Imperative with Reflexive Verbs
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the imperative form of the verb followed by the reflexive particle 'se' to tell someone to do something to themselves.
- Affirmative: Verb first, then 'se'. Example: 'Umij se!' (Wash yourself!)
- Negative: Use 'Nemoj' + 'se' + Infinitive. Example: 'Nemoj se brinuti!' (Don't worry!)
- Plural: Match the verb ending to the group. Example: 'Smijte se!' (Laugh!)
Meanings
The imperative with reflexive verbs is used to give orders, advice, or instructions where the action is performed by the subject upon themselves, or where the verb inherently requires the reflexive particle 'se'.
Self-directed actions
Actions one performs on their own body or person.
“Očešljaj se!”
“Obuci se brzo!”
Emotional states
Telling someone how to feel or react emotionally.
“Ne brini se!”
“Raduj se životu!”
Social interactions
Verbs that are reflexive by nature in social contexts.
“Javi se kad stigneš.”
“Upoznajte se!”
Imperative of Reflexive Verbs (Example: Umiti se - To wash oneself)
| Person | Affirmative | Negative (Standard) | Negative (Alternative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ti (you sing.) | Umij se! | Nemoj se umiti! | Ne umivaj se! |
| mi (we) | Umijmo se! | Nemojmo se umiti! | Ne umivajmo se! |
| vi (you plur.) | Umijte se! | Nemojte se umiti! | Ne umivajte se! |
| on/ona (he/she) | Neka se umije! | Neka se ne umije! | - |
| oni (they) | Neka se umiju! | Neka se ne umiju! | - |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative (Singular) | Verb-Stem + Ending + se | Vrati se! |
| Affirmative (Plural) | Verb-Stem + Ending + se | Vratite se! |
| Negative (Singular) | Nemoj + se + Infinitive | Nemoj se vratiti! |
| Negative (Plural) | Nemojte + se + Infinitive | Nemojte se vratiti! |
| Negative (Imperfective) | Ne + Imperative + se | Ne vraćaj se! |
| With Adverb | Adverb + se + Verb | Brzo se vrati! |
| With Conjunction | I + se + Verb | I nasmiješi se! |
طیف رسمیت
Sjednite, molim Vas. (Offering a seat)
Sjednite se. (Offering a seat)
Sjedni. (Offering a seat)
Zasjedni! (Offering a seat)
Common Reflexive Actions in Imperative
Hygiene
- Umij se Wash yourself
- Očešljaj se Comb your hair
Movement
- Požuri se Hurry up
- Okreni se Turn around
Emotions
- Smiri se Calm down
- Raduj se Rejoice
Affirmative vs. Negative Word Order
مثالها بر اساس سطح
Umij se!
Wash yourself!
Obuci se!
Get dressed!
Smiješi se!
Smile!
Čuvaj se!
Take care!
Nemoj se bojati.
Don't be afraid.
Požuri se, kasnimo!
Hurry up, we're late!
Sjednite se ovdje.
Sit down here (plural/formal).
Ne brini se za mene.
Don't worry about me.
Javi se čim stigneš u Zagreb.
Get in touch as soon as you arrive in Zagreb.
Nemoj se tako ponašati!
Don't behave like that!
Upoznajte se s novim kolegama.
Introduce yourselves to the new colleagues.
Pripazi se na cesti.
Watch out/Be careful on the road.
Nemoj se upuštati u te rasprave.
Don't get involved in those arguments.
Snađi se kako znaš i umiješ.
Manage/Find your way as best as you can.
Opredijeli se za jednu opciju.
Decide/Commit to one option.
Nemoj se pretvarati da me ne čuješ.
Don't pretend you don't hear me.
Saberi se i reci mi što se dogodilo.
Pull yourself together and tell me what happened.
Nemoj se ustručavati pitati ako nešto nije jasno.
Don't hesitate to ask if something isn't clear.
Prepusti se glazbi i uživaj.
Surrender yourself to the music and enjoy.
Okani se tih ćoravih posla.
Give up on those futile tasks.
Smiri se, o nemirno srce moje.
Be still, oh my restless heart.
Nemoj se dati smesti sitnim provokacijama.
Don't allow yourself to be distracted by petty provocations.
Založi se za svoja prava pred odborom.
Advocate/Exert yourself for your rights before the board.
Osvijesti se i sagledaj širu sliku.
Become aware/Wake up and look at the bigger picture.
بهراحتی اشتباه گرفته میشود
Learners don't know if 'to sit' requires 'se'.
The forms 'Umivaš se' and 'Umij se' look different but both involve 'se'.
Learners try to use 'Ne' like in English 'Not'.
اشتباهات رایج
Umij!
Umij se!
Se umij!
Umij se!
Ne brini!
Ne brini se!
Obuci!
Obuci se!
Nemoj brini se.
Nemoj se brinuti.
Ne se žuri!
Nemoj se žuriti!
Sjedni te se.
Sjednite se.
Nemoj se umiti.
Ne umivaj se.
Javi se mi.
Javi mi se.
Smije se!
Smiješi se!
Neka se ne brineš.
Neka se ne brine.
Daj se smiri.
Daj se smiri!
Prepusti se ga.
Prepusti mu se.
Okani se od toga.
Okani se toga.
الگوهای جملهسازی
___ se!
Nemoj se ___.
Molim te, ___ se ___.
Neka se ___ ___.
Real World Usage
Javi se kad stigneš!
