Reported commands and requests
In short
| Original | Reported |
|---|---|
| Sačekaj! (to you) | … da sačekaš |
| Sačekaj! (to me) | … mi je … da sačekam |
| Sačekajte! (to us) | … nam je … da sačekamo |
| Neka sačeka! | … neka sačeka / da sačeka |
| Nemoj otvarati! | … da ne otvaram |
The verb after da is present tense, in the person who must act.
| Verb | Person told |
|---|---|
| reći, savetovati, narediti | dative |
| tražiti | od + genitive |
| moliti | accusative |
B1 · Lesson 45 · Neupravni govor: zapovesti i molbe
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
In the last lesson you passed on what someone said: Rekao je da kasni. Now you pass on what someone asked or told somebody to do. In English you switch to an infinitive: "Close the window!" becomes "She told me to close the window." Serbian has no such switch. The imperative (zatvori, sačekaj) cannot sit inside another sentence, so it is replaced by da + the present tense: Rekla mi je da zatvorim prozor.
The person follows whoever was told
The verb after da is an ordinary present-tense form, and its person is the person who has to do the thing. Ask yourself: who was the command for? That person is the subject of the da-clause. The reporting verb can be in the past or the present — the verb after da stays in the present either way.
| Original words | Who must do it | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Sačekaj! (said to you) | you (one person) | Kaže da sačekaš. — She says you should wait. |
| Sačekajte! (said to you all) | you (several people) | Rekao je da sačekate. — He told you all to wait. |
| Sačekaj! (said to me) | I | Rekao mi je da sačekam. — He told me to wait. |
| Sačekajte! (said to us) | we | Rekao nam je da sačekamo. — He told us to wait. |
| Neka sačeka! (about him) | he / she | Rekao je neka sačeka / da sačeka. — He said he should wait. |
| Neka sačekaju! (about them) | they | Rekao je neka sačekaju. — He said they should wait. |
So the same Sačekaj! comes out as da sačekaš when you pass it on to the person it was meant for, and as da sačekam when you repeat to someone else what was said to you. That shift is the whole trick.
neka for a third person
You already know neka + present for "let him / let them": Neka Marko dođe. When the instruction is about a third person — someone who was not in the conversation — you can report it with neka instead of da: Šef je rekao neka Marko pošalje izveštaj. It sounds a little more like the boss's own words. da is also correct here: Šef je rekao da Marko pošalje izveštaj. With ja, ti, mi and vi use da.
Negative commands: da ne
Nemoj and nemojte do not survive into the report either. A forbidden action becomes da ne + present, with the same person shift: Nemoj otvarati prozor! → Rekla mi je da ne otvaram prozor. Nemojte ništa dirati! → Majstor nam je rekao da ništa ne diramo. (Remember that ništa still needs ne on the verb.)
The reporting verbs
Each reporting verb says HOW the instruction was given, and each puts the person told in its own case. Learn the case with the verb.
| Verb | Meaning | Person told | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| reći | tell | dative | Rekla je komšiji da sačeka. |
| tražiti od | ask (for), demand | od + genitive | Tražio je od nas da dođemo ranije. |
| moliti | ask politely, beg | accusative | Molim vas da popunite formular. |
| savetovati | advise | dative | Lekar mi je savetovao da odmaram. |
| narediti | order | dative | Policajac nam je naredio da stanemo. |
Do not copy the English "to": Rekao mi je zatvoriti prozor is wrong. After a verb of telling or asking, always write da + a present-tense verb in the person who has to act.
A bare da-clause can also mean purpose ("so that"), as you saw with purpose clauses. Došla je da mi pomogne is purpose; Rekla je da joj pomognem is a request. The verb in front — reći, tražiti, moliti, savetovati, narediti — tells you it is an instruction.
Check what you read
6 of the 16 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Majstor mi je rekao da(sačekati) u kuhinji.
Mama kaže da(zatvoriti) prozor.
Komšinica te moli da joj(pomoći).
The receptionist said “Sačekajte!” to you and your friend. Later you remind your friend. Which is right?
Šef je rekao neka Marko ___ izveštaj.
Your sister said to you: “Nemoj otvarati prozor!” How do you report it to a friend?
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Kaži pomoćniku neka jače povuče ručku.
Tell the assistant to pull the handle harder.
Rekla mi je da zatvorim prozor.
She told me to close the window.
Kaži deci neka ne trče po stepenicama.
Tell the children not to run on the stairs.
Stjuardesa nas je zamolila da vežemo pojaseve.
The flight attendant asked us to fasten our seat belts.
Šef je rekao neka Marko pošalje izveštaj.
The boss said Marko should send the report.
Majstor je insistirao da prvo zavrnemo ventil.
The repairman insisted that we turn off the valve first.
Mama kaže da je sačekaš ispred škole.
Mum says you should wait for her in front of the school.
Komšinica te moli da joj pomogneš sa kesama.
The neighbour is asking you to help her with the bags.
Majstor nam je rekao da ništa ne diramo.
The repairman told us not to touch anything.
Priručnik kaže da ne dodirujemo uređaj mokrim rukama.
The manual says we mustn't touch the device with wet hands.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 29
Try it yourself
Translate a sentence that uses this rule. The check marks the word that went wrong and names the rule behind it, as in the app.
Sentences
Write it in Serbian
Tell the assistant to pull the handle harder.
you = one person; report it with neka