Commands

Level 2

Three forms: ti, vi and we.

How It Works

Take the oni present form, remove the last ending and look at what is left:

  • If the stem ends in a vowel, add -j: čitaju becomes čitaj.
  • If it ends in a consonant, add -i: pišu becomes piši, and rade becomes radi.
tivimi
čitajčitajtečitajmo
pišipišitepišimo
radiraditeradimo

The vi form does two jobs: it speaks to several people, and it is polite to one person: Izvolite, sjednite.

This rule works for most verbs. A small group is irregular, such as reci (say) and budi (be), and these are covered at Level 3. Many verbs that look odd follow the rule: dođu gives dođi, jedu gives jedi, piju gives pij, uzmu gives uzmi.

Examples (5)

  1. Čitaj ovu knjigu.

    Read this book.

    Čitaj is the ti form.

  2. Pišite adresu ovdje.

    Write the address here.

    Pišite is the vi form.

  3. Dođi sutra u šest.

    Come tomorrow at six.

    Dođi follows the rule: dođu gives dođi.

  4. Radimo zajedno!

    Let us work together!

    The mi form invites a group.

  5. Izvolite, sjednite.

    Please, sit down.

    The -te form is polite.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the infinitive as a command.

    Čitati ovu knjigu!
    Čitaj ovu knjigu!

    Spoken commands normally use the imperative. The infinitive appears on signs and in instructions.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

CommandsLevel 2

Learn This First

Commands are formed from present-tense verbs.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

imperativ