# Serbian (BCS): please



## Revans

Hello!

I am beginner in Serbian, therefore I have the question, how do you use word "please" in Serbian. Is it always "*молим*"?

For example, I'd like coffe, please (I ask).
How is it in Serbian if I give something to someone and say "Here you are!" ( I give).

Is it the same "*молим*"?

Thanks, in advance!


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## phosphore

You could say _"kafu, molim",_ but that is not very usual; one would normaly say just what he wants, using future _"ja ću (uzeti) (jednu) kafu"_ or conditional _"ja bih (uzeo) (jednu) kafu"_ and that would not be considered impolite. If you want to be very polite, you should say "dajte mi jednu kafu, molim vas"; there are many other possibilities that usually combine future (less polite) and conditional (more polite) or future (less polite) and imperative (more polite) and the verb _"moliti" _in present tense (polite) or conditional (extremely polite).

On the other side, one would never say _"molim"_ when giving something; one would say _"(evo,) izvoli"_ (informally) or _"(evo,) izvolite"_ (formally) or just _"evo ti" _(to a very close friend), although the latter is not grammatically correct.


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## natasha2000

You can also say: Molim vas jednu kafu.


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## persistent_girl

You can also say " Izvoli kafu..."


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## Rachunko

I guess it's worth noting that when "molim" is used as "please" it should be accompanied with a personal pronoun (molim te, molim vas).

Its other uses are
- you're welcome (as a response to "hvala")
- sorry? (repeat please? or I can't quite believe what you say!)


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## TriglavNationalPark

Rachunko said:


> I guess it's worth noting that when "molim" is used as "please" it should be accompanied with a personal pronoun (molim te, molim vas).



Would "*Jednu kavu, molim*" (i.e. *molim* without a personal pronoun) be considered unidiomatic in BCS?

If so, that's quite different than in Slovenian, where *prosim* (the Slovenian equivalent of *molim*) tends to be accompanied with a pronoun only when the request is more emphatic and often indicates a degree of desperation (*prosim* = please; *prosim te/vas* ≈ I'm begging you, I'm pleading with you).

Whenever I visit BCS-speaking countries and order a drink, for instance, I just say *molim*, but should I say *molim vas* instead?


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## Rachunko

> Would "*Jednu kavu, molim*" (i.e. *molim* without a personal pronoun) be considered unidiomatic in BCS?



My guess is that it would be considered wrong. I'm not a native speaker nor have I ever been to BCS countries, but at the start of my BSC studies I was corrected a number of times when I used molim without a pronoun.

Let's wait for a native.


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## Duya

It is perfectly fine and common.


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## WannaBeMe

Duya said:


> It is perfectly fine and common.



I only can confirm that.


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## Rachunko

Does it somehow depend on the position of "molim" in the sentence?

- Molim, jednu kafu
- Jednu kafu, molim

Do both sound fine?

How about these examples:
Oprosti, molim (te)
Dodaj mi vode, molim (te)
Molim (vas) da ne pomerate stolice.

Could it be that personal pronoun is absolutely necessary when there's a reference to grammatical person/number, e.g. when the sentence contains a verb in a personal form?

How would you say in Serbian:
Quiet, please! -  a note on the door where an exam is in progress 
(_molimo za tišinu?_)


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## The Wombat

Rachunko said:


> - Molim, jednu kafu
> - Jednu kafu, molim
> 
> Do both sound fine?



Both are quite all right to use, with one exception, it being in the fact that the second example is imperative, with please added at the end of sentence just to preserve polite manner of addressing.

It really depends on who it is that You are addressing. I would use first expression to address someone within the family. 

- Молим једну кафу.

The second expression I would manly use in instances like when placing an order for a cup of coffee while addressing a waiter.

- Једну кафу, молим!



> How about these examples:
> Oprosti, molim (te)
> Dodaj mi vode, molim (te)
> Molim (vas) da ne pomerate stolice.
> 
> Could it be that personal pronoun is absolutely necessary when there's a reference to grammatical person/number, e.g. when the sentence contains a verb in a personal form?


With the examples which You have given, yes.



> How would you say in Serbian:
> Quiet, please! -  a note on the door where an exam is in progress
> (_molimo za tišinu?_)


Well, it really depends on what is the effect that You want to achieve. 

If I wanted to say "Quiet, Please!", as an imperative, I would say it simply:

- Тишина! Mолим.

Supposing that I just want to appeal for silence, then I would say:

- Молимо (Вас) будите тихи.

Personal pronoun can either be used or left out, singular demands that it is used while if plural is used it can be left out.

Like in the examples shown below:


- Молим Вас будите тихи.

- Молимо будите тихи. 
or 
- Молимо Вас, будите тихи.


I hope that this helps, at least a bit.

Cheers


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## xpictianoc

Здраво! 

Реците ми молим вас, дал' могу да кажем на пример:

молим о тишине или молимо, будите тихо

поздрав


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## The Wombat

xpictianoc said:


> ... дал' могу да кажем на пример:
> 
> молим о тишине или молимо, будите тихо



G'day,

Your second choice is about right, but to be quite correct, it should be:

- Молим(о) будите тихи.

or just

- Молим(о), тихо.

