The polite request and the queue of short words
A request is simpler than you fear: the command form plus molim vas, and it is not rude at all. Sačekajte, molim vas, Popunite formular, molim vas. For example: “Можете ли ми помоћи, молим вас?” — Could you help me, please?. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A request is simpler than you fear: the command form plus molim vas, and it is not rude at all. Sačekajte, molim vas, Popunite formular, molim vas.
Softer is a question: Možete li mi pomoći?, Da li biste mogli da ponovite? The form biste is the Serbian "would", and it belongs at the bank and at the clinic.
The snag is the queue. Short unstressed words take second place: li, bih, sam, mi, me, se, je. Among themselves they keep a strict order too.
Hence Možete li mi pomoći?, never "možete mi li". And Drago mi je, where je comes last, always. The pairs "li mi", "mi je" and "mi se" cover most of what you say.
Table
| queue | the word | example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | li | Možete li… — the question hook |
| 2 | bih, biste | Da li biste… — "would" |
| 3 | sam, si, smo, ste, su | Izgubio sam se — the past helper |
| 4 | mi, ti, nam, vam | Možete li mi… — to whom |
| 5 | me, te, ga, je | Boli me glava — whom |
| 6 | se | Kako se zoveš? — the -self word |
| 7 | je (always last) | Drago mi je — the is-helper |
By example
- Можете ли ми помоћи, молим вас?Možete li mi pomoći, molim vas?Could you help me, please?
- Да ли бисте могли да поновите?Da li biste mogli da ponovite?Would you be able to repeat that?
- Дајте ми, молим вас, једну кесуDajte mi, molim vas, jednu kesuGive me one bag, please
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The polite request and the queue of short words: how does it work in Serbian?
A request is simpler than you fear: the command form plus molim vas, and it is not rude at all. Sačekajte, molim vas, Popunite formular, molim vas.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Можете ли ми помоћи, молим вас?” (Možete li mi pomoći, molim vas?) — Could you help me, please?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.