Learn Croatian: Numbers 1–20

Mastering numbers from zero to twenty is an essential milestone in your Croatian language journey. These words are the building blocks for daily interactions, whether you are checking the time, paying for groceries, or sharing your phone number. This lesson covers the foundational digits starting with nula ([nú-la]) for zero and jedan ([yé-dan]) for one, progressing through the teens up to dvadeset ([dvá-de-set]) for twenty. Understanding these numbers early on will help you navigate life in Croatia with much more confidence.

A key pattern to observe in this set is how the numbers eleven through nineteen are formed. They all share the suffix -naest, which is a shortened version of an old phrase meaning "on ten." For example, to say eleven, you take the root for one and add the suffix to create jedanaest ([ye-dá-na-est]). This logic continues predictably through the series, as seen in fifteen, petnaest ([pet-ná-est]), and eighteen, osamnaest ([o-sam-ná-est]). You will also notice that the word for twenty, dvadeset, combines the root for two (dva) with a variation of the word for ten (deset). By recognizing these recurring structures, you can quickly memorize the list and start identifying larger numbers as you hear them in everyday conversation.