This graduate thesis deals with the analysis of the collocational competence of the English language students in elementary school. Previous research indicate difficulties in mastering collocational relations, and the causes of difficulties are diverse and vary from negative transfer, overgeneralisation, misuse of synonyms and all to the formation of words (Liu, 1999). The theoretical framework of the thesis contains a review of the development of collocations, beginning with the originator of the term collocation (Firth, 1957), and all to the contemporary linguists who have dealt with the topic of collocations (Benson, Sinclair, Lyons, Hill, Lewis and others). Starting from the assumption that students are more successful at a receptive level than at productive, the thesis also discusses the importance of syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationship between words and the influence of the mother tongue on the proper adoption of collocational relations in the English language. The aim of the research is to determine the level of collocational competence of the English language student. The research was conducted on a sample of 100 respondents, fourth and seventh grade students in two primary schools: dr. Jure Turić in Gospić and Lovre pl. Matačić in Zagreb. The research instrument was a collocational test that tested the receptive and productive level of knowledge. The results of the research have shown that the level of collocational competence increases with the years of learning the foreign language. The analysis of student errors has shown a better understanding of the collocational relationships and the use of collocations at a receptive rather than at a productive level of knowledge.