Warning: Content May Offend
I wrote a piece for an expat blogging writing competition about Croatian swear words back in 2014; well, Croatian phrases, actually. I had some great feedback from it (& it even won a gold medal), so I thought I’d share it with you all.
It seems that (most) Dalmatians love to shorten words, sing, and, as I have come to learn: swear, and swear a lot! Below are a few phrases you’ll find handy here in Dalmatia. Just a word of warning, a few might offend, so apologies upfront if you find yourself blushing at these Croatian swears.
If you want to know some general everyday phrases, we have a learn Croatian guide and language tips that may help you! But, if you want to learn how to swear in Croatian, read on for just a handful of some Croatian swear words translated for your pleasure.
Skip Ahead To My Advice Here!
Nemoj me jebat
Not the most polite of the phrases you’ll hear, but trust me, you will hear it. Maybe not heard in the shopping center or any formal situations, but if someone tells a tale that seems too incredible to believe, you’ll hear the other person say nemoj me jebat. To keep this PG, it’s essential to use your imagination a little. Dalmatians like to swear, so keep that in mind. You should know that you’d use this phrase when you’d want to say, “are you serious?” in English. But it translates to do not f*ck with me. You get the idea. If not, reach out to me, and I’ll explain.
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Čaću ti jarca
Do you have stubborn kids? You may want to keep this one handy, as it’s primarily used when your kids are stubborn mules. Although I still can’t see why, as it’s a terrible phrase. It means f*ck your goat, Father. That’s right, you heard it correctly; he just mentioned your father and a goat in that way. Sometimes it’s best not to say some of these phrases but rather know what they mean when you hear them, which is one of them. Swearing in Croatian could get you some weird looks – so be warned.
Boli me kurac
Oh dear, here we go again. Of all of the Croatian swear words, this is the one that my wonderful Dalmatian husband repeats regularly, and furthermore, it contains words that I cannot type exactly. I told you Dalmatians loved to swear – did I not? You’d say this phrase when you simply do not care about what the person is telling you or what is happening around you. However, the literal translation makes zero sense to that use at all. It means that you have pain in your nether regions of the manly kind. As I said, it makes no sense, but trust me, if you met my husband or his Dalmatian friends, you’d need to know that phrase.
If you like, a slightly more polite version is boli me ona stvar which translates to, that thing hurts me, and once again, makes no sense. However, it’s used for saying, I don’t give a damn.
Kako da ne
The literal translation is how yes no. Which, of course, means nothing obvious. I heard this a few times before I realized that it simply means, of course…NOT.
Katastrofa
Catastrophe. With the same meaning in English, this Croatian swear word is not used for an ACTUAL catastrophe. It’s instead used to exaggerate your point (full explanation here). You’ll hear this in the coffee shop, at your friends’ house, and your 80-year-old Baba (Grandmother) will say it when the wind is blowing, as Croatians have an irrational fear of the wind, like the Bura. DDon’tpanic. IIt’snot actually anything to worry about—nothing of any kind. Ništa (nothing) to see or worry about. Feel free to use it as an exaggeration to highlight how you feel when you arrive at the bakery and you retold that they just sold the last Krafna of the day – katastrofa!
Ne mogu više, hvala
If you plan to visit your Croatian family and friends here in Croatia for a meal, it’s wise to ensure that you do not eat a big meal leading up to your visit. Your Croatian friends and family will throw food at your left, right, and center- especially the older ones. The same goes for drinks. You’ll have to try all of the season’s finest offerings no matter how much you say you’re longer hungry. Hungry or not, the food and drinks will keep on coming. Inevitably you’ll reach the point where you will fear that undoing the button on your pants won’t be enough and that you may actually explode. At this point, you can reach for the phrase Ne mogu više, hvala! Which means you can’t take anymore. Do not overuse this phrase or use it after only one slice of cake and a rakija, as they may not believe you.
Živjeli
This is an essential phrase if you plan to share a drink with a local. Before you take the first sip of your local wine or the heart-stopping Croatian brandy known as rakija, you’ll need to shout ŽIVJELI!!! Which is Croatian for cheers! The pounding of the glass also accompanies it on the table, and THEN you may take your first mouthful.
So there you have a few phrases that you’ll hear in Dalmatia, and if the Dalmatians you meet are like my family, they’ll love you even more if you say one back – be careful who you tell them to!
We’ve got a stack of suggestions if you are traveling to Croatia. Here are just a few:
- Best Things to do with Kids in Croatia
- Car Rental Tips and Deals
- Find out about Festivals in Croatia
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Naughty, naughty, naughty! What are the odds this will appear in the next LP language guidebook?
I’d take it!
Great post! I love learning about different cultures and this is certainly something we all have in common isn’t it?
I really liked this article! Nicely written and very interesting.
Hvala / Thanks
This makes Croatians seem like morons.
Oh no! On the contrary Sage, its a skill to make a language out of nonsensical sentences. It’s all a bit of fun :)
this is just the very very tip of the ice burg.. actually just a snowflake of what u touched.. the top three r very mild swears.. the bottom 4 r nothin… just everyday kind of phrases.. if ur gonna swear.. go balls out ;-)
‘boli me kurac’ you can say as ‘jebe mi se’ ..’Bog te maza’ is used as a comment to a tale similar to ‘nemoj me jebat’..hahah I’m not proud of how dirty language we have but if you hear old man doing something and makes a mistake he will for sure say ‘jeba te Bog’ wich is one of the worst swears but it is funny to hear in that situation..in Croatian you can use fuck with everything..xD and we are not morons ;)
Ajde ne zajebavaj! (Don’t fuck with me around…..sort of…lol!)
Pola od ovoga uopce nisu psovke… A i izostavljene su one socnije! ;-)
“kako da ne” does not mean how yes no. The word “da” has other meanings in croatian other than “yes”. “Kako da” can be translated like “how to”
Nemoj me jebat :) We all used to make jokes about “kako da ne” translation to English. But you’re right – word “da” may be translated as “yes” as well as “to” (or “how to” as you said).
Ahhhh this language is so tricky! Just when I think I can figure it out… nope :)
A more ‘acceptable’ version of ‘boli me kurac’ can be ‘boli me cosak’. Literally means, the corner hutrs me…makes no sense, but actually means you don’t give a crap about something someone said – without using real profanity ;)
That’s right, literal translation would be “how to no”; a correct one, “how about no?”
Also used as ‘if’. Da sam znala…if I knew.
There is another one that *should* be on the list above: “Jebo sliku svoju!”. Believe or not, that one is used extensively in Croatia, and means: “(go away and) f**k a photo of yourself” :D
How rude!!! Giggle, I’l be sure to add that to my list, thanks a bunch for sharing that one Debeli