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This is the second part of a list of the most useful Croatian verbs, containing 77 verbs. They are either listed individually, in verb pairs, and occasionally in triplets; this part contains 43 such entries.
I've listed the 10 most important forms for each verb. For a great majority of verbs, all those forms follow regularly from the infinitive (inf) or 3rd pers. present (pres-3).
Abbreviations and stress marks follow the rest of Easy Croatian, i.e. only the place of stress is marked.
With each verb (or pair) various ways to use it are listed, and each way has at least one example. Placing your mouse (or tapping on a touch screen) over an example will highlight cases used (colors are explained in the right margin).
Click on any item to show detailed information:
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This verb pair is usually used with se², the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. something happens or has happened to the subject, but we don’t say who is causing it, or it happens on its own:
Pivo se hladi. The beer is cooling.
More se ohladilo. The sea became cold.
This verb pair can be also used with an object in A:
Ohladili smo vino. We’ve cooled the wine.
The opposite meaning is expressed by grijati (grije) ~ u- («) warm.
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This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Ana je nahranila mačku. Ana has fed the cat.
There’s a potential adjective hranjiv nutritious, with a bit unexpected meaning.
The agent nouns are hranitelj m / hraniteljica f feeder, also used in the meaning provider.
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This verb is used with an object in A, but this is rather direct and considered rude in the 1st person, so it’s usually ‘softened’ with conditional:
Hoću kavu. I want (a) coffee. (considered rude in most regions)
Htjela bih kavu. I’d like (a) coffee. {f}
Of course, it’s not rude in 2nd and 3nd persons and when you’re asking about others:
Hoćeš kavu? (colloq.) Do you want (a) coffee?
The verb can be used with another verb in inf, which can have its objects, etc:
Hoću kupiti nešto. I want to buy something. (maybe a bit rude)
Htjela bih kupiti nešto. I’d like to buy something. {f}
Clitic forms are used as auxiliary verbs, to form the future tense with verbs in inf:
Kupit ću nešto. I’ll buy something.
If you form questions by putting the verb first, you must use stresed forms:
Hoćeš li kupiti nešto? Will you buy something? (or: Do you want to buy something?)
Since such questions are a bit ambiguous, a more precise verb željeti (želi,...) ~¹/~~ po- («), za- («) want, wish, desire is often used.
If the other verb is ići (ide,...) go with a destination, it can be left out in speech, leaving only a destination, including when it’s just a future tense auxiliary:
Hoćemo li ići u kino? Shall we go to the cinema?
Hoćemo u kino? (the same meaning, in speech)
The same happens with the verbs morati must, have to, trebati need / should, etc.
In speech, present tense forms are often pronounced without the h- (i.e. oću, oćeš...); the pres-2 form can be shortened to just oš, which is regarded as very colloquial:
Oš kavu? (very colloq.) Wanna a coffee? (also spelled as 'Oš kavu?)
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This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Goran je uhvatio loptu. Goran caught the ball.
What is used for catching is expressed in I:
Goran je uhvatio loptu rukom. Goran caught the ball with his hand.
If you want to express that something is caught by a part, you should use za¨ + A:
Goran je uhvatio Anu za ruku . Goran caught Ana by her hand.
(Note that these constructions coincide with ones used with držati (drži) hold; keep).
With a mediopassive se², the meaning is often cleave, stick, cling; it’s often used with destinations:
Prašina se hvata na odjeću. The dust sticks to clothes.
This construction is also used when the snow that fell doesn’t melt:
Snijeg se hvata na grane. The snow is sticking to branches.
There’s a potential adjective uhvatljiv catchable.
The agent nouns are hvatač m / hvatačica f catcher. They also covers various devices (catchers).
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This verb is used with destinations and (less often) origins:
Idemo u kino. We’re going to the cinema.
Idem s posla. I’m going from work.
Used impersonally (i.e. in the 3rd pers. singular, neuter forms in the past tense) with a person in DL and an adverb, it describes how that person is ‘doing’:
Ide nam dobro. We’re doing fine.
Išlo mi je super. (colloq.) I was doing great.
This corresponds exactly to German es geht mir gut and similar phrases.
This verb can be used with another in infinitive, which can have its objects, and so on:
Idemo jesti pizzu. Let’s eat pizza. / We’re going for a pizza.
