Greetings
Dobar dan
DOH-bar dahn
Good day — the standard polite greeting. 'Bok' is the Zagreb informal one and is used constantly.
Daily life
OIB
oh-ee-beh
Osobni identifikacijski broj — the personal identification number. Nothing works without it: no lease, no bank account, no employment, no utility contract.
Boravišna dozvola
bo-ra-VEESH-na DOZ-vo-la
Residence permit. For work it comes as a combined residence and work permit — dozvola za boravak i rad.
Prijava boravišta
PREE-ya-va bo-ra-VEESH-ta
Address registration with the police, required within three days of entering Croatia and again whenever you move.
Potres
PO-tres
Earthquake. The 22 March 2020 one is simply 'the potres' in Zagreb and shapes conversations about buildings six years on.
Zelena naljepnica
ZEH-leh-na na-LYEP-nee-tsa
The coloured sticker on a building after the post-earthquake inspection — green usable, yellow restricted, red unusable. Look for one before renting.
Social
Špica
SHPEE-tsa
The Saturday morning ritual of coffee on Tkalčićeva and Cvjetni trg, seen and being seen. Zagreb's defining social institution.
Kava
KA-va
Coffee — but as an activity lasting an hour, not a drink taken standing. 'Idemo na kavu' is an invitation to sit down for a long time.
Fjaka
FYA-ka
A Dalmatian word for the state of doing nothing willingly, imported into Zagreb usage. Not laziness; a recognised condition.
Culture
Sljeme
SLYEH-meh
The peak of Medvednica above the city, reachable by bus and cable car. Skiing in winter, hiking the rest of the year.
Emergency
112 / 192 / 193 / 194
—
112 for any emergency; 192 police, 193 fire, 194 ambulance, and 1987 for roadside assistance from HAK.
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