Nastavite, molim Vas.

Nastavite is the imperative form of the verb nastaviti.

In this sentence, it means something like continue, go on, or please carry on.

More specifically, nastavite is used for:

• you (plural) — when speaking to more than one person
• formal you (singular) — when politely addressing one person

So the form itself is both plural and formal singular, just like many other Serbian verb forms.

Because nastavi is used for one person informally, while nastavite is used for:

• more than one person, or
• one person formally/politely

Compare:

• Nastavi. = Continue. / Go on. (informal, to one person)
• Nastavite. = Continue. / Go on. (formal to one person, or to several people)

So in Nastavite, molim Vas, the speaker is being polite.

Molim Vas is a polite expression that works like please.

Literally, molim comes from moliti and can mean I ask, I beg, or I request, while Vas means you in the polite/plural form.

In everyday use, though, molim Vas simply makes the command more polite:

• Nastavite. = Continue.
• Nastavite, molim Vas. = Please continue.

In Serbian, forms like Vi, Vas, Vam are often capitalized when addressing someone politely in writing.

So Vas with a capital V shows respect and formality.

This capitalization is:

• common in formal writing
• polite
• sometimes optional, depending on style

You may also see molim vas with a lowercase v, especially in less formal writing. Both are understandable, but Vas looks more respectful.

The comma separates the main command Nastavite from the polite insertion molim Vas.

Here molim Vas works almost like a parenthetical politeness marker, so the comma is natural:

• Nastavite, molim Vas.
• Sedite, molim Vas.
• Sačekajte, molim Vas.

You can also put molim Vas first:

• Molim Vas, nastavite.

That is also correct.

It can be said to either:

• one person formally
• several people

That is because nastavite and Vas both match the formal/plural you form.

So without more context, Nastavite, molim Vas could mean:

• polite singular: speaking respectfully to one person
• plural: speaking to a group

You would usually say:

Nastavi, molim te.

Changes:

• nastavite → nastavi
• Vas → te

So:

• Nastavite, molim Vas. = formal/polite
• Nastavi, molim te. = informal, to one person

If you say nastavite to a friend, it may sound unusually formal or distant.

The base verb is nastaviti.

It is commonly translated as:

• to continue
• to resume
• to carry on

In this sentence, the imperative nastavite tells someone to continue what they were already doing, saying, reading, presenting, and so on.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, and this sentence can be rearranged a bit without changing the core meaning.

Common possibilities:

• Nastavite, molim Vas.
• Molim Vas, nastavite.

Both are natural. The difference is mostly in emphasis and rhythm:

• starting with Nastavite puts the action first
• starting with Molim Vas foregrounds politeness

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

NAH-stah-vee-teh, MOH-leem vahs

A few helpful notes:

• š does not appear here, so all consonants are fairly straightforward
• v in Vas is a real v, not a w
• Serbian vowels are usually clear and short:
  • a as in father
  • i as in machine
  • o as in for but shorter and cleaner

A more syllable-by-syllable guide:

• Na-sta-vi-te
• mo-lim
• Vas

Yes, very natural.

You might hear it:

• in a meeting
• during a presentation
• when someone has paused while speaking
• in a formal conversation
• in customer service or official situations

It sounds polite, standard, and completely normal. If the situation is informal, speakers would more likely choose Nastavi, molim te.