Breakdown of Birajte poštansku dostavu; u protivnom idite u policijsku stanicu.
u
in
ići
to go
birati
to choose
policijska stanica
a police station
Questions & Answers about Birajte poštansku dostavu; u protivnom idite u policijsku stanicu.
Why does the sentence use birajte and idite instead of singular commands like biraj and idi?
Because birajte and idite are the plural/formal imperative forms.
In Serbian, these forms are used:
- for more than one person, or
- for one person in a polite/formal way.
So this sentence sounds like an instruction addressed to:
- the general public,
- a customer,
- or multiple people.
Compare:
- Biraj poštansku dostavu. = Choose postal delivery. (singular, informal)
- Birajte poštansku dostavu. = Choose postal delivery. (plural or polite/formal)
The same applies to:
- Idi = go! (informal singular)
- Idite = go! (plural or polite/formal)
What exactly is birajte grammatically?