The meaning can be either inviting/encouraging, or it can be literal, i.e. going somewhere to do something there.
The 1st person imperative plural idimo is rare. The pres-1pl is used instead:
Idemo! Let’s go!
† The present adverb idući is often used as a true adjective, meaning next:
Idući dan smo išli u restoran. We went to a restaurant the next day.
Iduće ljeto idemo u Francusku. We’re going to France the next summer.
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The verb is used with an object in A:
Ivan igra košarku. Ivan is playing basketball.
When someone is not playing a specific game, but e.g. with toys, a se² must be used:
Goran se igra. Goran is playing.
The agent nouns are igrač m / igračica f player.
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The verb is used with objects in A:
Goran ima loptu. Goran has a ball.
The negative present tense is one word, the ne¨ gets fused:
Ana nema kišobran. Ana doesn’t have an umbrella.
(You’ll also see fused negative inf: nemati.)
In the 3rd pers. present, the verb used in so-called existential phrases, corresponding to English there is... or there are..., with G (for uncountable nouns) or G-pl objects (for countable nouns):
Nema šećera. There’s no sugar.
Ima jabuka. There are some apples.
In the past and future tenses, such phrases use the verb biti (je² +) be instead:
Nije bilo šećera. There was no sugar.
Bit će jabuka. There will be some apples.
Unlike in English, the existential phrase is also used with personal pronouns:
Nema ih. They are not here. (lit. ‘There’s no them.’)
Nije te bilo. You weren’t here. (lit. ‘There was no you.’)
If you want to express there’s a... — with single countable things and immaterial concepts — you can use N, but it’s less frequent:
Ima jedan problem. There’s a problem.
This can’t be done when the phrase is negated (there’s no): G-pl must be used then:
Nema problema. There are no problems.
Pay attention: in existential phrases, verbs are always in the 3rd person, singular.
↓ inzistirati («) insist, demand
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You will occasionally see a slightly different form insistirati («); that form is normally used in Serbia and Bosnia, but it’s quite rare in Croatia.
Unlike English insist, this verb almost always means strongly demand, and not stubbornly claim.
A bit surprisingly, what someone is insisting on is expressed with na¨ + DL:
Anin šef inzistira na sastanku. Ana’s boss insists on a meeting.
Another option is an atemporal da-clause (only in pres. tense, but perf. verbs allowed, e.g. platiti perf. pay) standing for what is insisted on:
Ana je inzistirala [da ona plati račun]. Ana insisted [that she pay the bill].
Unlike the verbs of desire, another verb in inf is basically never used with this verb, a da-clause is the only option.
Like most vebs in -irati, the verb is a loan from German (insistieren).
↓ isključivati (isključuje) ~ isključiti («) exclude; turn off (device)
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The verb is used with objects in A, usually for turning off various devices and power supplies:
Ana je isključila pećnicu. Ana has turned the oven off.
There’s a potential adjective isključiv exclusive.
The verbs have likely been borrowed from Russian in the past centuries (and the impf. verb adapted a bit). The Russian verb исключить is a translation of the matching German or French verb, all ultimately based on Latin exclūdere.
↓ ispadati ~ ispasti (ispadne, ispao) fall out, drop out, turn out
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It’s used when something literally falls out, from an optional origin:
Mobitel je ispao iz Anine torbe. The mobile phone fell out of Ana’s purse.
If someone was involved (but didn’t cause it) you can add them in DL:
Ani je ispao mobitel. Ana’s mobile phone fell out (somehow).
This pair is not used to express falling out with someone, i.e. having an argument.
It’s also used to express when someone is eliminated from a competition:
Hrvatska je ispala s prvenstva. Croatia has dropped out of the championship.
A content clause (i.e. all tenses, but no perf. verbs in present) can be the subject (so the verb must impersonal) and the meaning is turn out that...:
Ispalo je [da nemam novca]. It turned out [I had no money].
Ispada
[da je plaža predaleko].
lit. ‘It turns out [the beach is too far]’.
= The beach turns out to be too far.
This is a bit colloquial; a formal way is using the verb pair pokazivati (pokazuje) ~ pokazati (pokaže) show. Also, note that there’s no adjustment of tenses in Croatian!
