budi tiho
In Croatian, the phrase for be quiet is budi tiho.
The phrase is used as a request or command for someone to stop making noise. While budi tiho is a request to be quiet, the single word Šuti! is a much more blunt and forceful command, similar to 'Shut up!' in English.
Which one should you use?
For a more blunt command, use Šuti! If you want to ask someone to become silent informally, you can use Utihni, which translates to 'become quiet'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address more than one person or to use a polite/formal tone with a single person, use budite tihi. When addressing a single female, the adjective changes to the feminine form tiha, resulting in budi tiha.
Did you know?
- In Croatian, the concept of silence is often split between tišina, which refers to the external absence of sound, and šutnja, which refers to the human act of remaining silent.
- The adjective tiha used in budi tiha can also describe a person's personality, meaning someone is shy, modest or reserved.
- In a classroom setting, a teacher might say Tišina! as a single-word exclamation, which functions as a noun meaning 'Silence!' rather than a verb command.
Examples in context
- Budite tihi dok profesor objašnjava gradivo.Be quiet while the professor explains the material.
- Budi tih dok razgovaram na telefonu.Be quiet while I am on the phone.
- Utihni malo, molim te. Pokušavam se koncentrirati.Be quiet for a moment, please. I am trying to concentrate.
Example conversation
Petra and Mateo are in a library.
- PetraMateo, budi tiho, molim te.Mateo, be quiet, please.
- MateoŽao mi je, zaboravio sam gdje smo.I'm sorry, I forgot where we are.
- PetraU biblioteci se mora biti tiho.You have to be quiet in the library.
- MateoU redu, više neću pričati.Alright, I won't talk anymore.
