Questions & Answers about Nemoj da zaboraviš torbu i kišobran.
Why does Serbian use nemoj da zaboraviš for don’t forget?
To make a negative command to one person, Serbian very often uses nemoj + da + present tense.
- nemoj = don’t
- da zaboraviš = literally something like that you forget
Together, the whole phrase simply means don’t forget.
So:
- Nemoj da zaboraviš = Don’t forget
- Nemojte da zaboravite = Don’t forget (plural or formal)
You may also hear the shorter Ne zaboravi, but nemoj da + present is a very common everyday pattern.
What form is zaboraviš?
Zaboraviš is the 2nd person singular present tense form of zaboraviti (to forget).
So the verb forms are:
- ja zaboravim = I forget
- ti zaboraviš = you forget
- on/ona zaboravi = he/she forgets
After nemoj da, Serbian uses a present-tense form, even though the meaning is not really present time. It expresses the action that the speaker is telling someone not to do.
Why is it torbu and not torba?