Bedeutung
Looking very pale or sick.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Grandmothers (bake) are the primary users of this phrase. They use it to express concern about a grandchild's health or diet. The 'propuh' (draft) is often blamed for making someone 'blijed kao krpa'. It's a cultural belief that cold air causes sudden illness. In Dalmatia, being pale is often contrasted with being 'preplanuo' (tanned), which is the local ideal of health. Young people use it ironically when a friend is hungover after a night out.
Gender Agreement
Always check if you are talking to a man (blijed) or a woman (blijeda). This is the #1 mistake for beginners.
Don't be rude
Only use this if you are genuinely concerned. Telling a stranger they are 'blijed kao krpa' can be seen as intrusive.
Bedeutung
Looking very pale or sick.
Gender Agreement
Always check if you are talking to a man (blijed) or a woman (blijeda). This is the #1 mistake for beginners.
Don't be rude
Only use this if you are genuinely concerned. Telling a stranger they are 'blijed kao krpa' can be seen as intrusive.
Use with 'postati'
Using the verb 'postati' (to become) makes you sound very natural when describing a reaction to news.
The Grandma Rule
If a Croatian grandma says this to you, just eat the food she offers. It's the only cure!
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the adjective 'blijed'.
Moja sestra je _____ kao krpa jer se boji zubara.
The subject 'sestra' is feminine, so the adjective must be 'blijeda'.
Which idiom is used to describe someone who looks very sick?
Marko izgleda loše, on je...
'Crven kao jabuka' means healthy/red-cheeked, 'plav kao more' is just a color description.
Match the situation to the phrase.
You just saw a ghost in the hallway.
Seeing a ghost causes shock and loss of color.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Što ti je? B: Vidio sam sudar na cesti. A: Zato si ____.
The context of seeing an accident implies shock.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Adjective Agreement
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMoja sestra je _____ kao krpa jer se boji zubara.
The subject 'sestra' is feminine, so the adjective must be 'blijeda'.
Marko izgleda loše, on je...
'Crven kao jabuka' means healthy/red-cheeked, 'plav kao more' is just a color description.
You just saw a ghost in the hallway.
Seeing a ghost causes shock and loss of color.
A: Što ti je? B: Vidio sam sudar na cesti. A: Zato si ____.
The context of seeing an accident implies shock.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenNo, this idiom is only for people's faces. For a shirt, just say 'bijela košulja'.
In standard Croatian, it is 'blijed'. 'Bled' is used in Serbian or Slovenian.
Not usually. It is an expression of concern, but don't use it to comment on someone's natural skin tone.
The plural is 'blijedi' (masculine) or 'blijede' (feminine). Example: 'Oni su blijedi kao krpa'.
Yes, that is also understood, but 'krpa' is more common for illness.
Yes, 'krpa' is a general word for a rag, cloth, or even a patch on clothes.
It's a rolled 'r'. Try to make a short 'er' sound without the 'e'.
It's common in journalism and literature, but avoid it in scientific papers.
You can say 'malo si blijed'. 'Kao krpa' implies you are VERY pale.
Rarely, but you could say it for a sick pet if their gums or skin look pale.
Verwandte Redewendungen
blijed kao zid
similarPale as a wall
blijed kao smrt
similarPale as death
bijel kao snijeg
contrastWhite as snow
rumen kao jabuka
contrastRosy as an apple
problijedjeti
builds onTo turn pale
