Reci mi to u lice.

Reci is the imperative singular of the verb reći, which means to say / to tell.

So reci means say! / tell! when speaking to one person informally.

Examples:

• Reci istinu. — Tell the truth.
• Reci mi. — Tell me.

If you were speaking to more than one person, or using the formal you, you would say:

• Recite mi to u lice.

Because mi is the dative form of ja (I / me), and here it means to me.

In Croatian, when you say something to someone, that person is usually in the dative:

• Reci mi = Tell me
• literally: Say to me

Mene is a different form, usually used where English would have me as a direct object or for emphasis in certain structures, but not here.

So:

• Reci mi to. = correct
• Reci mene to. = incorrect

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

It is a demonstrative pronoun in the neuter singular form. In this sentence, it is the thing being said.

So in:

• Reci mi to u lice.

to = that / it

Compare:

• Reci mi to. — Tell me that.
• Ne vjerujem to. — not natural Croatian; different verbs use different structures, so to does not work the same way with every verb.

Because Croatian has clitics, and mi is one of them.

Clitics are short unstressed words that usually go in the second position of the clause. That is why mi comes right after reci:

• Reci mi to.

This word order is very natural.

You may also hear other versions for emphasis, but the neutral order is:

• Reci mi to u lice.

So a useful rule is:

• imperative or first stressed word
• then clitics like mi, ti, mu, ga, je, se
• then the rest

Lice is in the accusative singular here.

The noun lice is a neuter noun, and for many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular look the same.

So:

• nominative: lice
• accusative: lice

In the phrase u lice, the preposition u takes the accusative here because it expresses movement or direction in an idiomatic sense.

Literally, u lice means something like into the face or to the face, but as an idiom it means to someone’s face.

So:

• Reci mi to u lice. = Say that to my face.

This is a fixed expression. It does not mean physically putting something into a face. It is an idiomatic way to say:

• say it directly
• say it openly
• say it to me personally, not behind my back

Because Croatian usually does not need to repeat the possessor here.

The mi already tells you to whom the statement is being directed:

• mi = to me

So:

• Reci mi to u lice.

naturally means:

• Say it to my face

Adding moje would sound unnatural in this idiom. Croatian often leaves this kind of relationship understood from the sentence structure.

Yes, it is a common and very understandable expression.

The tone is usually strong, confrontational, or challenging. It suggests:

• Don’t say it behind my back
• Be direct
• Have the courage to say it openly

So it is not a neutral everyday sentence in tone, even though the grammar is straightforward.

Yes. Kaži mi to u lice is also correct and very natural.

Both reci and kaži are imperative forms meaning say / tell:

• Reci mi to u lice.
• Kaži mi to u lice.

For many learners, kaži may feel easier because it comes from kazati, another common verb for to say / tell.

In everyday speech, both can be used, though preferences may vary by speaker and region.

A very common alternative is u oči.

So you may also hear:

• Reci mi to u oči.

This also means Say it to my face and is extremely common.

Both u lice and u oči are understandable and idiomatic, but u oči is often especially common in everyday speech.

To address more than one person or to use formal you, change reci to recite:

• Recite mi to u lice.

If you use kaži, the plural/formal version is:

• Kažite mi to u lice.

So:

• informal singular: Reci mi to u lice.
• formal/plural: Recite mi to u lice.

Yes. English can express this idea in slightly different ways.

Croatian reći can correspond to both say and tell, depending on the structure.

Because the sentence has mi (to me), English may naturally become:

• Say that to my face or
• Tell me that to my face

The first version is often the most idiomatic English translation, but both reflect the Croatian structure well.