L3 Cities and Towns

This chapter contains grammatical information about towns and cities in Croatia – e.g. do they change like adjectives, or they have a specific-case base – and Croatian names some other important cities.

There are many settlements with town status in Croatia (although many of them are fairly small). The following ones consist of one word:

Bakar (-r-)
Belišće
Benkovac (-c-)
Bjelovar
Buje
Buzet
Cres
Crikvenica
Čabar (-r-)
Čakovec (-c-)
Čazma
Daruvar
Delnice f pl.
Drniš
Dubrovnik
Đakovo
Đurđevac (-c-)
Garešnica
Glina
Gospić
Hvar
Ilok
Imotski (adj.)
Ivanec (-c-)
Jastrebarsko (adj.)
Karlovac (-c-)
Kastav (-v-)
Kaštela n pl.
Klanjec (-c-)
Knin
Komiža
Koprivnica
Korčula
Kraljevica
Krapina
Križevci m pl.
Krk
Kutina
Kutjevo
Labin
Lepoglava
Lipik
Ludbreg
Makarska (adj.)
Metković
Našice f pl.
Nin
Novalja
Novigrad
Novska (adj.)
Obrovac (-c-)
Ogulin
Omiš
Opatija
Opuzen
Orahovica
Oroslavje
Osijek
Otočac (-c-)
Otok
Ozalj (-lj-)
Pag
Pakrac
Pazin
Petrinja
Pleternica
Ploče f pl.
Popovača
Poreč
Požega
Pregrada
Prelog
Pula
Rab
Rijeka (DL -ci)
Rovinj
Samobor
Senj
Sinj
Sisak (-c-)
Skradin
Slatina
Slunj
Solin
Split
Supetar (-r-)
Šibenik
Trilj
Trogir
Umag
Valpovo
Varaždin
Vinkovci m pl.
Virovitica
Vis
Vodice f pl.
Vodnjan
Vrbovec (-c-)
Vrbovsko (adj.)
Vrgorac (-c-)
Vrlika (DL -ci)
Vukovar
Zabok
Zadar (-r-)
Zagreb
Zaprešić
Zlatar
Županja

Since Križevci and Vinkovci would have two consonants before the G-pl ending -a, they are split by another a:

Križevciiz Križevaca
Vinkovciiz Vinkovaca

The following names consist of an adjective + noun:

Beli Manastir
Donja Stubica
Donji Miholjac (-c-)
Duga Resa
Dugo Selo
Grubišno Polje
Hrvatska Kostajnica
Mali Lošinj
Mursko Središće
Nova Gradiška
Novi Marof
Slavonski Brod
Stari Grad
Sveta Nedelja
Varaždinske Toplice f pl.
Velika Gorica

There are four specific names:

Biograd na Moru – only the 1st word changes
Ivanić-Grad – only the last part changes
Novi Vinodolski – contains two adjectives
Sveti Ivan Zelina – contains an adjective and two nouns

These names are often shortened to just Biograd, Ivanić, Novi and Zelina, and change normally (Novi like an adjective).

Warning. Some towns have names that deviate from Standard Croatian, e.g. it’s rather Sveta Nedelja instead of Nedjelja.

These major cities in Europe have Croatian names different than English ones:

Atena Athens
Beč Vienna
Beograd Belgrade
Budimpešta Budapest
Bukurešt Bucharest
Kijev Kiev
Napulj Naples
Prag Prague
Rim Rome
Solun Salonica
Trst Trieste
Venecija Venice

Several German, Italian, Polish and Russian cities have names closer to native ones than in English:

Keln Cologne
Milano Milan
Minhen Munich
Moskva Moscow
Torino Turin
Varšava Warsaw

Some major cities in Europe have slightly specific pronunciation in Croatian:

Berlin
London
Madrid
Pariz

Adjectives are normally derived from cities and towns (except ones that are already adjectives) by adding -ski. However, some cities have irregular forms or there are consonant alternations:

Bečbečki
Dubrovnikdubrovački
Đakovođakovački
Križevcikriževački
Moskvamoskovski
Parizpariški
Pragpraški
Šibenikšibenski
Trsttršćanski
Zagrebzagrebački

Cities in -k, -ka, -ca or -ce have adjectives in -čki:

Crikvenicacrikvenički
Krkkrčki
Našicenašički
Osijekosiječki
Rijekariječki
Zabokzabočki
5 Easy Croatian: L3 Cities and Towns This chapter contains grammatical information about towns and cities in Croatia – e.g. do they change like adjectives, or they have a specif...

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