Breakdown of Požurite i obavestite primaoca.
Questions & Answers about Požurite i obavestite primaoca.
Why do požurite and obavestite both end in -te?
Because -te is the normal ending for the 2nd person plural imperative in Serbian.
That form is used:
- when speaking to more than one person, and
- when speaking politely/formally to one person.
So Požurite i obavestite primaoca. can mean:
- a command to several people, or
- a formal/polite command to one person.
What would the informal singular version be?
It would be:
Požuri i obavesti primaoca.
Here the imperative forms are singular:
- požuri = hurry
- obavesti = inform / notify
So:
- požuri / obavesti = singular informal
- požurite / obavestite = plural or formal
What are the dictionary forms of požurite and obavestite?
The dictionary forms are:
- požuriti = to hurry, to make haste
- obavestiti = to inform, to notify
The sentence uses their imperative forms:
- požurite ← požuriti
- obavestite ← obavestiti
Why is it primaoca and not primaoc?
Because primaoca is in the accusative case, which is used for the direct object of the verb obavestiti.
The noun is primaoc = recipient. Since it refers to a person, it is a masculine animate noun. In Serbian, masculine animate nouns usually take an accusative form that matches the genitive.
So:
- primaoc = nominative
- primaoca = accusative
That is why the sentence says:
obavestite primaoca = notify the recipient
not obavestite primaoc.
Why are perfective verbs used here?
Both požuriti and obavestiti are perfective verbs here, which is very common in commands when you want someone to do a single, complete action.
The idea is:
- požurite = hurry up
- obavestite = make sure the notification is actually done
If imperfective verbs were used instead, the meaning could sound more like an ongoing or repeated process, depending on context.
So this sentence sounds like a clear instruction to complete two actions.
Is i here just and?
Yes. I usually means and.
In this sentence it connects two commands:
- Požurite = Hurry up
- i obavestite primaoca = and notify the recipient
In English, this often feels like and then as well, because the actions are naturally understood as part of a sequence:
- hurry up, and notify the recipient
But the actual word is simply i = and.
Why is there no subject pronoun like vi?
Because Serbian usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person and number.
Here -te already tells you the command is addressed to:
- you all, or
- you in a formal sense
So vi is unnecessary.
You could say:
Vi požurite i obavestite primaoca.
but that would usually add emphasis, contrast, or a special tone. The version without vi is more natural in most cases.
How do I know these forms are imperatives and not present-tense forms?
That is a very good question, because forms like požurite and obavestite can look identical to 2nd person plural present forms.
You know they are imperatives here because of context:
- the sentence is a direct instruction
- it consists of two bare verb forms joined by i
- this is a very typical command pattern in Serbian
So in this sentence, the natural reading is:
Hurry up and notify the recipient.
not a regular statement.
How do I pronounce the tricky letters in this sentence?
A few sounds may stand out to English speakers:
- ž in požurite sounds like the s in measure
- c in primaoca sounds like ts in cats
A rough pronunciation guide is:
- požurite ≈ po-zhu-ree-te
- obavestite ≈ o-ba-ves-ti-te
- primaoca ≈ pree-ma-o-tsa
Also, in primaoca, the a-o are pronounced separately.
Could this sentence also appear as obavijestite instead of obavestite?
Yes. That is a common regional/standard variation.
This sentence is in Ekavian Serbian:
- obavestite
In Ijekavian, you would often see:
- obavijestite
So both are related forms, and the difference is mainly one of standard pronunciation/spelling variety, not meaning.
For example:
- Požurite i obavestite primaoca.
- Požurite i obavijestite primaoca.
Both mean the same thing.
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