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Published: 28 February 2018 In this blog post you will learn about what the imperative is used for, how to construct the negative form, how to use irregular verbs (because there are always slight complications ????) and how to make all of the forms of imperative sound more pleasant.

The imperative is used in everyday life, even if we don’t always notice it. Imperative clauses are used when we want to tell somebody to do something as a command, instruction, suggestion or advice.

Ne slušaj glasnu glazbu → Don’t listen to loud music! (suggestion mostly ????)

Dodaj mi salatu! → Pass me the salad! (command)

Očistite povrće i začinite ga po želji → Clean the vegetables and season them to taste. (instruction)

Probably the best examples of imperative sentences are the ones a parent uses when “talking to” their kids:

Pokupi igračke! → Pick up the toys!

Počisti sobu! → Clean up your room!

Jedi mahune! → Eat the green beans!

Ne trči! → Don’t run!

How is the imperative formed?

To form the imperative, you need to know the third person plural of the present tense of a verb and then build from there by adding various endings.

This is the imperative formed with the most frequent types of verbs:

There’s no imperative form for first person singular, because we don't usually give instructions to ourselves. And when we do, we talk to ourselves in the 2nd person singular.

Irregular verbs and the imperative form

Of course, like in every language, irregular verbs are, well, irregular! Here are a couple of examples of common irregular verbs:

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Imperative of the third person singular and plural

There’s no special form of imperative for the third person singular or plural (you or you all). Instead, the word neka (→ let) is used together with the present tense form of a verb. Making negative imperative statements

The negative form of the imperative is formed by putting ne (→ no) in front of the imperative form or in front of the present form:

Another way to make a negative imperative is by using the words nemoj (→ don’t, second person singular), nemojmo (→ first person plural), nemojte (→ second person plural) with the infinitive of a verb. This is an easier way to use the negative imperative, as you don't have to think about changing verb endings.

Third person singular and third person plural forms still use neka.

pjevati → Neka ne pjeva! / Neka ne pjevaju! → Don’t let him (her) sing! / Don’t let them sing!

raditi → Neka ne radi! / Neka ne rade! → Don’t let him (her) work! / Don’t let them work!

How to make the imperative sound more polite?

The imperative can sometimes be seen as overly direct, rude or impolite – maybe even offensive. In such cases, we can add molim (→ please) to soften the command.

For example: Kupi mi čokoladu, molim te. (Buy me a chocolate, please).

We can also use conditionals to make it less direct: Bi li mi kupio čokoladu? (→ Would you buy me a chocolate?). Or use the question form instead: Možeš li mi kupiti čokoladu (→ Can you buy me a chocolate?)

Exercise: What do these phrases mean?

Nemoj me zezati! →  Answer Don’t make fun of me!

Nemoj praviti budalu od sebe! →  Answer Don't make a fool of yourself.

Ispeci pa reci! →  Answer Think it through before you say it.


Bring me a beer. →  Answer Donesi mi pivo!

Close the window. →  Answer Zatvori prozor!

Finish your lunch. →  Answer Pojedi ručak do kraja!

Let us sing until dawn. →  Answer Pjevajmo do zore!

Buy me a watermelon. →  Answer Kupi mi lubenicu!

Let her wash the dishes. →  Answer Neka ona opere posuđe!

Exercise: See how much of this beautiful song by Natali Dizdar you understand!



