Breakdown of Ugasite televizor, ali nemojte paliti računalo!
televizor
television
ali
but (strong contrast)
računalo
computer
nemoj
do not (sg., pl. nemojte)
ugasiti
to turn off
paliti
to turn on (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Ugasite televizor, ali nemojte paliti računalo!
Why do we use the perfective verb ugasiti for turning off, but the imperfective verb paliti for turning on?
This is a key rule for commands in Croatian! Positive commands usually use perfective verbs (like ugasiti) because you are telling someone to complete a specific action. However, negative commands usually use imperfective verbs (like paliti) to mean "do not even start doing this" or "stay away from this action entirely."
How exactly is the negative command nemojte paliti formed?
To tell someone not to do something, Croatian uses a special helper word followed by the infinitive of the main verb. Because this sentence addresses vi (you plural or formal), it uses the helper nemojte. It is then followed by the imperfective infinitive paliti.
What is the infinitive of ugasite, and how do we get this command form?
The infinitive is ugasiti. For many verbs ending in -iti, the command form for vi is built by taking the present tense base and adding the ending -ite. This means the command form ugasite looks exactly the same as the present tense vi form.
Why didn't the endings on televizor and računalo change, since they are the objects of the verbs?
They are indeed in the accusative case because they are receiving the action! However, for masculine inanimate nouns (things, not people or animals) like televizor, and neuter nouns like računalo, the accusative case looks exactly the same as the dictionary form. So, it appears as if they haven't changed at all.
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