# Lithuanian: melskis / melsk



## chatkigazouille

Hello all,

When praying the Ave Maria, why do we say "melsk už mus" instead of "melskis už mus"? (Pray for us)
The singular imperative form of melstis is melskis, unless I'm missing something...

Also sometimes I hear people say "melsk*i* už mus", is this also correct?

Of course the prayer goes:
Šventoji Marija, Dievo motina, melsk už mus nusidėjėlius
(Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners)

Thank you all!


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## arbokas

Melsk is a singular imperative form of the verb melsti. Melsti means to beg for something/someone. "Melsk už mus" is more like to beg for us using the pray.


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## chatkigazouille

Thank you @arbokas, I did not know that. What about people who say melski už mus? 

I heard this in a few videos and I think people also write it that way too, e.g. Gailestingumo Motina, melski už mus.


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## AndrasBP

Imperative forms with *-ki* instead of *-k* are poetic or archaic.


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## arbokas

For me imperative form of a verb with suffix -ki makes it less imperative, sounds softer than with -k.


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## AndrasBP

OK, I'm not a native speaker of Lithuanian. Would you use _daryki, gerki, miegoki_, etc. in everyday speech?


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## arbokas

@AndrasBP Yes I use it in everyday speech but not as much as with -k.


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## chatkigazouille

Thank you @AndrasBP @arbokas

Just exclusively for the Ave Maria it seems that we use melsti  and not melstis. This is interesting.
I find this 1917 reference where they would say Melskis už mus, when praying the Angelus, for example:
V: Melskis už mus, šventoji Dievo Gimdytoja
R: Idant būtume verti Kristaus žadėjimų

But I think a lot of modern sources use Melski instead.


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## arbokas

It just Lithuanian catholic choice nowadays, but for not catholic cases the most popular choice is melskis.


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