The subject is usually not something turning up to have unexpected properties, unlike English, but a whole clause. However, you can use adjectives in N to specify how good, how big and how expensive something (the subject) turned out:
Sve je ispalo dobro. Everything turned out well.
Kolač je ispao odličan. The cake turned out excellent.
Cipele su ispale premale. The shoes turned out (to be) too small.
Adverbs can be also used, but only to express how good something turned out:
Kolač je ispao grozno. The cake turned out terrible. (lit. ‘terribly’)
This pair can’t have an object, and doesn’t cover various meanings of English turn out, such as attend, turn off (lights), produce.
↓ ispravljati ~ ispraviti correct
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun ispravak (ispravk-) correction is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Goran je ispravio greške. Goran has corrected errors.
↓ isticati (ističe) ~ istaknuti / istaći (istakne) emphasize, stress; stand out
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* Alternative, shorter (and less regular) inf and past forms are much less used, but they are both considered standard; you’ll likely see and hear both.
** The passive adjective istaknut is sometimes used as a fancy general adjective, meaning distingushed.
These verbs are often used with a se²; the meaning is mediopassive, e.g. something or someone stands out:
U mjestu se ističe crkva iz 15. stoljeća. A 15th century church stands out in the town.
These verbs can be used with objects in A; this is a bit formal and fancy, you’ll find it in news reports about what politicians said and similar semi-official stuff:
Gradonačelnica je istaknula važnost ovog projekta. The mayor emphasized importance of this project.
These verbs can be also used with content clauses, and using any tense; this is again a bit formal:
Gradonačelnica je istaknula [da će radovi biti gotovi do ljeta].
The mayor stressed [the works will be completed before the summer.
↓ izgledati («) appear, look, seem
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* There’s no regular verbal noun, the noun izgled look is used when needed.
This verb is usually used with adverbs, describing how someone looks:
Izgledaš odlično. You look great.
A content clause (starting with da) can be the subject, meaning it seems that...:
Izgleda [da će padati kiša]. It seems [it’s going to rain].
Izgledalo je [da će padati kiša]. It seemed [it was going to rain].
While English adjusts tenses in the last example (it is → it was), Croatian doesn’t – there’s no adjustment of tenses in Croatian!
↓ izlaziti ~ izaći (izađe,...) go out
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* The perf. verb has alternative forms izići (iziđe,...) that are preferred by Standard Croatian, but less common in the real life.
** There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun izlazak (izlask-) is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with optional origins and (sometimes) destinations:
Goran je izašao iz sobe. Goran came out of the room.
Goran je izašao iz kuće na dvorište. Goran came out of the house to the yard.
↓ jačati ~* o- make, get stronger
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* The verbal noun ojačanje is sometimes used as a common noun, meaning reinforcement.
This verb pair can be used in two ways. Usually, without any object, it means the subject is getting stronger, or got stronger:
Vjetar jača. The wind is getting stronger.
Vjetar je ojačao. The wind got stronger.
Sometimes, with an object, usually a body part or a skill, meaning that the subject is strenghtening it:
Moram ojačati mišiće. I have to strenghten my muscles.
(As usual, the possession of body parts is implied in Croatian in the last example.)
↓ javljati ~ javiti inform, get in touch
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This verb pair can be used in two ways. First, without any o se², and optionally a person (or a group, institution) in DL, in meaning get in touch, contact:
Javi mi se [kad dođeš u hotel]. Contact me [when you come to the hotel].
Another meaning – inform – is expressed with a content clause instead of se²; the use of optional DL is the same:
Ana nam je javila
[da je sve u redu].
Ana has informed us [that everything is fine].
↓ jesti (jede, jeo) ~* po- eat
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The process verb is used with an optional object in A, normally mandatory for the completion verb:
Goran jede. Goran is eating.
Goran je pojeo kolač. Goran has eaten a cake.
There’s a potential adjective jestiv eatable.
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This verb is used without objects:
Ana ponekad kašlje. Ana coughs sometimes.
↓ kihati (kiše) ~¹ kihnuti (kihne) sneeze
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These verbs are used without objects:
Goran stalno kiše. Goran sneezes all the time.
The verb kihnuti (kihne) is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. it means sneeze once:
Goran je dvaput kihnuo. Goran sneezed twice.
