Sometimes you need to tell someone what to do, ask for something directly, or suggest doing something together. In grammar, this is called the imperative mood. You use it for three things:

1. Commands: Stop!
2. Requests: Help!
3. Suggestions: Let's eat!

In Serbian, the imperative form changes depending on who you are talking to. There are three cases:

1. Ti — one person you are familiar with
2. Vi — a group, or one person you want to be polite with
3. Mi — suggesting something for yourself and others together ("let's")

How to form the imperative

The ending you use depends on how the verb behaves in the present tense. There are two main patterns.

Pattern 1 — the "j" pattern

If the verb contains a j in the present tense third person plural (oni form), you keep that j and build the imperative from it.

A quick way to spot these verbs: look at the oni form. If it ends in -aju or -uju, this is your pattern.

Other verbs that follow this pattern:

Pattern 2 — the "i" pattern

If the verb does not have a j in the present tense oni form, you add -i for the ti form and build from there.

Look for verbs whose oni form ends in -e — those typically follow this pattern.

Other verbs that follow this pattern:

Common commands you can use right away

A note on politeness

The imperative can sometimes sound strong or even rude depending on the context — just like shouting "Sit!" at someone in English.

Two things to keep in mind:

1. When speaking to strangers, older people, or anyone you want to show respect to, always use the Vi form: Sedite instead of Sedi, Pričajte instead of Pričaj.
2. Tone of voice changes everything. The same word Sedi said with a smile is friendly and casual. Said sharply, it becomes a direct order. The word itself is not the whole story.

Hajde, hajmo, hajte — words you will hear constantly

These three words deserve their own section because you will encounter them every single day in Serbian. They are used to start an action, invite someone along, or push things forward. Think of them as the Serbian equivalent of come on or let's.

Many speakers drop the h, so you will just as often hear ajde, ajmo, ajte — both versions are completely normal.

You can use them on their own, or combine them with da + verb:

Summary

The imperative is one of the most practical areas of Serbian grammar — you will use it in conversation from very early on. If you are unsure which pattern a verb follows, look up its oni present tense form and check the ending. That will point you in the right direction almost every time.

If you have a verb you want to check or an example you are unsure about, post it below.