03.01.2020 Views

EasyCroatian_r47.an

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / 53 Giving Orders 310 / 600

So, this is a way Croatian expresses indefiniteness of objects: by using imperfective

verbs for irreversible actions.

There is another “special verb” – hajde – also having only imperative forms, that is

used to encourage (like c’mon!):

Hajde, dođi! C’mon, come!

Both special verbs can be used on their own in speech:

Nemoj! Don’t!

Hajde! C’mon!

The verb hajde has slightly irregular forms and also has several colloquial forms.

They are all listed here, together with forms of the verb nemoj:

verb imper-2 imper-1pl imper-2pl

negative nemoj nemojmo nemojte

encouraging

(colloq.)

hajde

ajde

hajdemo

ajmo

hajde

ajde

There’s another verb that can be used colloquially to encourage or strengthen

imperatives:

dati perf. give

This is a perfective verb, and its imperative is used together the imperative of the

main verb. For example:

Daj, čekaj me A ! C’mon, wait for me!

1

There are few exceptions to the rules above, relating to the 1st person plural. For

the verb ići (ide, išao, išla) go, instead of the expected idimo, the present tense form

idemo is used; it applies only to the imper-1pl – other forms are as expected:

imper-2 imper-1pl imper-2pl

idi idemo idite

Furthermore, in colloquial speech, imper-1pl forms aren’t often used. Instead,

hajdemo / ajmo + inf is more common.

However, there’s one imper-1pl frequent in speech and writing: recimo, derived

from the already mentioned reći, meaning of course let’s say (and therefore

suppose, for example etc.).

________

® In the “Ekavian” pronunciation, which completely prevails in Serbia, there’s an

exception in speech from this rule for the “Ekavian” verb razumeti understand: its

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!