| N |
| A |
| DL |
| G |
| 24 |
| I |
This is the first part of my list of the most useful Croatian verbs, containing 86 verbs. They are either listed individually, in verb pairs, and occasionally in triplets; this part contains 47 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 over examples (or tapping on a touch screen) 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 used with objects in A:
Goran je bacio loptu. Goran threw the ball.
The pair is used with optional destinations, which can be persons in DL:
Ana je bacila majicu u ormar. Ana threw the T-shirt into the wardrobe.
Goran je bacio loptu Ani. Goran threw the ball to Ana.
The agent nouns are bacač m / bacačica f thrower, pitcher.
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This verb is hard to translate into English, it means someone is regularly pursuing something, either professionally or in their free time. It’s used with objects in I:
Ivan se bavi trčanjem. Ivan is into running.
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This is the most frequent verb in Croatian. It’s also used as an auxiliary verb, to form the past tense.
Normally, only clitic forms in the present tense are used. Stressed forms are used when the verb is emphasized, or when it must appear at the first position in a sentence. It has special negative forms in the present tense. It’s used to indicate states of subject, with adjectives in N:
Ana je gladna. Ana is hungry.
Goran je žedan. Goran is thirsty.
It’s also used to indicate location of the subject:
Ana je na moru. Ana is at the seaside.
With the preposition kod¨ + G, it can indicate a location at someone’s shop, office or home:
Ivan je kod Ane. Ivan is at Ana’s place (home).
It also indicates temporary possession of movable things, like cards, money, items, cars, etc.:
Karte su kod Ane. Ana has the tickets
This verb is used in the past and future tense of existential phrases:
Nije bilo šećera. There was no sugar.
Bit će jabuka. There will be some apples.
For more information, see imati have.
When used with certain words (which don’t change then and behave as subjects), the meaning is a bit unexpected; such constructions mostly describe mental states:
| fixed subject | person feeling | source of feelings | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| drago | DL | (clause) | be glad (that...) |
| stalo | DL | do¨ + G | care about |
| strah | A | (G) | be afraid (of...) |
| žao | DL | (G) | be sorry (for...) |
| (clause) | be sorry (that...) |
In such constructions, the verb is always in the 3rd person, singular. For example:
Ani je stalo do Gorana. Ana cares about Goran.
Goranu je žao. Goran is sorry.
In such constructions, the verb in the past are usually in neuter; with strah (which is masc.), another option is masculine:
Bilo nas je strah. We were afraid.
Bio nas je strah. (also possible)
In specific circumstances, present tense forms are replaced by the verb (bude), which has only present tense forms (and is fully regular). This verb is kind of perfective, but it’s actually hard to place into any group. It can be used when describing occasional things, happening in the past and future, using the present tense, and often corresponds to English get:
Ponekad bude hladno ujutro. Sometimes it gets cold in the morning.
Često me bude strah. I often get afraid.
It’s also used in clauses that use present tense to indicate future events, with verbs expressing desires, plans or expectations:
Ana želi [da bude sunčano]. Ana wants [it to be sunny].
It’s also used as an auxiliary verb, to form the secondary future tense (with past forms), used in certain kind of clauses:
Ako budeš imao vremena... If you have some time...
† The present adverb budući is also used as a true adjective, meaning future;
for example, future tense is buduće vrijeme, literally future time.
↓ bježati (bježi) ~ pobjeći (pobjegne,...) run away, escape
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* The imperative is sometimes shortened to just bjež, when used as an exclamation.
This verb pair is used with optional origins and destinations:
Goran je pobjegao u sobu. Goran ran away to the room.
It can be also used with persons in DL, indicating who was supposed to be ‘in control’ of someone:
Goran je pobjegao Ani. Goran ran away from Ana.
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* There’s no regular verbal noun; the noun strah fear can be used when needed.
This verb is always used with a se².
It can be used with objects in G, indicating the source of fear:
Goran se boji pasa. Goran is afraid of dogs.