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* The passive adjective and verbal noun have alternative forms korišćen and korišćenje. You’ll hear them in speech and see sometimes in writing, even in scientific articles and newspapers. They are considered non-standard in Croatia, but they’re standard in Bosnia and Serbia. They are also common in some dialects in Croatia.
This verb is often used with an object in A (some people consider it non-standard in Croatian, but it’s widespread):
Ana koristi žlicu. Ana is using a spoon.
Much less frequent, but standard in Croatian, is use with se² and an object in I:
Ana se koristi žlicom. (the same meaning, less common)
Finally, the verb can be used in the ‘reverse’ mode: something that’s useful (or not) is the subject (in N), and the person who will benefit (or not) is in DL:
Žlica će ti koristiti. The spoon will be useful to you.
To nam ne koristi. This is of no use to us.
The agent nouns are korisnik m / korisnica f user.
There’s a derived adjective koristan (korisn-) useful.
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This verb used with an object in A, normally an amount of money:
Olovka košta jednu kunu. The pencil costs one kuna.
The amount can be generic:
Pizza ovdje košta puno. A pizza costs a lot here.
A more formal way to express this, used sometimes in writing, is stajati (stoji) stand.
↓ krasti (krade, krao) ~ u- (») steal
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* There’s no regular impf. verbal noun, the noun krađa is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with optional objects in A:, mandatory for the perf. verb:
Netko krade lopte. Somebody steals balls.
Netko je ukrao loptu. Somebody stole the ball.
If you want to express who you stole something from, you can use DL:
Netko je ukrao Goranu loptu. Somebody stole the ball from Goran.
The agent nouns are kradljivac (kradljivc-) m / kradljivica f thief, stealer, but the noun lopov is more common in that meaning.
↓ kretati (kreće) ~~ krenuti (krene) move
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The impf. verb is used usually with se²:
Auto se kreće. The car is moving.
The perf. verb is ‘inchoative’, meaning start moving, and is used usually without se²:
Auto je krenuo. The car started moving.
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This verb is used without any object, when something moves in circles, or circulates:
Ptice kruže. Birds are circling.
This verb can be used with locations, often expressed with oko + G.
Komarci su kružili oko nas. Mosquitos circled around us.
Krv kruži tijelom. The blood circulates through the body.
This verb can be also used metaphorically:
Glasine su kružile. Rumors were circulating.
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While English prefers other verbs in some instances, i.e. make coffee, prepare lunch etc., Croatian prefers this verb pair whenever an oven or stove are used. This verb pair is used with an optional object in A:
Ana kuha. Ana is cooking.
Ana kuha kavu. Ana is ‘cooking’ coffee.
With a se² the meaning is mediopassive, e.g. for things left to cook:
Juha se kuha. The soup is cooking.
The agent nouns are kuhar m / kuharica f cook; the feminine noun also means cookbook.
In Serbia and parts of Bosnia, this verb pair usually has the form kuvati ~ s-. The agent nouns are different in the same way, and the masculine one is used for cookbooks.
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This verb pair is very often used with se², in meaning that someone is in a bathtub or a lake, pool, sea, river, either washing or just enjoying themselves (where English would use e.g. swim):
Ana se kupa u bazenu. Ana is ‘bathing’ in a pool.
Okupali smo se danas. We have swum today.
With an object in A, the meaning is that someone is bathing someone else:
Ivana kupa Luku. Ivana is giving a bath to Luka.
There’s a secondary present adjective kupaći, which is used only to describe swimming costume and swimming trunks, often without the accompanying noun.
The agent nouns are kupač m / kupačica f bather; they often correspond to swimmer, basically anyone who is in the sea, a lake, a pool, etc. except for sports or work.
↓ kupovati (kupuje) ~ kupiti buy
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, nouns kupnja and kupovina are used when needed.
The verb pair is normally used with an object in A:
Ana je kupila kruh. Ana has bought bread.
If you buy something for someone, that person is usually expressed in DL:
Ana je kupila Goranu majicu. Ana has bought Goran a T-shirt.
The agent noun is kupac (kupc-) buyer, customer. The feminine noun is not well-established yet.
