Breakdown of Nemojte otvarati prozore i nemojte zatvarati vrata!
prozor
window
i
and (additive)
nemoj
do not (sg., pl. nemojte)
vrata
door
Questions & Answers about Nemojte otvarati prozore i nemojte zatvarati vrata!
Why are we using the verbs otvarati and zatvarati instead of otvoriti and zatvoriti?
Because these are negative commands. In Croatian, when you tell someone not to do something, you almost always use the imperfective aspect. otvarati and zatvarati are the imperfective forms, while the perfective forms otvoriti and zatvoriti would be used for positive commands like telling someone to 'Open the windows!'
How does the word nemojte work to make a negative command?
nemojte is the formal or plural 'you' form of the negative command helper word nemoj. To tell someone not to do something, you use the correct form of nemoj followed directly by the infinitive of the main verb. That is why we see the infinitives otvarati and zatvarati right after it.
Why does the word for windows (prozore) end in -e?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing being opened). The base word for window is prozor, which is a masculine noun. The accusative plural ending for masculine nouns is -e, so prozor becomes prozore.
The English translation says 'door' (singular), so why is the Croatian word vrata plural?