It is also often used with clauses, where any type of verb can be used in any tense:
Ana se boji [da će biti hladno]. Ana is afraid [(that) it will be cold].
There’s something special in clauses used with this verb: when perf. verbs are used in the present tense in such a clause, they usually have ‘empty’ negation, i.e. you say what somebody doesn’t want to happen:
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Bojim se... ...[da je pala]. ...[da ne padne]. ...[da će pasti]. |
I’m afraid... ...[she has fallen]. ...[he/she might fall]. ...[he/she’s going to fall]. |
= past = present; Croatian: negation! = future |
You can’t say "bojim se da padne", ever.
An ‘empty’ negation is mandatory in the present tense, but it’s sometimes seen in the past and future tense as well.
Such negation applies only to perf. verbs and doesn’t affect the meaning.
↓ bojati / bojiti ~ o- («) color, dye, paint
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* These verbs have two versions: ones on -ati, and ones on -iti; forms on -ati are much more common in speech, but ones on -iti are considered standard. You’ll also see the mixed form bojati (boji), or people using only passive adjectives in -en, but other forms with -a-
The verbs are used when painting clothes, doors, walls, figurines, everything except for making artistic paintings. They verbs are used with objects in A:
Ana je obojala zid. Ana has painted the wall.
Colloquially, other verbs often are used to express this meaning, depending on the region of Croatia:
| farbati ~ o- (inland) | piturati ~ o- (coast) |
Both simply use objects in A. All three variants ultimately come from foreign words (German Farbe, Italian pittura and Turkish boya).
↓ boljeti (boli,...) ~¹ za- («) ache, feel pain
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* There’s no regular verbal noun; the noun bol f pain can be used when needed.
This verb pair is used unlike in English: the body part that hurts is the subject, while the person who feels the pain is the object in A:
Anu boli zub. Ana’s teeth hurts.
Boljela me noga. My leg has hurt.
Although persons affected are actually objects in such sentences, they usually come first in the sentence.
The verb zaboljeti («) is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. usually stands for a ‘single’, brief or short pain; sometimes, it can also stand for pain that started at some definite time.
Anu je zabolio zub. Ana’s teeth hurt for a moment. (or: started to hurt)
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* There’s no regular verbal noun; the noun borba fight is used when needed.
This verb is always used with a se².
When you are fighting against someone or something, it can be expressed with protiv + G:
Policija se bori protiv zločina. The police fight (against) crime.
(Notice that policija is an ordinary singular noun in Croatian.)
It’s more common to express who or what is fought using s¨ / sa¨ + I:
Ana se bori sa snom. Ana is fighting sleep. (lit. ‘dream’)
Unlike in English, this verb cannot be used with simple objects (e.g. fight sleep).
This verb can be used with atemporal clauses (where only present tense can be used, of both perf. and impf. verbs) – they represent a desire or goal here. In this use, English prefers the verb struggle:
Mnogi se bore [da nađu posao]. Many are struggling [to find a job].
Note that the structure is unlike English.
The agent noun is borac (borc-) fighter. The feminine noun is not well-established yet, but some people use borkinja.
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This verb pair can be used with an object in A:
Ivan brije glavu. Ivan is shaving his head.
This verb pair is often used with se², the meaning is reflexive, i.e. someone shaves himself of herself:
Ivan se brije. Ivan is shaving.
The agent nouns are brijač m / brijačica f shaver. The masc. noun also covers various devices (shavers).
↓ brinuti (brine) (se²) take care, worry
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* There’s no regular verbal noun; the noun briga care is used when needed.
This verb is used with an optional object, expressed with o¨ + DL; the use of se² is optional today:
Ana brine o Goranu. Ana takes care of Goran. (also possible: Ana se brine...)
Another option is an object expressed with za¨ + A:
Ana brine za Gorana. Ana takes care of Goran.
The verb can be used in the ‘reverse’ mode, meaning worry: se² can’t be used then, the affected person is the object in A, and the reason is the subject:
Goran me brine. Goran worries me.
