Smirite se, molim Vas.

Smirite is the imperative form, meaning it is used to give a command, request, or instruction.

More specifically, it is the 2nd person plural imperative of smiriti se. In Serbian, that same plural form is also used for formal singular address.

So smirite can be said:

• to one person formally
• or to more than one person

Se is a reflexive particle. It is very common in Serbian.

Here it is part of the verb smiriti se, which means to calm down.

Compare:

• smiriti nekoga = to calm someone down
• smiriti se = to calm down

So without se, the meaning would change.

It is formal/polite.

That is shown by:

• smirite instead of smiri
• Vas instead of te

An informal version to one person would be:

Smiri se, molim te.

Yes.

That is one of the things that can confuse English speakers: Serbian uses the same verb form for:

• you all
• you as a polite/formal singular

So Smirite se may mean:

• speaking politely to one person
• speaking to two or more people

The context tells you which one is meant.

In this sentence, molim Vas functions as please.

Literally, molim comes from moliti, meaning to ask, to request, or sometimes to beg.
So molim Vas is literally something like I ask you.

But in everyday Serbian, it is very often just a polite way to soften what you are saying, like English please.

Because Vas is the form used for you in this expression.

In molim Vas, the pronoun is in the form required by moliti here. For a learner, the most useful thing is simply to remember molim Vas as a fixed polite phrase meaning please when speaking formally.

Compare:

• molim te = informal please
• molim vas / molim Vas = formal or plural please

The capital V shows politeness and respect.

In Serbian, pronouns like Vi, Vas, Vaš are often capitalized when addressing someone formally, especially in:

• letters
• emails
• notices
• customer communication

You will also see vas with a lowercase v in many texts. That is not necessarily wrong; the capital letter is mainly a politeness convention.

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible.

You could also say:

Molim Vas, smirite se.

Both versions are natural. The difference is mostly in emphasis:

• Smirite se, molim Vas. = starts with the command/request, so it can feel a bit more direct
• Molim Vas, smirite se. = starts with the polite softener, so it can feel slightly gentler

Not necessarily, but it can sound firm.

The imperative Smirite se by itself can sound quite direct.
Adding molim Vas makes it more polite.

Still, the actual tone depends a lot on:

• voice
• situation
• facial expression
• relationship between speakers

So it can range from:

• calm and polite to
• stern but still respectful

To one person informally, you would normally say:

Smiri se, molim te.

So the key contrast is:

• Smiri se, molim te. = informal singular
• Smirite se, molim Vas. = formal singular or plural

The basic form is smiriti se.

That is the infinitive learners would usually look up in a dictionary.

So you can think of the sentence as built from:

• smiriti se = to calm down
• smirite se = calm down / calm yourselves / please calm down depending on context