Dišite duboko.

Dišite is the imperative form of the verb disati, which means to breathe.

So Dišite duboko. means Breathe deeply.

In this form, dišite is used:

• when speaking to more than one person, or
• when speaking to one person politely/formally

The ending -te is a common Serbian ending for the plural or formal imperative.

Compare:

• diši = breathe!
  (said to one person informally)
• dišite = breathe!
  (said to several people, or to one person formally/politely)

This is similar to how some languages distinguish between you singular informal and you plural/formal, even though modern English usually just has you.

It can be formal, but not necessarily.

Dišite is used in two situations:

1. Plural — talking to more than one person

   • for example, a yoga teacher speaking to a class

2. Formal singular — talking politely to one person

   • for example, a doctor speaking to a patient

So without context, it could mean either:

• you all, breathe deeply
• sir/ma’am, breathe deeply

You would say:

Diši duboko.

Here:

• diši = singular informal imperative
• dišite = plural or formal imperative

So:

• Diši duboko. = Breathe deeply. (to one friend / child / someone you address informally)
• Dišite duboko. = Breathe deeply. (to several people, or one person formally)

Duboko is an adverb here, meaning deeply.

It comes from the adjective dubok, which means deep.

Compare:

• dubok udah = a deep breath
  (dubok describes a noun, so it is an adjective)

• dišite duboko = breathe deeply
  (duboko describes the action, so it is an adverb)

So Serbian uses duboko where English uses deeply.

Because it is modifying the verb, not a noun.

In Dišite duboko:

• dišite = verb
• duboko = adverb describing how the action is done

If you were describing a noun, you would use an adjective form that agrees with that noun:

• dubok glas = a deep voice
• duboka voda = deep water
• duboko disanje = deep breathing

But when you mean deeply, Serbian uses the adverb duboko.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

DEE-shee-teh doo-BOH-koh

A few helpful notes:

• š sounds like sh in shoe
• č and ć do not appear here, so you only need š
• Serbian spelling is very phonetic, so words are usually pronounced as written

In Cyrillic, the sentence is:

Дишите дубоко.

Yes, but it is usually left out because the verb already shows who is being addressed.

So the normal sentence is:

Dišite duboko.

You could add vi for emphasis:

Vi dišite duboko.

But this is less neutral and usually only used if you want contrast or emphasis, such as:

• Vi dišite duboko, a on neka sačeka.
  You breathe deeply, and let him wait.

In ordinary instructions, the subject is normally omitted.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, but Dišite duboko is the most natural neutral order here.

You might also hear:

Duboko dišite.

This also means Breathe deeply, but it puts a little more focus on deeply.

So:

• Dišite duboko. = neutral, very natural
• Duboko dišite. = also natural, slightly more emphasis on deeply

Both are correct.

The dictionary form is disati, meaning to breathe.

Some useful forms are:

• disati = to breathe
• dišem = I breathe
• dišeš = you breathe
• diše = he/she/it breathes
• dišite = breathe! (plural/formal imperative)

So dišite is not a random form—you can trace it back to disati.

Not exactly.

Dišite duboko means Breathe deeply, which suggests the manner of breathing, often ongoing or repeated.

If you want Take a deep breath, Serbian often uses:

Udahnite duboko.

That comes from udahnuti / udisati, related to inhale or breathe in.

So the difference is roughly:

• Dišite duboko. = Breathe deeply.
• Udahnite duboko. = Take a deep breath / Inhale deeply.

In real life, though, the exact choice depends on context, and both can appear in medical or relaxation instructions.

Yes, a little.

Disati is generally imperfective, so dišite suggests an action that is ongoing, repeated, or continuous—very natural for breathing.

That is why Dišite duboko feels like:

• keep breathing deeply
• breathe deeply for a while

By contrast, a perfective verb like one used for a single inhalation would sound more like one complete action:

• Udahnite duboko. = inhale deeply / take one deep breath

This is a very common Serbian distinction:

• imperfective = ongoing/process
• perfective = single completed action

Yes, very natural.

You could hear Dišite duboko. in situations like:

• a doctor examining a patient
• breathing exercises
• yoga or meditation instructions
• calming someone down

It is short, clear, and completely idiomatic.