Learn Croatian: Ma nemoj mi reći!

Ma is a very common spoken exclamation in Croatian. It doesn't have a direct translation, but it adds emotion, emphasis, or dismissal. Here, it acts like 'Oh,' making the phrase sound like 'Oh, don't tell me!' which heightens the sense of surprise.

Why do we use nemoj and an infinitive here to say 'don't tell'?

In Croatian, the most common way to give a negative command (telling someone not to do something) is to use nemoj followed by the infinitive of the verb. So, nemoj plus the infinitive reći literally means 'do not tell'.

Why is mi placed between nemoj and reći?

mi (to me) is an enclitic, which is a short, unstressed word that usually jumps to the second position in a sentence or clause. Since Ma is treated as a separate exclamation, nemoj counts as the first stressed word. Therefore, mi slots in right after it, separating nemoj and reći.

Is this phrase used for genuine surprise or sarcasm?

Just like 'You don't say!' or 'Don't tell me!' in English, Ma nemoj mi reći! can be used for both. Depending on your tone of voice, it can express genuine astonishment or heavy sarcasm when someone tells you something extremely obvious.