Croatian grammar, explained simply
Short guides with side-by-side tables, so you can see each pattern at a glance. Every example has audio. These are the same explanations used in the Malingo course.
A1 · Beginner
Personal pronouns الضمائر الشخصية
I, you, he, she, we, they — and when Croatian leaves them out.
The verb “biti” (to be) الفعل «biti» (يكون)
Croatian’s most used verb: yes, no and question forms side by side.
The verb “imati” (to have) الفعل «imati» (يملك)
Have and have not — plus “there is / there isn’t”.
Present tense of verbs المضارع للأفعال
Three ending patterns cover almost every Croatian verb.
Gender of nouns جنس الأسماء
Every noun is masculine, feminine or neuter — usually visible from its last letter.
My, your, his, her ضمائر الملكية
Possessives change their ending to match the thing owned, not the owner.
Asking questions طرح الأسئلة
Question words, and the little word “li”.
A2 · Elementary
Past and future الماضي والمستقبل
Both are built with a helper verb plus one main form. Compare them side by side.
Can, must, want يستطيع، يجب، يريد
moći, morati and htjeti — add any verb after them.
Verbs with “se” الأفعال مع «se»
zvati se, tuširati se, vratiti se — the little “se” and where it goes.
Cases: the big idea الحالات الإعرابية: الفكرة الأساسية
Croatian nouns change their ending depending on their job in the sentence.
The object: accusative المفعول به: المنصوب
What you see, buy, want or love takes the accusative ending.
Where and where to: u / na أين وإلى أين: u / na
The same little words, two different endings for “going” and “being”.
Numbers with nouns الأعداد مع الأسماء
One coffee, two coffees, five coffees — three different endings.
Big numbers, dates and prices الأعداد الكبيرة والتواريخ والأسعار
Tens, hundreds, thousands, “first, second…”, dates, years and clock times.
B1 · Intermediate
Bigger, the biggest
Comparing things: the -iji / -ji form and “naj-”.
Verb pairs: doing vs done
Most verbs come in pairs: one for the process, one for the finished result.
Would: polite requests and wishes
bih, bi, bismo… plus the past form — “I would like”.
Counting like a native
Groups of people, “about ten”, “twice”, fractions and percentages.
How to use these guides
Read one topic at a time, say the examples out loud, and then practise the same words in the app. Grammar sticks best when you use it: Malingo's lessons repeat every pattern from these guides in listening, speaking and sentence-building exercises.
New to Croatian sounds? Start with the alphabet and pronunciation guide.
Practise grammar in real sentences
Short daily lessons with instant feedback, in English or Arabic.
Start learning free