zvati se

Introducing a Name

Level 1

Zvati se means to be called or to have a name. Zovem se Ana means my name is Ana.

How It Works

Introduce yourself with Zovem se Ana. or another name. Unlike English my name is, this Croatian sentence uses a verb and se. The name is the identifying form, not an accusative object.

The common questions are Kako se zoveš? for informal singular address and Kako se zovete? for polite or plural address. The placement of se follows the short-word pattern; it does not have to sit after the verb.

Without se, zvati can mean call or invite someone: Zovem Anu. That is a different construction. Do not omit se from the name formula merely because English has no matching word.

Examples (4)

  1. Zovem se Ana.

    My name is Ana.

    Se marks the naming construction.

  2. Kako se zoveš?

    What is your name?

    Zoveš is informal second-person singular.

  3. Moj brat se zove Ivan.

    My brother’s name is Ivan.

    Zove matches the singular subject.

  4. Kako se zovete?

    What is your name?

    Zovete is polite or plural address.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

zvati seLevel 1Introducing a Name

Learn This First

The naming phrase introduces person-marked zovem with its own short se chunk.

Words in This Pattern

zvati