počivao u miru
The English phrase "rest in peace" is translated into Croatian as počivao u miru.
This phrase is used as a blessing or an expression of hope. While the English phrase often uses an imperative or subjunctive mood, the Croatian default form počivao u miru is grammatically in the past tense, functioning as "may he rest in peace".
Meaning: blessing or expression of hope (verb)
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the gender and number of the person being addressed or spoken about. počivao u miru is the third-person masculine form used to say "may he rest in peace", whereas počivala u miru is used when referring to a female. If you are addressing someone directly, you would use the singular form počivaj u miru or the plural/polite form počivajte u miru.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb must change to match the subject. Use počivaj u miru when addressing one person directly in the singular. Use počivajte u miru when addressing more than one person or when using the polite form of "you". To refer to a female deceased person, change the masculine počivao to the feminine počivala.
Did you know?
- The verb počivati is a specialized term for resting that is almost exclusively used in the context of death or formal liturgy, whereas 'resting' in a general sense uses odmoriti.
- In some parts of the Balkans, when someone passes away, people may say Prešao je u bolji svijet, meaning 'He has crossed into a better world', rather than focusing on the act of resting.
- In Catholic tradition in Croatia, this phrase is frequently paired with the acronym R.I.P. from Latin Requiescat in pace, showing the deep influence of Latin on Croatian religious language.
Examples in context
- Počivao u miru!May he rest in peace!This sentence is useful for seeing how to use počivao u miru to say "May he rest in peace!"Tatoeba #1477755 by pejcinovick, translation #1438541 by caspian
- Ivan, neka ti duša počiva u miruIvan, may your soul rest in peace
- Marko, počivaj u miru. Tvoj smijeh uvijek će biti u našim sjećanjima.Marko, rest in peace. Your laughter will always be in our memories.
Example conversation
Mia and Marko are visiting a cemetery.
- MiaTako mi je žao zbog tvog strica.I am so sorry about your uncle.
- MarkoHvala, Mia. Bio je dobar čovjek.Thank you, Mia. He was a good man.
- MiaNeka on sada počivao u miru.May he rest in peace now.
- MarkoHvala ti na lijepim riječima.Thank you for the kind words.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
