Da li Vi želite da idete u restoran danas?

Da li is a very common way to form a yes/no question in Serbian.

So:

• Vi želite da idete u restoran danas. = You want to go to the restaurant today.
• Da li Vi želite da idete u restoran danas? = Do you want to go to the restaurant today?

It does not translate word-for-word neatly into English, but its function is basically to mark the sentence as a question.

Vi means you in the plural form, but it is also used as the formal singular you, like French vous or German Sie.

When it refers to one person politely, it is often capitalized:

• Vi = formal you
• vi = plural you or less formal spelling in some contexts

So in this sentence, Vi shows that the speaker is addressing someone politely or formally.

Because želite is the 2nd person plural form of the verb želeti / željeti (to want), and Serbian uses that same plural form for formal singular you.

So:

• ti želiš = you want (informal singular)
• Vi želite = you want (formal singular or plural)

That is why the sentence uses Vi želite, not a singular informal form.

In Serbian, after verbs like want, you usually do not use an infinitive the way English does.

English says:

• I want to go

Serbian usually says:

• Želim da idem
• literally: I want that I go

So in this sentence:

• želite = you want
• da idete = to go

This da + present tense structure is extremely common in Serbian.

That is because Serbian often expresses what English calls an infinitive by using:

• da + present tense

So da idete literally looks like that you go, but in normal English it is translated as to go.

This is not strange in Serbian grammar; it is the standard pattern after many verbs.

In modern Serbian, da + present tense is the normal and most natural choice here.

A structure with an infinitive is much less natural in this kind of sentence. So:

• Da li Vi želite da idete... = natural
• an infinitive-based version would generally not be the standard choice here

For learners, it is best to remember that after želeti in everyday Serbian, da + present is usually what you want.

Because u can mean either in or into/to, depending on the verb and case.

Here the verb is ići / idete (to go), which implies movement toward a place, so Serbian uses:

• u + accusative

That gives:

• u restoran = to the restaurant

If you were talking about being located inside the restaurant, you would use:

• u restoranu = in the restaurant

So:

• Idem u restoran. = I’m going to the restaurant.
• Ja sam u restoranu. = I am in the restaurant.

Serbian does not have articles like a and the.

So restoran can mean:

• a restaurant
• the restaurant

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would naturally translate it as the restaurant or simply a restaurant, depending on the situation. If the meaning has already been given as the restaurant, that comes from context, not from a separate Serbian word.

Danas means today, and its position is somewhat flexible.

This sentence:

• Da li Vi želite da idete u restoran danas?

is perfectly correct.

You could also hear:

• Da li Vi danas želite da idete u restoran?
• Da li danas želite da idete u restoran?

The version with danas at the end sounds very natural and straightforward. Word order in Serbian is often more flexible than in English, though different placements can slightly change emphasis.

Not necessarily. Serbian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

So all of these are possible:

• Da li želite da idete u restoran danas?
• Da li Vi želite da idete u restoran danas?

Including Vi adds emphasis, clarity, or politeness. Since this is a formal sentence, keeping Vi is very natural.

The informal singular version would use ti and the corresponding verb forms:

• Da li ti želiš da ideš u restoran danas?

Compare:

• Da li Vi želite da idete u restoran danas? = formal
• Da li ti želiš da ideš u restoran danas? = informal

The changes are:

• Vi → ti
• želite → želiš
• idete → ideš

Yes. Another common way is by using li after the verb, often with a clitic form.

For example:

• Želite li da idete u restoran danas?

This also means:

• Do you want to go to the restaurant today?

Both are correct. Very roughly:

• Da li želite... = extremely common, clear, neutral
• Želite li... = also common, often a bit more compact or formal in style

It would look exactly the same:

• Da li Vi želite da idete u restoran danas?

That is because Vi želite can mean either:

• you (formal singular), or
• you all (plural)

Context tells you which one is meant.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

• Da li Vi zheh-LEE-teh da EE-deh-teh oo reh-stoh-RAHN DAH-nahs?

A few key sounds:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• j sounds like English y
• c would sound like ts (not used in this sentence, but useful to know)
• r is rolled or tapped more than in English

This is only approximate, but it helps get started.

Yes. The dictionary form is ići (to go), and idete is one of its present-tense forms.

This verb is somewhat irregular, so the stem changes:

• ići = to go
• idem = I go / I am going
• ideš = you go
• ide = he/she goes
• idemo = we go
• idete = you go
• idu = they go

So even though ići and idete do not look very similar, they belong to the same verb.

It is polite and standard. It is not overly stiff, but it is definitely formal because of Vi.

A native speaker might use it:

• with a stranger
• with a customer
• with an older person
• in a respectful situation

If speaking to a friend, the informal ti version would be more natural.