Dođite do stola, molim vas.

Come to the table, please.

Breakdown of Dođite do stola, molim vas.

• do: to
• stol: table
• doći: to come
• molim vas: please

Questions & Answers about Dođite do stola, molim vas.

What exactly is the verb form dođite? Is it polite, plural, or both?

dođite is the 2nd person plural imperative of doći (to come). You use it:

• to address more than one person
• to address one person politely/formally

Informal singular is dođi.

How would I say the same thing informally to one person?

Say: Dođi do stola, molim te.
You can also add a friendly prompt: Hajde, dođi do stola. (ajde is very colloquial.)

Why is it do stola and not do stol?

Because the preposition do requires the genitive case. The noun stol (table) is masculine; its genitive singular is stola. So: do stola.

What’s the difference between do stola, za stol, and na stol?

• do stola: up to the table, i.e., come close to it. It doesn’t imply sitting or climbing.
• za stol (accusative): to the table in order to be at/sit at it. This is what you say when inviting someone to take a seat for a meal or a meeting.
• na stol (accusative): onto the tabletop (literally onto the surface).

Related:

• prema stolu (dative): toward the table (direction, not necessarily reaching it).
• k/ka stolu also means toward the table, but k/ka is rare/old-fashioned in Croatian and more common in Serbian; Croatians prefer prema.

What does molim vas literally mean, and how polite is it?

Literally: “I ask/beg you,” but it functions as standard polite please. It’s neutral, courteous, and widely used. Variants:

• molim te = informal “please” (to one person you’re on tu terms with)
• molim alone can work as “please” (more clipped), “You’re welcome,” or “Pardon?” depending on context.

Can I change the word order to Molim vas, dođite do stola? Is the comma necessary?

Yes, both Dođite do stola, molim vas. and Molim vas, dođite do stola. are natural. Use a comma because molim vas is a parenthetical polite tag.

How do I pronounce đ in dođite?

đ is like the English “j” in “jam,” but a bit softer. A good approximation:

• dođite ≈ doh-JEE-teh Vowels are short and clear; the stress is typically on the first syllable.

Why use the perfective verb doći in the imperative? What about dolaziti?

Commands for a single, completed action use the perfective: Dođite = Come (now/once, and arrive).
The imperfective dolaziti focuses on ongoing or repeated action. Its imperative exists (e.g., Dolazite opet! = Come again!/Keep coming!), but for a one-time invitation or instruction, dođite is the natural choice.

Does doći do have other meanings I should know?

Yes. Beyond literal motion, doći do + genitive often means “to reach/obtain/lead to”:

• Doći do rješenja = to reach a solution
• Doći do novca = to get hold of money
• Došlo je do nesporazuma = a misunderstanding occurred In your sentence it’s the literal “come up to.”

Can I drop vas and just say molim?

You can: Dođite do stola, molim. It’s acceptable but feels a bit more neutral/terse. molim vas is the friendlier, explicitly polite version. Informal: molim te.

Should I capitalize Vas in molim vas?

In formal letters/emails, Croatians often capitalize polite address pronouns: Molim Vas, Vam, Vaš. In everyday writing and all speech transcriptions, lowercase (vas) is standard.

Are there good synonyms for dođite here?

Yes, with slightly different flavors:

• Priđite stolu. = Approach the table. (more formal; verb prići
  • dative stolu)
• Približite se stolu. = Come closer to the table. (polite, a bit descriptive)

Is there any risk of confusion between stol and sto?

In Croatian:

• stol = table
• sto = hundred In Serbian/Bosnian, sto also means “table.” In Croatia, stick to stol for “table” (e.g., za stol, do stola).

Croatian has no articles—how do I say “this table” or “that table” if I need to be specific?

Use demonstratives:

• ovaj stol = this table (near me)
• taj stol = that table (near you)
• onaj stol = that table (over there)

With your sentence: Dođite do ovog stola, molim vas. (genitive: ovog stola).