The two words, тихо and тишина, denote quietly and silence respectively, where тихо is an adverb derived from adjective тих, and тишина is a noun.

Perhaps your first example was meant to be:

- Молим(о) тишину.

Indicating a plea for silence, but not quite right, a more often used sentence would be.

- Молим(о) за тишину. 

The "o" shown in brackets denotes change to plural.  

Cheers


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## Rachunko

Thanks for your explanations, The Wombat!



The Wombat said:


> - Молим једну кафу.



I've noticed that you removed the comma here after "molim". Does it mean that you interpret "jednu kafu" as the direct object of "molim"?
(Because I meant something quite different: molim (vas da mi date) jednu kafu).



> Indicating a plea for silence, but not quite right, a more often used sentence would be.
> 
> - Молим(о) за тишину.


Why isn't it quite right?


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## The Wombat

Rachunko said:


> I've noticed that you removed the comma here after "molim". Does it mean that you interpret "jednu kafu" as the direct object of "molim"?
> (Because I meant something quite different: molim (vas da mi date) jednu kafu).



Indeed, I do. Meaning to say one thing and saying another are two different things.

You could use comma if You would say:

- Молим Вас, једну кафу.



> Why isn't it quite right?


I was reffering to the question below, not to the example which I have given. Sorry for the ambiguity!



xpictianoc said:


> Реците ми молим вас, дал' могу да кажем на пример:
> 
> молим о тишине или молимо, будите тихо





Cheers


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## Rachunko

Navešću odrednicu za glagol "moliti" iz rečnika glagola i glagolske rekcije
(Владислава Петровић, Коста Дудић "Речник глагола са граматичким и лексичким допунама"):

МОЛИТИ, молим, несврш.
обав. компл. прел.
1 А(ж) + А - за(н): ~ некога за нешто ~ друга за опроштај, библиотекара за услугу
// А(ж) + Р (да + презент): Моли га да му опрости. - Молим те да ћутиш.*

2 (у директном обраћању)
А (ж) + Г (н): Молим те воде!

*БЕЛЕШКА: Уз глагол молити у функцији објекта може да се појави и заменица у акузативу (нешто), истина ређе, док се појава именице без предлога којом се означава неживи појам не сматра правилном (нпр. молити одсуство).

(skraćenice: A - akuzativ, G - genitiv, R - rečenica, ž - živo, n - neživo)

Dakle, saglasno ovoj belešci upotreba poput "molim kafu" ili "molim tišinu" nije ispravna, The Wombat, šta mislite?


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## The Wombat

Rachunko said:


> Dakle, saglasno ovoj belešci upotreba poput "molim kafu" ili "molim tišinu" nije ispravna, The Wombat, šta mislite?



G'day Rachunko,

No need to do any dedicated thinking about it, I do agree. 

Did I ever say any different?

I think that You have gotten something wrong. I was answering a question posted by xpictianoc 



xpictianoc said:


> Реците ми молим вас, дал' могу да кажем на пример:
> 
> молим о тишине или молимо, будите тихо



My answer to xpictianoc was as follows:



The Wombat said:


> Perhaps your first example was meant to be:
> 
> - Молим(о) тишину.
> 
> Indicating a plea for silence, but not quite right, a more often used sentence would be.
> 
> - Молим(о) за тишину.


 
I hope that this shall set things straight, I was trying to give You an answer as fast as possible and have in turn confused You.

Have You ever heard the old Serbian proverb?

"Што је брзо, то је кусо." 

Cheers


PS 

I hope that You do not mind my exclusive use of English language. I do it for the benefit of the forum members who do not speak well Serbian language, or are just studying it.


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## Duya

Rachunko said:


> *БЕЛЕШКА: Уз глагол молити у функцији објекта може да се појави и заменица у акузативу (нешто), истина ређе, док се појава именице без предлога којом се означава неживи појам не сматра правилном (нпр. молити одсуство).
> 
> (skraćenice: A - akuzativ, G - genitiv, R - rečenica, ž - živo, n - neživo)
> 
> Dakle, saglasno ovoj belešci upotreba poput "molim kafu" ili "molim tišinu" nije ispravna, The Wombat, šta mislite?



Složio bih se, uglavnom...

Sklop "molim+akuzativ" je zaista neprihvatljiv kada je objekat misaona imenica (odsustvo, tišina, pažnja) -- tada se zahteva predlog "za". Međutim, kada je u pitanju stvarna imenica (a naročito gradivna -- kafa, vino, sok), ne bih takvu upotrebu smatrao greškom, nego samo razgovornim stilom; štaviše, rekao bih da je takva upotreba manje-više ograničena na naručivanje u restoranima. U tom smislu, "molim kafu" se može analizirati bilo kao skraćenje izraza "molim, [donesite mi] kafu", bilo kao inverzija od "kafu, molim".


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