A2 · Élémentaire Chapitre 28

The Imperative Mood: Giving Commands

6 Règles totales
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of giving clear instructions and making polite requests in Croatian.

  • Conjugate verbs into the imperative mood for direct commands.
  • Form negative requests using the 'nemoj' structure.
  • Manage reflexive verbs within imperative contexts.
Direct your world with confidence.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Learn how to form and use the imperative mood to give commands, make requests, or offer suggestions. This is essential for directing actions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Form the standard imperative for regular verbs in the second person.

Conseils et astuces (4)

💡

Use 'Molim'

Always add 'molim' to soften your commands.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Formation of the Imperative Mood (Zapovjedni način)
🎯

The 'Nemoj' Shortcut

If you forget the imperative conjugation, just use 'Nemoj' (singular) or 'Nemojte' (plural) + the infinitive. It's almost always correct and sounds very natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Imperative Endings (e.g., -i, -j, -mo, -te)
🎯

The 'Nemoj' Shortcut

If you forget the negative imperative, just use 'Nemoj' (singular) or 'Nemojte' (plural) + the infinitive. It works for every verb!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Irregular Imperative Forms (e.g., biti, ići)
🎯

The 'Molim' Rule

Always add 'molim' or 'molim vas' to an imperative to instantly turn a command into a polite request. It's the easiest way to avoid sounding rude.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using Imperative for Commands and Requests

Vocabulaire clé (5)

čitati to read nemoj do not biti to be odmoriti se to rest ići to go

Real-World Preview

coffee

At the Cafe

Review Summary

  • Stem + Ending
  • Nemoj + Infinitive

Erreurs courantes

In Croatian, you must use the 'nemoj' helper for negative commands. 'Ne' is for simple declarative statements.

Wrong: Ne idi!
Correct: Nemoj ići!

You missed the imperative suffix. 'Čita' is the 3rd person present, while 'Čitaj' is the command.

Wrong: Čita!
Correct: Čitaj!

The reflexive pronoun 'se' must come after the verb in the imperative, not before.

Wrong: Budi se odmori.
Correct: Odmori se.

Next Steps

You've done an amazing job today. Take a break, and get ready for the next level of your Croatian journey!

Practice writing 5 commands for your daily routine.

Continue to: Adverbial Forms and Degrees of Comparison

Pratique rapide (10)

Fill in the missing reflexive pronoun.

Nemoj ___ bojati.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: se
The verb 'bojati se' is reflexive and requires 'se'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Negative Imperative (Nemoj + Infinitive)

Which is the correct formal command for 'to sit' (sjesti)?

Molim Vas, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sjednite
The formal 'Vi' requires the -ite ending.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Imperative Endings (e.g., -i, -j, -mo, -te)

Fill in the correct imperative form of 'raditi' for 'ti'.

___ (raditi) brže!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Radi
The 3rd person plural is 'rade', stem is 'rad-', add -i for 'ti'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Imperative Endings (e.g., -i, -j, -mo, -te)

Select the most natural way to say 'Don't worry' to a friend.

___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nemoj se brinuti.
'Nemoj se brinuti' is the standard A2 construction for an informal command.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Negative Imperative (Nemoj + Infinitive)

Fill in the negative imperative (plural/polite) for the verb 'zaboraviti'.

___ (not forget) ključeve!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nemojte zaboraviti
For a plural or polite negative command, use 'Nemojte' + infinitive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using Imperative for Commands and Requests

Choose the correct form for a formal command.

___ zaboraviti dokumente.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nemojte
For formal or plural subjects, 'Nemojte' is required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Negative Imperative (Nemoj + Infinitive)

Correct the sentence: 'Ne ići tamo!'

Find and fix the mistake:

Ne ići tamo!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nemoj ići tamo!
While 'Ne idi' is possible, 'Nemoj ići' is the standard way to form a negative command.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Irregular Imperative Forms (e.g., biti, ići)

Correct the sentence: 'Ne raditi to!'

Find and fix the mistake:

Ne raditi to!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nemoj raditi to!
You must use 'nemoj' instead of 'ne' with the infinitive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Negative Imperative (Nemoj + Infinitive)

Which one is a suggestion for a group?

___ trošiti vrijeme.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nemojmo
'Nemojmo' means 'Let's not'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Negative Imperative (Nemoj + Infinitive)

Choose the correct imperative form for 'ti' (singular) for the verb 'čitati'.

___ ovu knjigu, jako je dobra!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Čitaj
The verb 'čitati' has a vowel stem, so we add -j for the 'ti' form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using Imperative for Commands and Requests

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

No, it's for addressing others.
No, you cannot command yourself in the first person singular. You would use the future tense or a construction like Moram... (I must).
Ne radi is a direct, often harsh prohibition. Nemoj raditi is the standard, more common way to say 'Don't do it'.
In Croatian, the verb biti uses a different stem for the imperative mood. Jesi is part of the present tense, while budi comes from an older aspectual root meaning 'to become'.
Yes, but only in the plural/formal form (e.g., Recite mi or Dajte mi). Always add molim Vas to remain professional.
No, you cannot command yourself. For 'let's', we use the 'mi' form (e.g., Idimo!).
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Adverbial Forms and Degrees of Comparison
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