Stir and salt: the imperative, and how to say "don't"
A recipe, an instruction and a request all rest on one form — the imperative. Serbian builds it from the present tense: take the they-form (oni mešaju), cut the ending and add -j, -i or nothing. Three patterns cover almost every verb. For example: “Промешај, посоли и остави да се охлади” — Stir, salt, and leave to cool. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A recipe, an instruction and a request all rest on one form — the imperative. Serbian builds it from the present tense: take the they-form (oni mešaju), cut the ending and add -j, -i or nothing. Three patterns cover almost every verb.
A stem in -a: add -j. mešaju → mešaj — stir, čitaju → čitaj, gledaju → gledaj. A stem in -e or -i: add -i. pišu → piši — write, posole → posoli, vrate → vrati. A handful of frequent oddballs on their own: daj — give, idi — go, reci — say, budi — be, jedi — eat, dođi — come.
The plural and the polite "you" add -te: mešajte, pišite, recite, budite. The we-form takes -mo: idemo — let's go, nađimo se — let's meet.
The main difference from English is the prohibition. "Don't do it" is built two ways, and they are not equal. One: ne + imperative — ne viči, ne boj se, ne brini. Short and sharp, a bark. Two, softer and more common in speech: nemoj da plus the present — nemoj da vičeš, nemoj da se nerviraš, nemoj da zaboraviš — literally "refrain that you shout"; the nearest English tone is "don't you go shouting". For "you" plural: nemojte da…; for "we": nemojmo da…. Nemoj is what you hear from shopkeepers, doctors and neighbors.
And one more thing English actually shares: in recipes and instructions Serbian happily uses the bare imperative where other styles would write "the oven should be heated". Zagrej rernu — preheat the oven, promešaj — stir, ostavi da se ohladi — leave to cool. Every Serbian cookbook is written this way, and the plain you-form here is the genre, not rudeness.
Table
| the stem | they-form | you | you (pl.) | the "don't" via nemoj |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in -a | mešaju | mešaj | mešajte | nemoj da mešaš |
| in -a | gledaju | gledaj | gledajte | nemoj da gledaš |
| in -e | pišu | piši | pišite | nemoj da pišeš |
| in -i | posole | posoli | posolite | nemoj da posoliš |
| in -i | vrate | vrati | vratite | nemoj da vratiš |
| oddballs | daju | daj | dajte | nemoj da daš |
| oddballs | kažu | reci | recite | nemoj da kažeš |
| oddballs | budu | budi | budite | nemoj da budeš |
By example
- Промешај, посоли и остави да се охладиPromešaj, posoli i ostavi da se ohladiStir, salt, and leave to cool
- Немој да бациш рачун, требаће ти за рекламацијуNemoj da baciš račun, trebaće ti za reklamacijuDo not throw away the receipt, you will need it for a claim
- Реците ми колико кошта поправкаRecite mi koliko košta popravkaTell me how much the repair costs
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
Stir and salt: how does it work in Serbian?
A recipe, an instruction and a request all rest on one form — the imperative. Serbian builds it from the present tense: take the they-form (oni mešaju), cut the ending and add -j, -i or nothing. Three patterns cover almost every verb.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Промешај, посоли и остави да се охлади” (Promešaj, posoli i ostavi da se ohladi) — Stir, salt, and leave to cool. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.