Boli me glava
I have a headache
Usage
Used to describe a headache to a doctor or pharmacist
Grammar Note
"Boli me + body part (nominative)" is the standard pain phrase. E.g. "Boli me trbuh" (stomachache)
Trebam liječnika
I need a doctor
Usage
Used in emergencies or when unwell to request medical assistance
Grammar Note
Emergency: "Zovite Hitnu pomoć!" (Call an ambulance!). Croatian emergency number: 112
Alergičan sam na penicilin
I am allergic to penicillin
Usage
Used to inform a doctor or pharmacist about a drug or food allergy
Grammar Note
Feminine: "Alergična sam". Food allergies: "na orašaste plodove" (nuts), "na laktozu" (lactose)
Gdje je najbliža ljekarna?
Where is the nearest pharmacy?
Usage
Used to locate the nearest pharmacy when you need medication
Grammar Note
Croatian pharmacies display a green cross. Some pharmacies in Dubrovnik are open 24 hours
Imam temperaturu
I have a fever
Usage
Used to inform a doctor or others that you have a fever
Grammar Note
Specifying temperature helps: "Imam temperaturu 38 stupnjeva" (I have a 38-degree fever)
Mučnina mi je
I feel nauseous
Usage
Used to describe nausea to a doctor or others
Grammar Note
"mi je + noun/adj" expresses bodily sensations. "Vrtoglavica mi je" (I feel dizzy) uses the same structure
Govorite li engleski?
Do you speak English?
Usage
Used by foreign patients at hospitals to ask for an English-speaking doctor
Grammar Note
Hospitals in tourist areas like Dubrovnik often have English-speaking staff available
Zovite Hitnu pomoć!
Call an ambulance!
Usage
Critical phrase to use in emergencies to call for an ambulance
Grammar Note
Croatian emergency numbers: 112 (EU) or 194 (domestic). "Hitna pomoć" is the ambulance/emergency service
Trebam recept za lijek
I need a prescription for the medicine
Usage
Used at a pharmacy or after a consultation to request a prescription
Grammar Note
Croatian pharmacies are called "ljekarna" or "apoteka". Prescription drugs require a signed doctor's recept
Imam putno osiguranje
I have travel insurance
Usage
Used by foreign visitors when registering at a Croatian medical facility to show travel insurance
Grammar Note
EU citizens can use the EHIC card. Non-EU visitors should carry travel insurance documents and emergency contacts
Trudna sam
I am pregnant
Usage
Show this first at a clinic or pharmacy: it changes what medication, X-rays, or anaesthesia are safe
Grammar Note
"Trudna" is the feminine adjective, so the phrase is inherently spoken by a woman; the noun "pregnancy" is "trudnoća". Give the week as "u 12. tjednu"
Astma
Asthma
Usage
Point to this to declare asthma as a pre-existing condition; an inhaler is "inhalator"
Grammar Note
Feminine noun; in a sentence it takes the accusative: "Imam astmu" (I have asthma)
Dijabetes
Diabetes
Usage
Point to this to declare diabetes; everyday Croatian also says "šećerna bolest". Insulin is "inzulin"
Grammar Note
Masculine noun
Visoki krvni tlak
High blood pressure
Usage
Point to this to declare hypertension; it affects what can be prescribed
Grammar Note
Croatian uses "tlak" for pressure, not the Serbian "pritisak". Low blood pressure is "niski krvni tlak"
Bolest srca
Heart disease
Usage
Point to this to declare a heart condition; a pacemaker is "pejsmejker" and a heart attack "srčani udar"
Grammar Note
"Srca" is the genitive of "srce" (heart); "srčana bolest" means the same
Epilepsija
Epilepsy
Usage
Point to this to declare epilepsy; a seizure is "napadaj"
Zdravstveno osiguranje
Health insurance
Usage
Point to this when reception asks about insurance; travel insurance is "putno osiguranje"
Grammar Note
Neuter noun. EU travellers can present the EHIC, called "europska kartica zdravstvenog osiguranja" in Croatia
Recept
Prescription
Usage
Point to this at a clinic to ask for a prescription, or at a pharmacy to ask whether a drug needs one. The same word also means a cooking recipe, so outside a medical setting it will be read that way
Grammar Note
Masculine noun. "Na recept" means prescription-only; "bez recepta" means over-the-counter
Ljekarna
Pharmacy
Usage
