Breakdown of Ustanite, molim vas.
molim
please
vas
you (accusative/genitive)
ustati
to stand up
molim vas
please (polite)
Questions & Answers about Ustanite, molim vas.
How do we know ustanite is formal or plural?
The ending -ite tells us this is the command form for multiple people or one person you are addressing formally. If you were telling one friend or a child to stand up, you would just use the singular command form, ustani.
Why does "please" translate to two words, molim vas?
In Croatian, there isn't a single direct word for "please" like in English. Instead, you say molim vas, which literally means "I ask you" or "I beg you". Molim is the "I" form of the verb for asking, and vas means "you".
Is vas the basic word for "you"?
It is the object form of vi, which is the plural or formal "you". Because the phrase molim vas literally means "I ask you", the word "you" is the object receiving the action of being asked, so it changes from vi to vas.
Could I just say molim instead of molim vas?
Yes, you can often just say molim by itself to mean "please", especially in quick everyday situations. However, molim vas is slightly more polite and very common when pairing it with a direct command like ustanite.
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