Formation of the Imperative Mood (Zapovjedni način)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The imperative is used to give commands or suggestions; simply conjugate the verb for the person you are addressing.
- For 'ti' (you singular), remove the infinitive ending and add -i, -j, or nothing.
- For 'vi' (you plural/formal), add -ite or -ite to the stem.
- For 'mi' (we), add -imo to the stem to express a suggestion.
Imperative Conjugation (Verb: Raditi)
| Person | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
|
Ti (You sing.)
|
Radi
|
Ne radi
|
|
Vi (You pl./form.)
|
Radite
|
Ne radite
|
|
Mi (We)
|
Radimo
|
Ne radimo
|
Meanings
The imperative mood is used to express direct commands, requests, advice, or invitations.
Direct Command
Telling someone to perform an action immediately.
“Sjedni!”
“Pij vodu!”
Polite Request/Suggestion
Inviting someone to do something together.
“Idemo u kino.”
“Pijmo kavu.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Stem + suffix
|
Pjevaj!
|
|
Negative
|
Ne + verb
|
Ne pjevaj!
|
|
Suggestion
|
Stem + -imo
|
Pjevajmo!
|
|
Formal
|
Stem + -ite
|
Pjevajte!
|
|
Singular
|
Stem + -i
|
Pjevaj!
|
|
Plural
|
Stem + -ite
|
Pjevajte!
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Dođite ovamo. (Giving directions)
Dođi ovamo. (Giving directions)
Ajde vamo. (Giving directions)
Doleti! (Giving directions)
Imperative Usage Map
Purpose
- Zapovijed Command
- Prijedlog Suggestion
Beispiele nach Niveau
Dođi!
Come!
Sjedni!
Sit down!
Pij!
Drink!
Radi!
Work!
Ne govori!
Don't speak!
Idite kući.
Go home (plural).
Čitaj knjigu.
Read the book.
Pjevaj glasno!
Sing loudly!
Idemo u kino.
Let's go to the cinema.
Sjednimo ovdje.
Let's sit here.
Ne zaboravite kartu.
Don't forget the ticket.
Pomozi mi, molim te.
Help me, please.
Budite strpljivi s njim.
Be patient with him.
Ne budi tako tvrdoglav.
Don't be so stubborn.
Recite mi što mislite.
Tell me what you think.
Pokažite put do stanice.
Show the way to the station.
Ne dopustite da vas zavaraju.
Do not let them deceive you.
Učinite to odmah, bez odlaganja.
Do it immediately, without delay.
Budimo realni u vezi s tim.
Let's be realistic about that.
Pripazite na detalje.
Pay attention to the details.
Ne budi se u zoru, već u podne.
Don't wake up at dawn, but at noon.
Reci mi istinu, ma koliko bolna bila.
Tell me the truth, no matter how painful it is.
Pokažimo svijetu našu snagu.
Let's show the world our strength.
Ne sumnjajte u moje riječi.
Do not doubt my words.
Leicht verwechselbar
Both use similar stems.
Häufige Fehler
Govoriti!
Govori!
Ne radiš.
Ne radi!
Vi radi.
Vi radite.
Budite biti.
Budite.
Satzmuster
___ (verb) mi!
Real World Usage
Dođi brzo!
Use 'Molim'
Smart Tips
Add 'molim' to be polite.
Aussprache
Stress
The stress usually falls on the first syllable of the imperative suffix.
Falling
Sjedni! ↘
Strong command
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember 'I-TE-IMO' for the endings: I for one, TE for many, IMO for we.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a conductor waving a baton: 'I' (one musician), 'TE' (the whole orchestra), 'IMO' (the conductor joins in).
Rhyme
Za ti reci 'i', za vi reci 'ite', za mi reci 'imo', sve su to zapovijedi!
Story
Marko is a coach. He tells his player 'Trči!' (Run!). Then he tells the whole team 'Trčite!' (Run!). Finally, he says 'Trčimo!' (Let's run!) to join them in the warm-up.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Give 5 commands to your pet or a plant in Croatian today.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Direct commands are often softened with 'molim' (please) to avoid sounding rude.
Derived from Proto-Slavic imperative forms.
Gesprächseinstiege
Što da radim danas?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
___ svoj posao!
Score: /1
Ubungsaufgaben
1 exercises___ svoj posao!
Score: /1
FAQ (1)
No, it's for addressing others.
Scaffolded Practice
1
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Imperativo
Spanish has more irregular forms.
Impératif
Croatian drops pronouns entirely.
Imperativ
Croatian is more flexible with word order.
Meireikei
Croatian endings are purely morphological.
Amr
Croatian is suffix-based.
Imperative
Croatian is highly inflected.
