Giving Commands and Making Requests
In Croatian, use the imperative mood for commands, advice, or requests. The two most common forms are the informal singular (ti) and the formal or plural (vi).
The singular form typically ends in -i or -j. To create the formal/plural form, simply add -te.
| Pronoun | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ti (informal singular) | -i or -j | radi, pazi |
| vi (formal / plural) | -ite or -jte | radite, pazite |
| Be careful, that is hot! | Pazi, to je vruće! |
| Pay attention to the child. | Pazite na dijete. |
| Help me carry the box. | Pomozi mi nositi kutiju. |
| Help us, please. | Pomozite nam, molim vas. |
Politeness and Everyday Actions
To soften a direct command into a polite request, add molim te (please, informal) or molim vas (please, formal/plural).
| Open the window, please. | Otvori prozor, molim te. |
| Open the dictionary. | Otvorite rječnik. |
| Sit on the chair. | Sjedni na stolicu. |
| Sit here and rest. | Sjednite ovdje i odmarajte se. |
| Take the jacket. | Uzmi jaknu. |
| Take the bill, please. | Uzmite račun, molim. |
Modifying Commands
Give specific instructions by pairing an imperative verb with an adverb, such as brzo (quickly) or polako (slowly).
| Work quickly, we are late. | Radi brzo, kasnimo. |
| Speak slowly, I do not understand you. | Govori polako, ne razumijem te. |
Negative Commands
To tell someone not to do something, use nemoj (informal singular) or nemojte (formal/plural), followed by the main verb in its infinitive form.
| do not (sg., pl. nemojte) | nemoj |
| Do not drive quickly. | Nemojte voziti brzo. |
| Do not be late today. | Nemoj kasniti danas. |
| Do not forget! | Nemoj zaboraviti! |
| Do not be angry, excuse me. | Nemojte se ljutiti, oprostite. |
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