala by adding pronouns: use hvala ti to say 'thank you' to a single person in an informal setting, or use hvala vam to say 'thank you' to a group of people or to one person formally.
When do people say it?
The most common way to respond to hvala is nema na čemu, which literally means 'there is nothing to thank for'. You can also use the word molim as a polite response, functioning similarly to 'you're welcome'.
Did you know?
- The word molim, used to respond to hvala, also means 'please' and is used to ask someone to repeat themselves, similar to 'I beg your pardon' in English.
- The root of hvala is shared with the word hvaliti, which means 'to praise'. In Croatian, thanking someone is linguistically tied to the act of praising them.
- In some regions of Croatia, people may respond to hvala with ništa, which literally means 'nothing'.
Examples in context
- Ne više, hvala. Sit sam.No more, thank you. I'm full.This sentence shows how to use hvala when declining more food.Tatoeba #5582852 by Gonic, translation #65830 by CK
- Ne, hvala. Sit sam.No, thank you. I'm full.This sentence shows how to use hvala when declining something.Tatoeba #1477499 by pejcinovick, translation #65670 by CK
- Hvala na vašoj čokoladi.Thank you for your chocolate.This sentence shows how to use hvala to express gratitude for a specific item.Tatoeba #3457777 by teaizm, translation #2744463 by pllim
- Hvala na lijepom poklonu.Thank you for the lovely gift.
- Hvala lijepo na vašem vremenu.Thank you kindly for your time.
- Srdačno vam hvala na vašoj pomoći.Heartfelt thanks for your help.
- Hvala puno na pomoći oko selidbe.Thanks a lot for your help with the move.
- Hvala ti na lijepim riječima.Thank you for the kind words.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo gives Mia a book she wanted to read.
- MateoIzvoli knjigu, Mia.Here is the book, Mia.
- MiaHvala, Mateo!Thank you, Mateo!
- MateoNema na čemu.You're welcome.
- MiaBaš mi znači.It really means a lot to me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
