crven
Pronunciation: TSR-vehn
red
adjective
أحمر
Auto je crven.
The car is red.
السيارة حمراء.
The car is red.
السيارة حمراء.
A1 · Beginner
🎨 Croatian Colours & describing الألوان والوصف
Colours, sizes and the little words that describe things. In Croatian this topic is called Boje i opisi. Below are 15 words and phrases with pronunciation, English and Arabic meanings, and a real example sentence for each. Tap ▶ to hear them.
Colours and describing words let you talk about anything around you. The key thing to know is that Croatian adjectives change their ending to match the noun: masculine, feminine or neuter.
plav
Pronunciation: plahv
blue
adjective
أزرق
Nebo je plavo.
The sky is blue.
السماء زرقاء.
The sky is blue.
السماء زرقاء.
zelen
Pronunciation: ZEH-lehn
green
adjective
أخضر
Park je zelen u proljeće.
The park is green in spring.
الحديقة خضراء في الربيع.
The park is green in spring.
الحديقة خضراء في الربيع.
žut
Pronunciation: zhoot
yellow
adjective
أصفر
Limun je žut.
The lemon is yellow.
الليمون أصفر.
The lemon is yellow.
الليمون أصفر.
bijel
Pronunciation: BEE-yehl
white
adjective
أبيض
Snijeg je bijel.
Snow is white.
الثلج أبيض.
Snow is white.
الثلج أبيض.
crn
Pronunciation: tsrn
black
adjective
أسود
Moj pas je crn.
My dog is black.
كلبي أسود.
My dog is black.
كلبي أسود.
velik
Pronunciation: VEH-leek
big
adjective
كبير
Zagreb je velik grad.
Zagreb is a big city.
زغرب مدينة كبيرة.
Zagreb is a big city.
زغرب مدينة كبيرة.
malen
Pronunciation: MAH-lehn
small
adjective
صغير
Stan je malen ali lijep.
The flat is small but nice.
الشقة صغيرة لكنها جميلة.
The flat is small but nice.
الشقة صغيرة لكنها جميلة.
nov
Pronunciation: nohv
new
adjective
جديد
Imam nov telefon.
I have a new phone.
لدي هاتف جديد.
I have a new phone.
لدي هاتف جديد.
star
Pronunciation: stahr
old
adjective
قديم / عجوز
Ovo je star most.
This is an old bridge.
هذا جسر قديم.
This is an old bridge.
هذا جسر قديم.
lijep
Pronunciation: LYEHP
beautiful / nice
adjective
جميل
Dubrovnik je lijep grad.
Dubrovnik is a beautiful city.
دوبروفنيك مدينة جميلة.
Dubrovnik is a beautiful city.
دوبروفنيك مدينة جميلة.
ružan
Pronunciation: ROO-zhahn
ugly
adjective
قبيح
Taj kaput je ružan.
That coat is ugly.
ذلك المعطف قبيح.
That coat is ugly.
ذلك المعطف قبيح.
brz
Pronunciation: brz
fast
adjective
سريع
Vlak je brz.
The train is fast.
القطار سريع.
The train is fast.
القطار سريع.
spor
Pronunciation: spohr
slow
adjective
بطيء
Autobus je spor danas.
The bus is slow today.
الحافلة بطيئة اليوم.
The bus is slow today.
الحافلة بطيئة اليوم.
boja
Pronunciation: BOH-yah
colour
noun
لون
Koja je tvoja omiljena boja?
What is your favourite colour?
ما لونك المفضل؟
What is your favourite colour?
ما لونك المفضل؟
How to use these words
- The three endings: crven auto, crvena kuća, crveno vino; velik grad, velika soba, veliko more.
- Plav means blue, but with hair it means blond: plava kosa is blond hair.
- Lijep covers beautiful, nice and lovely; Lijepo! on its own means “Nice!”.
A little culture
Croatians call red wine crno vino, “black wine”. The national colours are red, white and blue (crvena, bijela i plava), and the red-and-white checkerboard, the šahovnica, appears on the flag and on the football shirts.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the ending: “velik kuća” should be velika kuća, because kuća is feminine.
- Ordering “crveno vino” and getting a puzzled look. It is understood, but locals say crno vino.
Quick quiz: colours & describing
Red wine in Croatian is usually…
“Plava kosa” is…
“A big house” is…
Practise these 15 phrases
Reading a list is a start. To remember these words you need to use them: Malingo turns this topic into 4 short lessons with listening, speaking, matching and translation exercises, and reminds you to review words before you forget them.
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