Learn Croatian with
Clarity, Structure
and Confidence

MK

"I attended my A2/B1 with Tanja at Croaticum during the 2021–2022 academic year. She was talented at making the information stick in my mind through so many interactive activities, explaining things simply to make sure we understood, and repeating what was needed before we even had to ask. She was so helpful and friendly with the whole group. I was lucky to have her as my language teacher — especially at this early stage when language is still so challenging. Forever thankful for her being such a big part of my Croatian language journey."

BE

"My name is Birgit Ensslin. Italy is my home. I work as a tour director and as such, I guide American guests across the Balkan peninsula through Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. Since language is the “entry ticket” into the local culture, I started learning Croatian about a year and a half ago. Luck would have it that I came across Tanja who fulfilled and exceeded every expectation, which I, a studied linguist, may have had of a language teacher: she explains in a precise and understandable way and is professional and patient. She uses a study book which she co-authored. This has been extremely helpful, because in the book the Croatian grammar, being very complex, is well explained in a methodical and step-by-step way. There are exercises, and one also learns much about the Croatian culture. I cannot recommend Tanja highly enough to anyone who wants to acquire a solid knowledge of the Croatian language."

AC

"Tanja was amazing. Her didactic approach and well structured classes made me feel like learning Croatian language was very mathematical. She structured her lessons in a clear and easy way to memorize the grammatical rules so they would come naturally when I was speaking in the streets. She was excellent in teaching Croatian language along with cultural aspects that are very important to get around smoothly in Zagreb. This also made classes interesting and fun. I will always keep a special place for her in my heart because thanks to her lessons I feel closer to my Croatian roots and I am able to express without using English when I spend vacations there."

HZ

"Before starting Tanja's classes, Croatian felt overwhelming to me. But she made it clear, structured, and surprisingly enjoyable. Her lessons are lively and full of practical exercises, so you're always actively using the language. After one semester of group classes, I progressed from A1 to A2. With another semester of semi-private lessons, I completed B1.1. The progress was both steady and fast. Tanja creates a motivating and supportive atmosphere, and truly cares about her students' success. I highly recommend her to anyone who wants real results in learning Croatian!"

LŠ

"Being a third-generation Australian Croat with calling to return to my ancestral homeland, learning the Croatian language was a no-brainer. Tanja helped me immensely, giving me a strong grammatical foundation in the Croatian language, helping to expand my vocabulary and strengthening my confidence in conversing in the Croatian language. Her classes delve into various Croatian language texts, explore new words and phrases on a wide range of topics, dive into grammar rules and principles and apply them practice, and reinforce these skills through reading, writing and, most importantly, through conversation. I can't recommend Tanja enough!"

"My teacher, Tanja Salak, was my Croatian language teacher many years ago. She was very skilled at explaining grammar and had excellent logic. I still remember her board full of notes. Learning with her was very motivating and gave me a great sense of achievement; the learning environment was excellent. She was able to address each student’s weaknesses; for example, I often confused fruits and vegetables, and she would frequently ask me about them. It was very interesting. With many years of experience in teaching Croatian, she must have been an excellent first teacher."

OG

"What an interesting language, so complicated and also so simple. As French, I would never said that I can learn other languages :) but I did, and this thanks to Tanja who gave me the pleasure of learning in 2014/2015. I came to Croatia for work that was supposed to be for 2 years. During this period, I met my future husband and decided to learn the local language. I have learned for 2 semesters a2/b1 Croatian language to be able today to speak fluently. I am a commercial and speak with locals on daily basis. People are very friendly when you try to speak local language, very appreciated!"

KH

"I had been Ms. Salak's student at the BCS A2-B1 course in the school year 2021–2022. I remember her as a very gentle and considerate teacher. Our lessons were always a happy and fun occasion, where every student was given an opportunity to speak about his/her experiences, share ideas and be as they are — all while speaking Croatian. It didn't matter how well or not you spoke, what mattered is how much you wished to speak. And Tanja would always give you a hand or a gentle push if you needed one. I particularly enjoyed our lessons outside of classroom, where we would drink some bijela kava and repeat vocabulary from latest lessons, take a stroll around beautiful Zagreb, or talk and eat some Croatian deserts. It is my pleasure to recommend Ms. Tanja Salak's courses to both beginners and those more ahead into their studies of Croatian/BCS. Sretno!"

RK

"Learning Croatian was a special challenge for me as I was almost 60 years old when I formally began to study. My motivation was based upon the fact that my wife and her family were Croatian and we were living in Croatia for half of the year. I spent 3 semesters studying in a small class format at Croaticum and followed that up with 5 years of private lessons with Professor Tanja. Learning Croatian as a second language gave me the confidence to better experience everyday life in what started out as a foreign land but slowly became my home away from home. It was fun to relearn grammar principles and try my hand at a little creative writing outside of my mother tongue."