Molim te, isključi svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.

Please turn off the light in the room before going to sleep.

Breakdown of Molim te, isključi svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.

• u: in
• prije: before
• molim te: please
• soba: room
• svjetlo: light
• spavanje: sleep
• isključiti: to turn off

Questions & Answers about Molim te, isključi svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.

What does Molim te literally mean, and how is it used compared to English please?

Literally, Molim te means “I beg/ask you” or “I’m asking you”.

In practice, it’s the normal, friendly way to say “please” to someone you know well (informal you):

• Molim te, isključi svjetlo. – Please turn off the light.
• You can also put it at the end: Isključi svjetlo, molim te.

Unlike English please, molim can also mean “you’re welcome” when answering hvala (thank you), but in this sentence it’s clearly “please”.

What is the difference between Molim te, Molim, and Molim vas?

They all come from moliti (to ask, to beg, to pray), but differ in politeness and explicitness:

• Molim te – informal “please”, addressing one person you’re close to (friends, family, same age):

  • Molim te, isključi svjetlo.

• Molim vas – polite/formal “please”, addressing:

  • one person formally (teacher, stranger, older person), or
  • more than one person (you all)
  • Molim vas, isključite svjetlo.

• Molim on its own:

  • Can be “please” in some contexts: Molim, isključite svjetlo.
  • Very commonly “you’re welcome” after hvala.
  • Also “pardon?” / “sorry, I didn’t hear” when you want someone to repeat something.

In this sentence, Molim te is clearly informal and friendly.

Why is there a comma after Molim te?

Molim te here works like a separate phrase (“please”) added to the main command:

• Molim te, isključi svjetlo…

In Croatian, when a short polite phrase or address comes before the main clause, it’s normally separated by a comma, similar to:

• Molim vas, sjednite. – Please, sit down.
• Ana, dođi ovamo. – Ana, come here.

So the comma marks a small pause after the polite phrase.

How is the imperative isključi formed from the verb isključiti?

The base verb is isključiti (to turn off, to switch off), perfective.

For the 2nd person singular imperative (informal you):

1. Take the 3rd person plural present:
   
   • (oni) isključe
2. Remove -e: isključ-
3. Add the imperative ending -i (for this type of verb):
   
   • isključi

So:

• Ti isključi – You (sg.) turn off (imperative)

For comparison, the formal/plural form is:

• Isključite – Turn off (you plural / formal)

Could I also say Ugasi svjetlo instead of Isključi svjetlo? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say Ugasi svjetlo and it’s very common.

Rough nuance:

• Isključiti (svjetlo) – literally “switch off, disconnect” (often used with switches, devices, electricity).
• Ugasi( ti ) (svjetlo) – “put out, extinguish, turn off” (used for lights, fire, devices).

In everyday speech:

• Isključi svjetlo and Ugasi svjetlo both mean “Turn off the light” and are both natural.
• Isključiti might sound a bit more technical (like switching a device off), but for a room light both are fine.

What is the grammatical gender and plural of svjetlo?

Svjetlo (light) is a neuter noun.

Basic forms:

• singular nominative: svjetlo
• singular accusative: svjetlo (same as nominative here)
• plural nominative: svjetla
• plural accusative: svjetla

Examples:

• Isključi svjetlo. – Turn off the light.
• Isključi sva svjetla. – Turn off all the lights.

Why is it u sobi and not u sobu?

Because of the difference between static location and motion:

• u sobi – locative case: in the room (where something is)

  • used with u when talking about location:
  • Svjetlo je u sobi. – The light is in the room.
  • Isključi svjetlo u sobi. – Turn off the light in the room (the light that is located there).

• u sobu – accusative case: into the room (movement towards)

  • used with u when talking about motion into:
  • Idem u sobu. – I’m going into the room.

Here we describe where the light is (in the room), not moving into the room, so u sobi is correct.

Why is it prije spavanja and not prije spavanje?

The preposition prije (before) always takes the genitive case.

The noun spavanje (sleeping, sleep as an activity) in the genitive singular is spavanja.

So:

• prije + genitive → prije spavanja – before sleeping / before sleep / before going to bed

Using spavanje (nominative) after prije would be grammatically wrong. The preposition forces the genitive form.

What exactly does spavanje mean here? Is it like an English gerund (“sleeping”)?

Yes, it’s very similar to an English gerund:

• spavanje is a verbal noun from spavati (to sleep).
• It names the activity: sleeping, the act of sleeping.

So prije spavanja literally means “before the sleeping”, which corresponds to English:

• before sleeping
• before (you) go to sleep
• before bed / before going to bed

Can I change the word order, for example Isključi svjetlo u sobi, molim te? Does it sound natural?

Yes, that word order is very natural:

• Isključi svjetlo u sobi, molim te.

Meaning and tone stay the same; you just move the polite phrase molim te to the end.

Common variants:

• Molim te, isključi svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.
• Isključi svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja, molim te.

Both sound perfectly normal.

What is the function of te in Molim te? Can I leave it out?

Te is the informal 2nd person singular object pronoun: “you” (object form).

• Molim te – literally “I beg/ask you” → “please (you)”

You can say just Molim, isključi svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.
This is still understood as “please”, but slightly less direct about who you’re addressing.

With te, it feels more directly personal and addressed to you in particular. In everyday speech, Molim te is more common when talking to one specific person informally.

How would I say this politely to a stranger or to an older person?

Use the formal you (vi) and the corresponding verb and pronoun:

• Molim vas, isključite svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.

Changes:

• te → vas (formal/plural object pronoun)
• isključi → isključite (2nd person plural imperative)

This is polite and appropriate for strangers, older people, or in any formal context.

How do I pronounce svjetlo and isključi? The consonant clusters look difficult.

Key points:

• svjetlo: SVJEt-lo

  • svj is pronounced together, like s
    • soft v
      • soft y: close to “sv-ye”.
  • Break it slowly: svje-tlo, then speed up.
  • The tl cluster is similar to English “settler” without the -er: t-l.

• isključi: is-KLJU-či

  • klj is like “kly” in “clear” but with a more palatal lj.
  • lj is one sound (like the lli in Italian “famiglia” or like the “ll” in some pronunciations of Spanish “calle”).
  • Final -či sounds like “chee”.

Syllable breakdown:

• svjet-lo
• is-klju-či

Is isključiti perfective or imperfective? How would I talk about the action in general, not just once?

Isključiti is perfective (focus on a single completed action: to turn off (once, completely)).

The corresponding imperfective is isključivati (ongoing/repeated/habitual action: to be turning off, to turn off regularly).

Examples:

• Svaku večer isključujem svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.
  – Every evening I turn off the light in the room before sleeping. (present of isključivati)
• Molim te, isključi svjetlo u sobi.
  – Please turn off the light in the room. (a single action, hence isključi, from isključiti)

How would I say “Don’t turn off the light in the room before going to sleep”?

Use nemoj + infinitive (informal you):

• Nemoj isključiti svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.
  – Don’t turn off the light in the room before sleeping.

For formal/plural:

• Nemojte isključiti svjetlo u sobi prije spavanja.