↓ kvariti ~ po- («) break, spoil
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This verb pair is usually used with a se²; the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. something happens or has happened to the subject, but we don’t say who is causing it, who has caused it, or it has happened ‘on its own’.
With machines and devices, it corresponds to English break down:
Auto se pokvario. The car broke down.
With food, it corresponds to English spoil:
Mlijeko se pokvarilo. The milk has spoiled.
With an object in A, the meaning is that somebody damages something complex, usually in an invisible way:
Goran je pokvario Anin mobitel. Goran has broken Ana’s mobile phone.
The passive adjective pokvaren has wide meanings: corrupt, spoiled, dirty-minded, etc.
There’s a potential adjective kvarljiv perishable.
↓ lagati (laže) ~ s- lie (tell lies)
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The verbs can be used without an object:
Goran laže. Goran is telling lies.
The verbs is usually used with an optional person in DL (recipient of lies) and several possible ways to express what was said. One common option are content clauses, starting with da or a question-word (all tenses can be used):
Goran je slagao Ani [gdje je bio]. Goran has lied to Ana [about where he was].
Note: the perf. verb coincides in writing with the impf. slagati (slaže) arrange, put together, but there’s no confusion since the contexts are completely different. Besides, those who have a difference between short vs. long vowels in their speech have a long a in the other verb:
Slagao je... He told a lie...
Slāgao je... He was arranging... (in dialects with long vowels)
This difference is never indicated in writing, unlike some other long vowels.
There’s a potential adjective lažljiv, with a bit unexpected meaning lying, double-tongued.
↓ letjeti (leti,...) ~ od- («), do- («) fly
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There are two perfective verbs, but they don't have exactly the same meaning, they rather form a go-come pair: the verb derived with od- is simply the perfective version of the impf. verb; it covers fly away as well.
The perf. verb derived with do- is used in situations where the English come can be used to; it’s essentially come by flying.
The verbs are used with destinations and origins:
Ptice lete. Birds are flying.
Ptice lete na jug. Birds are flying south.
† The present adverb leteći is also used as a true adjective, meaning flying, e.g. leteći tepih is flying carpet.
↓ ležati (leži) ~~ leći (legne,...) lie (e.g. on bed)
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The impf. verb is used with optional locations:
Goran leži. Goran is lying down.
Goran leži na podu. Goran is lying on the floor.
The perf. verb – it’s really ‘inchoative’, describing entering a state – corresponds to English lie down. It’s used with optional destinations:
Goran je legao. Goran has lain down.
Goran je legao na pod. Goran has lain down on the floor.
† The present adverb ležeći is also used as a true adjective, meaning lying. For example, the phrase ležeći policajac, lit. ‘lying policeman’ is used for a speed bump.
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The basic meaning is break, but it’s much more specific than in English: the idea is breaking in a small number of nice pieces, e.g. a branch in two, similar to snap.
It’s used with objects in A (often bones, teeth and joints):
Goran je slomio granu. Goran has broken the branch.
Ptica je slomila krilo. The bird broke its wing.
When used with a se², the meaning is mediopassive: something breaks, ‘on its own’:
Grana se slomila. The branch has broken.
A se² is also used when someone breaks down:
Slomila se. She has broken down.
The verb is also used metaphorically, when someone breaks someone’s heart (the ownership of the heart is expressed with a possesive or DL):
Slomila mu je srce. She has broken his heart.
This verb pair is mainly used for:
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In many instances where English uses break, Croatian doesn’t use this pair!
- for something that shatters (plate, window glass...) or something big (car, door, wall...), use razbijati («) ~ razbiti (razbije) break, smash, shatter, crash
- for breaking a mechanism (car engine, computer...) so it doesn’t work anymore, use kvariti ~ po- («) break, spoil
There’s a potential adjective lomljiv fragile.
↓ ludovati (luduje) ~~ poludjeti (poludi,...) behave crazy
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* Colloquially, the verb poludjeti is often simplified to a plain i-verb poluditi.
This verb pair is mostly used metaphorically. The verb poludjeti (poludi,...) is used more often than the impf. verb; it is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. it means become, get crazy, go mad:
Ana je poludjela zbog računa. Ana went mad because of tbe bills.
To express that someone is crazy after something or somebody, use za¨ + I:
Goran je poludio za nogometom. Goran went crazy about football.
