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Learn Hardcore Serbian: Pokažite fotografiju. - Show the photograph.

Hardcore Serbian
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/Pokažite fotografiju.

Pokažite fotografiju.

Pokažite fotografiju.

Show the photograph.

Breakdown of Pokažite fotografiju.

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Questions & Answers about Pokažite fotografiju.

What does pokažite mean here?

Pokažite is the imperative form, meaning show!

More specifically, it is the imperative of pokazati, which means to show.

So Pokažite fotografiju. is an instruction or request: Show the photograph / Show the photo.

Why does the verb end in -te?

The ending -te marks the plural or formal singular imperative.

So pokažite can mean:

show! when speaking to more than one person
show! when speaking politely to one person

Compare:

pokaži = show! (to one person, informal)
pokažite = show! (to several people, or to one person formally/politely)

How do I say this to one friend informally?

You would say:

Pokaži fotografiju.

That is the singular informal imperative.

So the contrast is:

Pokaži fotografiju. = show the photo. (to one friend / someone you address with ti)
Pokažite fotografiju. = show the photo. (to several people, or politely to one person addressed with vi)

Why is it fotografiju and not fotografija?

Because fotografiju is in the accusative case, which is used for the direct object of the verb.

The noun is:

fotografija = photograph, photo (dictionary form, nominative singular)

But in this sentence, the photo is the thing being shown, so it becomes:

fotografiju = photograph/photo (accusative singular)

This happens because pokazati / pokazivati takes a direct object.

So:

fotografija = the photo
Pokažite fotografiju. = Show the photo.

What gender is fotografija, and does that matter here?

Fotografija is a feminine noun.

Yes, that matters, because feminine nouns often change form in the accusative singular.

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the pattern is:

nominative: -a
accusative: -u

So:

fotografija → fotografiju

The same kind of change happens with many other feminine nouns too.

Is pokažite from a perfective or imperfective verb?

It comes from the perfective verb pokazati.

In Serbian, aspect matters a lot:

pokazati = perfective, focusing on a completed act of showing
pokazivati = imperfective, focusing on the process, repetition, or ongoing action

In commands, the perfective imperative often sounds natural when you want someone to perform the action once:

Pokažite fotografiju. = Show the photo.

The imperfective counterpart would be:

Pokazujte fotografiju.

But that usually has a different feel, such as repeated or ongoing showing, and is much less likely in a simple everyday command like this.

Is this sentence formal?

It can be formal, but it is not automatically formal in every situation.

Because pokažite is the Vi form, it is used:

for polite/formal singular
for plural you

So without context, it could mean either:

speaking politely to one person
speaking to more than one person

In many learning materials, this form is often introduced as the formal version, but it is also simply the plural imperative.

Can Serbian leave out the word for you?

Yes. Serbian very often omits the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb ending.

So you do not need to say Vi pokažite fotografiju.

Just:

Pokažite fotografiju.

The ending -te already tells you that the command is for you plural or formal you.

Adding Vi is possible, but usually only for emphasis or contrast.

Can the word order change?

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, though some orders sound more natural than others depending on context.

The neutral order here is:

Pokažite fotografiju.

You might also hear:

Fotografiju pokažite.

That puts more emphasis on the photograph.

So the basic meaning stays the same, but the focus can shift depending on word order and intonation.

Is fotografiju the only natural word here, or could I use another word for photo?

You can definitely use other words.

Fotografija is a standard and very common word for photograph/photo.

In everyday speech, people also often use:

slika = picture, image, photo (depending on context)

So you may also hear:

Pokažite sliku.

That can also mean Show the photo/picture, depending on the situation.

Fotografiju is slightly more specifically photograph, while sliku can be broader.

How is Pokažite fotografiju pronounced?

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

po-KA-zhee-te fo-to-GRA-fi-yu

A few useful points:

ž sounds like the s in measure
j sounds like English y
te is pronounced clearly as teh, not like English tee

So:

pokažite ≈ po-KA-zhee-te
fotografiju ≈ fo-to-GRA-fi-yu

Would this sentence sound like an order or a polite request?

It can be either, depending on tone of voice and context.

Grammatically, it is an imperative, so literally it is a command. But in real use, imperatives in Serbian can range from:

direct instruction
polite request
invitation to act

So Pokažite fotografiju. might sound like:

Show the photo. in a direct instructional sense
Please show the photo. in a polite context

If you want to make it explicitly more polite, Serbian can also add words like molim in the right context, but even without that, the Vi form already helps sound more polite when addressing one person formally.

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