Reci to pristojno.

Reci is the imperative form of the verb reći (to say).
It is used when you are telling one person to do something:

• reći = to say
• reci! = say!

So Reci to pristojno. is directed at one person in an informal you form.

Reći is the infinitive form, the equivalent of English to say.

Reci is the command form. Croatian often changes the verb form when giving an order or instruction.

Compare:

• Želim reći nešto. = I want to say something.
• Reci nešto. = Say something.

So the final -i in reći is not just removed randomly; the verb changes into its imperative form: reci.

It is informal singular, used when speaking to:

• one friend
• one child
• one person you address as ti

If you want the formal or plural version, you use recite:

• Reci to pristojno. = Say it politely. (to one person, informal)
• Recite to pristojno. = Say it politely. (to one person formally, or to several people)

To means that or it, depending on the English translation.

In this sentence, it refers to the thing being said. English often uses it, while Croatian commonly uses to in this kind of structure.

For example:

• Reci to. = Say it. / Say that.
• Nemoj to reći. = Don’t say that.

So to is the direct object of the verb reci.

Because pristojno is an adverb, not an adjective.

Here it describes how someone should speak:

• pristojan / pristojna / pristojno = polite (adjective, describing a noun)
• pristojno = politely (adverb, describing the action)

Compare:

• On je pristojan. = He is polite.
• Ona je pristojna. = She is polite.
• Reci to pristojno. = Say it politely.

So in this sentence, pristojno tells us the manner of speaking.

Not completely. Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

Reci to pristojno. is a natural and straightforward order. But other word orders are possible, depending on emphasis:

• Reci to pristojno. = neutral
• To reci pristojno. = puts more focus on that
• Pristojno reci to. = puts more focus on politely

That said, Reci to pristojno. is probably the most natural basic version for a learner to remember.

Yes. Kaži is another imperative meaning say.

Both are common:

• Reci to pristojno.
• Kaži to pristojno.

In many situations they mean almost the same thing. Learners will often encounter both reći and kazati / kaži.
In everyday speech, reći / reci is extremely common, but kaži is also very normal.

Because commands in Croatian very often begin with the imperative verb.

That is the most direct and natural pattern:

• Dođi ovamo. = Come here.
• Slušaj me. = Listen to me.
• Reci to pristojno. = Say it politely.

Starting with the verb makes it clear right away that this is an instruction or order.

Yes. Reći is a perfective verb. That means it usually refers to a completed act of saying something.

In commands, perfective verbs are very common when you mean do it once / say it now / produce the result:

• Reci to. = Say it. / Go ahead and say it.

A more imperfective idea might use another verb such as govoriti, but that would usually express a different nuance, more like ongoing speaking rather than one completed utterance.

So reci fits well here because the speaker wants one specific thing said in a polite way.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

RE-tsi to pri-STOY-no

A few helpful points:

• c in Croatian is pronounced like ts
• č and ć are different letters, but here the verb is reci, with c
• j is pronounced like English y
• pristojno has the cluster oj, sounding roughly like oy

So reci is approximately RE-tsi, not like English reh-see with a soft s.

Sometimes yes, if the object is already understood from context.

For example:

• Reci pristojno. can mean something like Say it politely or Speak politely, depending on context.

But Reci to pristojno. is clearer because it explicitly includes the object to. For learners, this full version is often easier to understand and use correctly.

Not necessarily. Croatian imperatives can be:

• direct
• neutral
• rude
• caring

It depends a lot on tone of voice, context, and relationship.

Reci to pristojno. could be:

• a parent correcting a child
• a teacher guiding a student
• a friend telling another friend to be more polite

If you want to soften it, Croatian can use other expressions, for example:

• Molim te, reci to pristojno. = Please say it politely.
• Možeš li to reći pristojnije? = Can you say that more politely?

So the imperative itself is not automatically rude.