The impf. verb ludovati (luduje) is less often used; instead the verb biti (je² +) be + lud (changed for the gender and number of the subject) is more common; it can be used on its own, or with za¨ + I:
Ana je luda. Ana is crazy.
Dečki su ludi za nogometom. The boys are crazy about football.
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The verb poljubiti («) is usually understood to mean a single kiss.
This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ana je poljubila Gorana. Ana has kissed Goran.
It can be also used with mutual se², when subject is more than one person:
Ana i Marko su se poljubili. Ana and Marko kissed each other.
↓ ljutiti ~* na- («) be, make angry, get angry
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* There is no regular verbal noun; the noun ljutnja anger is used when needed.
These verbs are often used with se², and the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. someone is or got angry:
Ana se naljutila. Ana got angry.
Ana se ljutila. Ana was angry.
The verb naljutiti («) is perfective, but it can be also translated as get angry, become angry, i.e. can be understood as ‘inchoative’ too.
When someone or something makes someone angry, who is made angry is expressed as an object in A:
Goran je naljutio Anu. Goran made Ana angry.
↓ micati (miče) ~ maknuti (makne) move
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This verb pair is usually used with a se², the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. something moves ‘on its own’:
Goran se miče. Goran is moving.
The verb pair can be also used with an object in A, when someone is moving something, esp. when moving something out of the way:
Goran je maknuo igračku. Goran has put the toy away.
↓
mijenjati ~*/~ promijeniti («) change
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These verbs are often seen in non-standard spelling, with je instead of ije, e.g. mjenjam.
This verb pair is very often used with se², in meaning something changes (‘on its own’):
Vrijeme se mijenja. The weather is changing.
Goran se promijenio. Goran has changed.
Note that vrijeme (vremen-, pl ») means both time and weather, depending on the context.
When used in the meaning weather, it has no plural, so plural forms mean only times:
Vremena se mijenjaju. The times are changing.
This verb doesn’t imply change clothes, unlike English change! You have to mention what is changed when someone changes clothes.
It can also be used with objects in A, meaning somebody changes something, including money:
Promijenili smo eure. We’ve changed euros.
There’s a potential adjective promjenjiv variable, inconstant, also appearing as promjenljiv. Both forms are considered standard, but the first one is more common.
You’ll also see spellings with -ije-:
promijenjiv and promijenljiv, which are less common and non-standard.
↓
miješati ~* pro- («) mix, stir; se² meddle
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These verbs are often seen in non-standard spelling, with je instead of ije, e.g. mješam.
This verb pair is used with single objects in A, coresponding to English stir:
Ana miješa juhu. Ana is stirring the soup.
With two objects in A, linked with i¨ it corresponds to English mix:
Ana je promiješala brašno i šećer. Ana mixed flour with sugar.
Another option is one object in A and another expressed by s¨ / sa¨ + I:
Ana je promiješala brašno sa šećerom. (the same meaning)
With a se² and u¨ + A, there’s meaning meddle; the one who is affected can be expressed in DL:
Šef se miješa Ani u razgovor. The boss is meddling in Ana’s conversation.
↓ misliti ~¹ po- ~˙˙˙ pomišljati («) think
| impf. | smlf. | iter. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pres-1 | mislim | pomislim | pomišljam |
| pres-3 | misli | pomisli | pomišlja |
| pres-3pl | misle | pomisle | pomišljaju |
| pres. adv. | misleći | — | pomišljajući |
| imper-2 | misli | pomisli | pomišljaj |
| inf | misliti | pomisliti | pomišljati |
| past-m | mislio | pomislio | pomišljao |
| past-f | mislila | pomislila | pomišljala |
| pass. adj. | — | — | — |
| gerund | mišljenje * | — | — |
* The verbal noun mišljenje is also used as a common noun, meaning opinion.
The verbs are used usually with content clauses, starting with da, and using any tense:
Ana misli [da ima dovoljno novca]. Ana thinks [she has enough money].
The verb misliti can be also used with o¨ + DL, meaning think about:
Ana misli o Ivanu. Ana is thinking about Ivan.
The verb pomisliti is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. it means think for a moment, have a thought:
Ana je pomislila
[da će morati ići na bankomat].