Point to this to ask where a pharmacy is; the sign reads "LJEKARNA" with a green cross. A night-duty pharmacy is a "dežurna ljekarna"
Grammar Note
Croatian uses "ljekarna", not the Serbian "apoteka". Feminine noun
Prijelom kosti
Bone fracture
Usage
Point to this for a suspected fracture; an X-ray is "rendgen" and a cast "gips"
Grammar Note
"Prijelom" alone already means fracture; this is the ijekavian form (Serbian: "prelom")
Teško dišem
I have trouble breathing
Usage
States that breathing is difficult; read as an urgent symptom straight away
Vrtoglavica
Dizziness
Usage
Point to this for dizziness; "Imam vrtoglavicu" is the full sentence
Krvarenje
Bleeding
Usage
Point to this to report bleeding, then point at your own body for the site
Grammar Note
Neuter noun; the verb form is "Krvarim" (I am bleeding)
Opeklina
Burn
Usage
Point to this for a burn; sunburn is "opeklina od sunca"
Rana
Wound
Usage
Point to this for a wound; a cut is "posjekotina" and a graze "ogrebotina"
Grammar Note
Feminine noun. It is spelled the same as the adjective "rana" (early), but in a medical setting it reads as wound
Uho
Ear
Usage
Point at your ear and at this word to report ear pain or trouble
Grammar Note
Neuter noun, plural "uši". "My ear hurts" is "Boli me uho"
Vrat
Neck
Usage
Point to this for neck pain. The throat is a different word, "grlo", so do not use this for pain on swallowing
Grammar Note
Masculine noun
Rame
Shoulder
Usage
Point to this and at your own shoulder to report shoulder pain
Grammar Note
Neuter noun, plural "ramena"
Koljeno
Knee
Usage
Point to this to report knee pain
Grammar Note
Neuter noun, plural "koljena"
Prst
Finger / toe
Usage
Croatian "prst" covers both fingers and toes. Point at the actual digit, or specify "prst na ruci" (finger) or "prst na nozi" (toe)
Grammar Note
Masculine noun, plural "prsti"
Koža
Skin
Usage
Point to this for a skin problem; dermatology is "dermatologija"
Grammar Note
Feminine noun. The same word also means leather, so in a shop it will be read as the material
Nos
Nose
Usage
Point to this for nose trouble; a runny nose is "curi mi nos" and a blocked nose "začepljen nos"
Kašalj
Cough
Usage
Point to this for a cough; "Imam kašalj" is the sentence, and cough syrup is "sirup protiv kašlja"
Grammar Note
Masculine noun; the "a" drops in oblique cases (kašlja, kašlju)
Svrbi me
It itches
Usage
Says that something itches; point at your own body for the spot. The noun "itch" is "svrbež"
Osip
Rash
Usage
Point to this for a rash; an allergic one is "alergijski osip"
Opstipacija
Constipation
Usage
The medical word for constipation. Everyday Croatian also says "zatvor", but that word far more commonly means prison, so use this one when pointing
Menstruacija
Period (menstruation)
Usage
Point to this to tell a doctor or pharmacist you are menstruating; the everyday softer word is "mjesečnica", equally well understood
Grammar Note
Feminine noun; period pain is "menstrualni bolovi"
Krvna grupa
Blood type
Usage
Show it when you need to give your blood group before a transfusion or surgery
Grammar Note
A feminine noun phrase: "krvna" (of blood) + "grupa" (group); "krv" is blood
Liječnička potvrda
Medical certificate
Usage
Show it when asking a doctor for a written statement, for example for an insurance claim; test results themselves are a "liječnički nalaz"
Grammar Note
A feminine noun phrase: "liječnička" (a doctor's) + "potvrda" (certificate); "liječnička svjedodžba" says the same thing
Hospitalizacija
Hospital admission
Usage
Being taken into hospital for treatment; the verb is "hospitalizirati"
Grammar Note
Feminine noun. Everyday speech also says "Moram u bolnicu" (I have to go into hospital), using "bolnica" (hospital)
Zimica
Chills
Usage
The shivering cold that comes with a fever; "Trese me zimica" means "I have the chills"
Grammar Note
Feminine noun formed from "zima" (winter, cold); as a diminutive it can also mean a slight chill in the air
Prehlada
Common cold
Usage
The ordinary cold with sneezing and an irritated nose and throat; understood as-is at a pharmacy
Grammar Note
Feminine noun; synonyms are "hunjavica" and "nazeb". Influenza is "gripa", a different illness
Zovite liječnika!