Skinite se do pojasa.
Poslužite se salatom.
Smiri se i pojedi juhu!
Istegnite se dobro.
Predstavite se ukratko.
The 'Se' Rule
Negative Order
Softening Commands
Directness
Smart Tips
Always put 'se' right after 'Nemoj'. Don't wait until the end of the sentence.
The adverb can take the first position, pushing 'se' to the second position, before the verb.
Use the '-mo' ending on the verb and keep 'se' at the end.
Use 'Nemoj se' + the infinitive (which is easier to remember) for negative commands.
تلفظ
Clitic Stress
The particle 'se' is never stressed. The stress always falls on the verb preceding it.
Negative Intonation
In 'Nemoj se...', the stress is on the first syllable of 'Nemoj'.
Commanding
Umij se! ↘
Falling intonation at the end indicates a firm command.
Encouraging
Smiri se... ↗
Slightly rising or level intonation indicates comfort or advice.
حفظ کنید
روش یادسپاری
Remember 'SE-cond place': In commands, 'se' wants to be the second word. If you start with the verb, 'se' follows. If you start with 'Nemoj', 'se' follows.
تداعی تصویری
Imagine a small puppy named 'Se'. In a positive mood (affirmative), he follows his owner (the Verb). In a negative mood (Nemoj), he jumps right between the owner and the task (the Infinitive).
Rhyme
Kad zapovijed daješ ti, 'se' iza glagola smjesti. Kad 'nemoj' kažeš, 'se' u sredinu važeš!
Story
Marko is getting ready for a date. His mother yells: 'Umij se!' (Wash!), 'Obrij se!' (Shave!), and 'Obuci se!' (Dress!). Marko is nervous, so his friend says: 'Nemoj se bojati!' (Don't fear!) and 'Smiri se!' (Calm down!).
شبکه واژگان
چالش
Look in the mirror and give yourself three reflexive commands in Croatian: 'Nasmiješi se!' (Smile!), 'Uspravi se!' (Stand up straight!), and 'Smiri se!' (Calm down!).
نکات فرهنگی
Croatians are often very direct. Using the imperative without 'molim' (please) is not necessarily rude among friends and family.
In Dalmatia, you might hear 'ajde' used frequently before reflexive imperatives to soften them or add urgency.
The use of 'daj' as a filler before reflexive commands is very common in the capital.
The reflexive particle 'se' comes from the Proto-Indo-European reflexive pronoun *swe-.
شروعکنندههای مکالمه
Što trebam učiniti prije spavanja?
Jako sam nervozan zbog ispita.
Idem na put u Split.
Želim se upisati na tečaj plesa.
موضوعات نگارش
Test Yourself
Umij ___ prije spavanja!
How do you say 'Don't worry'?
Find and fix the mistake:
Se obuci brzo!
Ti se kupaš. (You are bathing.)
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Kasnimo na vlak! B: Znam, ___!
In negative commands with 'nemoj', the word 'se' comes AFTER the infinitive verb.
Sort: (1) Umij se, (2) Ne se brini, (3) Nemoj se bojati, (4) Sjedni se
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesUmij ___ prije spavanja!
How do you say 'Don't worry'?
Find and fix the mistake:
Se obuci brzo!
Ti se kupaš. (You are bathing.)
1. Smiri se, 2. Javi se, 3. Požuri se
A: Kasnimo na vlak! B: Znam, ___!
In negative commands with 'nemoj', the word 'se' comes AFTER the infinitive verb.
Sort: (1) Umij se, (2) Ne se brini, (3) Nemoj se bojati, (4) Sjedni se
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
No, because 'umiti' is a transitive verb. Without 'se', it sounds like you are asking someone to wash an object, but you haven't said which one. 'Umij se' specifically means 'Wash yourself'.
In Croatian, 'se' is a clitic. Clitics must occupy the second position in a sentence or clause. In 'Umij se', the verb is first, so 'se' is second. In 'Nemoj se umiti', 'Nemoj' is first, so 'se' must follow it immediately.
Both are common. 'Sjedni' is the standard imperative of 'sjesti' (to sit down). 'Sjedni se' is a reflexive version that is very common in speech, but some teachers might consider it redundant.
In casual speech, people often drop the 'se' in 'Ne brini', but 'Ne brini se' is the grammatically complete and correct form. For a learner, it's better to use 'se'.
Use the 'Vi' form of the verb. Instead of 'Umij se', say 'Umijte se'. The 'se' remains the same regardless of formality.
Never. If you find yourself starting a sentence with 'Se...', stop and move it after the first word.
No, 'se' is invariant. For 'Let's wash ourselves', you say 'Umijmo se'. The verb ending changes, but 'se' stays 'se'.
The dative pronoun (mi, ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im) always comes before 'se'. Example: 'Javi mi se!' (Get in touch with me!).
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
¡Lávate!
Spanish pronouns are suffixes, while Croatian 'se' is a separate word (clitic).
Lave-toi !
French changes 'se' to 'toi' in the singular imperative, while Croatian 'se' is invariant.
Wasch dich!
German pronouns change based on case and person, whereas Croatian 'se' is the same for everyone.
Kigaete (着替えて)
Japanese has no equivalent to the reflexive particle 'se'.
Ightasil (اغتسل)
Reflexivity is built into the verb stem, not added as a particle.
自己洗 (Zìjǐ xǐ)
Chinese has no verb conjugation or clitic placement rules.