Ana thought for a moment [she would have to go to the ATM].
The verb pomišljati («) is ‘iterative’, i.e. it means think once a while, think a bit.
The verb misliti, quite colloquially, means also intend; it’s then used with another verb in inf, which can have its objects, etc.:
Ana misli kupiti auto. (colloq.) Ana intends to buy a car.
Another way to express it is using the verb namjeravati («) intend.
↓ moći (može +,...) can, be able to
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* In traditional dialects of almost whole Croatia, this verb has other, fully regular present tense forms, with pres-3 more. Such forms are frequently found in songs, sometimes heard in movies etc. In the northern parts of Croatia, including Zagreb, negative present tense is contracted to one word, pres-3 nemre (note there’s no o). These forms are considered dialectal and very colloquial today.
The verb is used with another verb in infinitive, which can have its objects, etc.:
Goran može stajati na jednoj nozi. Goran can stand on one leg.
If the other verb is ići (ide,...) go, it can be left out in speech:
Možemo ići u restoran. We can go to a restaurant.
Možemo u restoran. (the same meaning, in speech)
In conditional, it corresponds to English could:
Mogli bismo ići u restoran. We could go to a restaurant.
Mogli bi u restoran. (the same, but colloquial, with bi² for all persons)
Colloquially, the pres-3 is used in meaning "alright, OK" with nouns in N:
Može jedna kava. (colloq.) ‘One coffee is OK.’ = Yes, I’d like one cup of coffee.
Colloquially, it’s also used in questions and positive responses (esp. when talking to people you’re familiar with):
Može jedna kava? Would you like a cup of coffee? / Can we get a cup of coffee?
— Može. ‘OK’ = Yes.
In this meaning, it can stay frozen in pres-3, regardless of what is offered / asked for:
Može dvije kave? Can we get two cups of coffee?
† The expected present adjective moguć is used only as an adjective, meaning possible; it’s never used as an adverb. The negated version nemoguć is very frequent:
To nije moguće. That’s not possible.
To je nemoguće. That’s impossible.
↓ moliti ~¹ za- («) kindly ask; pray
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* There’s no regular semelfactive verbal noun, the noun molba is used when needed.
This verb is usually used with a person in A (who receives the request) and an atemporal da-clause (only in pres. tense, but perf. verbs allowed) standing for what is asked:
Molim te [da kupiš kruh]. ‘I’m kindly asking [you to buy bread].’
It can be used with simple objects in A, standing for what is requested (note that we have two objects in A in such constructions):
Molim te kruh. ’I’m kindly asking you for the bread‘. = Bread, please.
The verb zamoliti («) is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. stands for individual requests, e.g. if you asked twice, you can say:
Zamolio sam te dvaput. ‘I’ve kindly asked you twice.’ {m}
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This verb is used with another verb in infinitive:
Ana mora jesti voće. Goran has to eat fruits.
The verb is in speech often ‘softened’ into conditional, in order not to sound like a command:
Morala bi spavati. You should sleep.
If the other verb is ići (ide,...) go with a destination, it can be left out in speech, leaving only a destination:
Ana mora ići na sastanak. Ana has to go to a meeting.
Ana mora na sastanak. (the same meaning, in speech)
The same happens with the verbs htjeti (hoće +,...) want, moći (može +,...) can, and trebati need / should.
This verb, when negated, means don’t have to:
Ana ne mora platiti račun. Ana doesn’t have to pay the bill.
To express must not, use the negated verb smjeti (smije,...) may, be allowed to.
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* There’s no regular verbal noun, the noun mržnja hate is used when needed.
The verb is used with objects in A:
Goran mrzi ribu. Goran hates fish.
It’s also used with another verb in infinitive, which can have own objects, and so on:
Goran mrzi jesti ribu. Goran hates eating fish.
You can also hate something expressed with a clause starting with što (all tenses are allowed, but no perf. verbs in present):
Ana mrzi [što stalno pada kiša]. lit. Ana hates [it’s raining all the time].
The perf. verb is ‘inchoative’, i.e. it means start of state:
Goran je zamrzio školu. Goran started to hate school.
The opposite meaning is expressed by voljeti (voli,...) love.
The rest: A-G • N-O • P • R-Š • T-Ž
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