Source: Unsplash
Kolko para, tolko muzike.
Literal translation: How much money – that much music.
Meaning: Amount of something is directly proportional to what you invest in it.
Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe.
Literal translation: When the willow brings grapes.
Meaning: That will never happen.
Živi bili, pa vidjeli.
Literal translation: Let us live, and we will see.
Meaning: We'll see what it happens.
Strpljen – spašen.
Literal translation: Patient – saved.
Meaning: If you're patient, everything is going to be okay.
Ne miješaj kruške i jabuke.
Literal translation: Don’t mix pears with apples.
Meaning: Don’t confuse different things.
Ispeci pa reci.
Literal translation: First bake it, then say it.
Meaning: Think before you say something out loud.
Neće grom u koprive.
Literal translation: The thunder won’t go to the nettles.
Meaning: That is unlikely to happen. (It’s often used to suggest that bad luck tends to avoid those who deserve it)
Pas koji laje ne grize.
Literal translation: A barking dog never bites.
Meaning: People who make a lot of noise, threats, or complaints are usually not dangerous.
Teško žabu u vodu natjerati.
Literal translation: It isn’t easy to get the frog into the water.
Meaning: It's easy to persuade someone to do something (who is likely to do it anyway).
Više štete, nego koristi.
Literal translation: More harm than good.
Meaning: Doing more harm than good.
Bolje spriječiti, nego liječiti.
Literal translation: Better safe than sorry.
Meaning: Better to prevent a problem or a situation than deal with its consequences.
Kako ćemo, lako ćemo.
Literal translation: How are we going to do this? Don’t worry, just go slowly, there is no rush.
Meaning: There is no need to rush anything in life nor to worry about it.
Bez muke nema nauke.
Literal translation: There is no science/knowledge without torment/pain.
Meaning: You have to work hard to succeed in life.
Mnogo vike, nizašto.
Literal translation: Much ado about nothing.
Meaning: Fuss or noise is being made over something insignificant or unimportant.
Od jutra, do sutra.
Literal translation: From morning, until tomorrow.
Meaning: All day long (normally used to describe work).
Odijelo ne čini čovjeka.
Literal translation: The suit does not make a man.
Meaning: Inner qualities, not external appearances, define a person
Po jutru se dan poznaje.
Literal translation: The day is known after the morning.
Meaning: A good beggining of the day makes a good ending of the day.
Dok mačke nema, miševi kolo vode.
Literal translation: When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
Meaning: People will take advantage of the absence of an authority and do as they like.
Tko nema u glavi, ima u nogama.
Literal translation: Those who don’t have it in their head, have it in their feet.
Meaning: A lack of planing leads to extra effort.
Svako zlo za neko dobro.
Literal translation: Every good for some evil.
Meaning: Something good will happen or come out of the negative things as well.
Tell us in comments, do you have similar ones in your native language, or add if you know some more in Croatian!
Warm regards,
Loreta, Community Manager – Croatian