Breakdown of Ostani u čekaonici dok te doktorica ne pozove.
u
in
te
you (singular, accusative short form)
ostati
to stay
doktorica
doctor (female)
Questions & Answers about Ostani u čekaonici dok te doktorica ne pozove.
What form is ostani?
Ostani is the imperative form of ostati, meaning to stay / to remain. It is used when speaking to one person informally.
So:
- ostani = stay! (one person, informal)
- ostanite = stay! (more than one person, or one person formally/politely)
Why is ostani used here instead of čekaj?
Both can work, but they are not exactly the same.
- ostani emphasizes remaining where you are / not leaving
- čekaj emphasizes waiting
So Ostani u čekaonici... sounds like stay in the waiting room, while Čekaj u čekaonici... would sound more like wait in the waiting room. In this context, ostani is very natural because the speaker is telling someone to remain there until the next event happens.
Why is it u čekaonici and not u čekaonicu?