Ne zaboravi da isključiš svetlo pre nego što odeš iz stana.

Yes. Ne zaboravi is a negative imperative meaning don’t forget.

A few useful points:

• zaboraviti = to forget (perfective verb)
• zaboravi! = forget!
• ne zaboravi! = don’t forget!

In Serbian, this is a very common way to give a reminder or instruction.

Also, Serbian often uses the perfective verb in this kind of command when the speaker is talking about one complete action:

• Ne zaboravi... = Don’t fail to do it / Make sure you do it

So here it sounds natural because the speaker is reminding someone about one specific action: turning off the light.

Because Serbian very often uses da + present tense where English uses an infinitive.

So:

• zaboraviti da isključiš svetlo = literally to forget that you turn off the light
• but naturally it means to forget to turn off the light

This pattern is extremely common in Serbian:

• Želim da idem. = I want to go.
• Moram da učim. = I have to study.
• Ne zaboravi da pozoveš. = Don’t forget to call.

Although Serbian does have an infinitive, in everyday language da + present is often preferred.

Isključiš is the 2nd person singular present tense form of isključiti.

That means it matches an understood you:

• (ti) isključiš = you turn off

In the sentence, it appears after da, which is why English learners often think of it as something like a subjunctive-style structure:

• da isključiš = that you turn off / to turn off

The ending -š is a common clue for you singular in the present tense.

Yes, svetlo can mean light, but in everyday speech it also commonly means the light / the lights in a room, especially in the sense of something you switch on or off.

So in this sentence:

• isključiti svetlo = to turn off the light

This is very natural Serbian.

A useful comparison:

• svetlo = light, lamp-light, room light
• svetlost = light as a phenomenon, brightness, illumination

For example:

• Ugasi svetlo. = Turn off the light.
• Sunčeva svetlost = sunlight

Pre nego što means before or more literally before that.

It introduces a clause:

• pre nego što odeš iz stana = before you leave the apartment

This is a very common Serbian phrase. You can think of it as a fixed expression.

Examples:

• Operi ruke pre nego što jedeš. = Wash your hands before you eat.
• Pozovi me pre nego što kreneš. = Call me before you leave.

So in your sentence, it marks the action that should happen earlier:

1. turn off the light
2. then leave the apartment

That is normal in Serbian.

After words like kad, ako, dok, čim, pre nego što, Serbian often uses the present tense form to refer to a future or not-yet-completed action, especially in subordinate clauses.

So:

• pre nego što odeš = literally before you go
• but in context it means before you leave

This is very similar to English in some cases:

• Call me before you leave. English also uses present-looking forms after before, even though the action is in the future.

So odeš is grammatically present, but the meaning here is about a future action.

Because otići means to leave / go away / depart, which fits this sentence better.

Compare:

• ići = to go in a general sense
• otići = to go away / leave

Here the meaning is specifically leave the apartment, so otići is the natural choice:

• pre nego što odeš iz stana = before you leave the apartment

This is also about aspect:

• ići is imperfective
• otići is perfective

Since the sentence refers to one completed action of leaving, otići works very well.

Stana is genitive singular of stan.

The preposition iz means out of / from inside, and it requires the genitive.

So:

• stan = apartment
• iz stana = out of the apartment / from the apartment

This is used for movement from inside an enclosed space.

Compare:

• u stan = into the apartment
• iz stana = out of the apartment

That is why it is not stan, but stana.

Because Serbian usually doesn’t need subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.

Here the forms already tell us it is you singular:

• ne zaboravi = command to you
• isključiš = you turn off
• odeš = you leave

So adding ti is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Ti ne zaboravi da isključiš svetlo.
  This would sound more emphatic, like you make sure you don’t forget.

But the normal neutral sentence leaves ti out.

Because the sentence is about single, complete actions.

Serbian aspect is very important here:

• zaboraviti = to forget (perfective)
• isključiti = to turn off (perfective)
• otići = to leave/go away (perfective)

Why perfective works well here:

• the reminder concerns one whole event
• turning off the light is a completed action
• leaving the apartment is also a completed action

If you used imperfective verbs, the meaning or tone would change and often sound less natural in this context.

This is a very common Serbian pattern: when talking about one specific completed act, perfective verbs are often preferred.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are natural:

• Ne zaboravi da isključiš svetlo...
• Nemoj da zaboraviš da isključiš svetlo...

They both mean Don’t forget to turn off the light...

A rough difference in feel:

• Ne zaboravi... = shorter, very common, direct reminder
• Nemoj da zaboraviš... = also common, slightly more expanded

In everyday speech, both are fine.

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more natural than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Ne zaboravi da isključiš svetlo pre nego što odeš iz stana.

You could also say:

• Pre nego što odeš iz stana, ne zaboravi da isključiš svetlo.

That puts more focus on the before leaving part.

In general:

• changing word order can change focus or emphasis
• but you cannot move words completely freely without affecting style or naturalness

So yes, the sentence can be rearranged, but the original version is standard and idiomatic.

Yes. In less formal or conversational Serbian, people sometimes say:

• pre nego odeš

instead of

• pre nego što odeš

Both are understood, but pre nego što is the fuller and very standard form.

For learners, it is safest to learn and use:

• pre nego što

because it works well in all normal contexts.

It can do either, depending on context.

In a sentence like this, svetlo often means the light in the practical sense of the room light that should be switched off. In English, we might say either:

• turn off the light
• turn off the lights

Serbian often uses svetlo in a general household sense even when English might choose singular or plural depending on the situation.

If you wanted to be clearly plural, you could say:

• isključi svetla = turn off the lights

But in this sentence, svetlo sounds completely natural.