Please call a doctor
Usage
Used to ask someone present to fetch a doctor
Grammar Note
The "Zovite + accusative" pattern with "liječnika" (doctor, accusative)
Loše mi je
I feel sick
Usage
Used to tell a doctor or those around you that you feel unwell
Grammar Note
The impersonal "dative mi + je" construction with the noun replaced by the adverb "loše". "Loš" means of poor quality; applied to a person's state it means feeling unwell
Imam malaksalost
My body feels sluggish
Usage
Used to tell a doctor that you feel weak and heavy-limbed
Grammar Note
The "Imam + symptom in the accusative" pattern. "Malaksalost" means weakness, exhaustion, languor
Povraćao sam nekoliko puta
I have vomited several times
Usage
Used to tell a doctor how many times you have been sick
Grammar Note
The "past participle + sam" pattern. "Povraćati" means to expel the contents of the stomach through the mouth (to vomit). "Nekoliko" means several, an indefinite quantity above about five and below "mnogo" (many). A female speaker says "Povraćala sam"
Trebam li mirovanje?
Do I need to rest?
Usage
Used to ask a doctor whether you should stay at rest after being examined
Grammar Note
The "Trebam li …?" question pattern. "Mirovanje" is the verbal noun of "mirovati" (to stay still, to do nothing); in medicine it appears in "mirovanje u krevetu" (bed rest)
Proljev
Diarrhea
Usage
Point to this to name the symptom to a doctor or pharmacist. It means frequent emptying of the bowels with very thin, sometimes bloody stool. The opposite complaint is "opstipacija"
Kaka
Poop
Usage
The everyday word with children and family; it is the familiar word (verb "kakati") for what small children do. At a clinic the medical word is "stolica" (stool). Avoid the vulgar "govno"
Mokraća
Urine
Usage
The neutral word, meaning urine. Show it at a consultation to describe your urine. The verb is "piškiti"
Imam proljev
I have diarrhea
Usage
Used to tell a doctor or pharmacist about the symptom; the form is the same for men and women
Grammar Note
The word "proljev" as the object of "imam" (first person of "imati", to have). Here it is the accusative, which for an inanimate masculine noun looks like the nominative; the genitive is "proljeva"
Imam opstipaciju
I'm constipated
Usage
Used to tell a doctor or pharmacist about the symptom. Everyday "zatvor" far more commonly means prison, so the medical word is used. The form is the same for men and women
Grammar Note
"Opstipacija" in the "imam + object" frame. It is a feminine noun, so the accusative ending changes from "-a" to "-u": "opstipaciju"
Moram piškiti
I need to pee
Usage
A familiar (fam.) way to tell a companion or a child you need to pee. The form is the same for men and women
Grammar Note
"Moram + infinitive" means "I have to …". "Piškiti" is the familiar form of "pišiti", a word used with young children. The noun is "mokraća"
Moram kakati
I need to poop
Usage
A familiar (fam.) way to tell a companion or a child you need to poop; it is the word for what small children do. The form is the same for men and women
Grammar Note
The "moram + infinitive" frame. The noun for the verb "kakati" is "kaka"
More Croatian phrases
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