In the ‘reverse’ mode, the subject can be a clause, usually starting with the conjunction što; it can use any tense, but no perf. verbs in the present tense:
Brine me [što ga ne vidim]. It worries me [that I can’t see him].
Since the clause is the subject then, the verb must be in the 3rd person singular, neuter in the past tense.
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This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Goran briše ruke. Goran is wiping his hands.
When someone is wiping themselves, a true reflexive se² is used, i.e. it can be emphasized as sebe:
Goran se briše. Goran is wiping himself. (what exactly – depends on the context)
The agent noun is brisač wiper, mostly used for various devices.
↓ buditi ~*/~ pro- («) wake up
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These verbs are usually used with se²; the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. ‘somebody wakes up on his or her own’:
Goran se budi. Goran is waking up.
Goran se probudio. Goran woke up.
This verb pair can be also used with an object in A, when someone is waking / has woken someone else up:
Ana je probudila Gorana. Ana has woken Goran up.
↓ crtati ~* na- draw (a sketch, picture)
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* There’s no perfective verbal noun, but the noun crtež can be used instead, it also translates to English drawing, but in the sense of a result, i.e. what is drawn on a surface.
This verb pair means only draw drawings or lines on some surface. It’s used with an optional object in A (mandatory for the perf. verb):
Goran crta. Goran is drawing.
Goran je nacrtao psa. Goran has drawn a dog.
There’s a secondary present adjective crtaći, used almost mostly for crtaći papir drawing paper, crtaći pribor drawing accessories, etc.
The agent nouns are crtač m / crtačica f drawer.
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This verb pair is used without any object:
Ulje curi. The oil is leaking.
The perfective verb means that all has leaked, nothing remains:
Ulje je iscurilo. The oil leaked out completely.
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This pair is used without any object, indicating that the subject is in bloom or it started blooming:
Grm cvjeta. The bush blossoms.
The perf. verb is ‘inchoative’, meaning start blooming:
Grm je procvjetao. The bush has blossomed.
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* The imperative čekaj is often shortened to just ček, used as an exclamation.
This verb is used with an optional object in A:
Ivan čeka vlak. Ivan is waiting for a train.
It can be used with atemporal clauses (i.e. only present tense, of both perf. and impf. verbs) – when waiting for something to happen (unlike in English):
Ivan čeka [da Ana dođe kući]. Ivan is waiting for [Ana to come home].
The verb pričekati serves as both a common perfective (wait until something happens) and ‘semelfactive’ (wait a while):
Ivan je malo pričekao. Ivan waited for a short while.
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* Besides the verbal noun, the noun čestitka also common.
The recipient of congratulation is expressed in DL:
Čestitao sam Ani. I congratulated Ana. {m}
The occasion for congratulation is usually expressed with na¨ + DL:
Čestitala sam im na pobjedi. I congratulated them on the victory. {f}
↓ činiti ~ u- («) do; se² seem
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun čin act is used sometimes.
This verb pair is mostly used with se², in meaning seem – the person who thinks so can be expressed in DL. A content clause is often the subject (the verb is then always in the 3rd person, singular, neuter in the past):
Čini mi se [da pada kiša]. It seems to me [(that) it’s raining].
Činilo mi se [da je hladno]. It seemed to me [(that) it was cold].
The subject can be a noun, or a pronoun, but then the verb izgledati («) is used more often.
Also, the verbs, without se², mean do. Such use is more formal, and often seen in phrases:
Dobro je činiti dobro. ‘To do good is good.’ = It’s good to do good.
Using this verb to express do is common in Dalmatia.
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This verb is used with an optional object in A (mandatory for the perf. verb):
Ivan čisti auto. Ivan is cleaning the car.
Ivan je očistio auto. Ivan has cleaned the car.
When someone is cleaning themselves, a true reflexive se² is used, i.e. it can be emphasized as sebe:
Mačka se čisti. The cat is cleaning herself.
The agent nouns are čistač m / čistačica f cleaning person.
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This verb pair is used with an optional object in A (mandatory for the perf. verb):
Ana čita. Ana is reading.
Ana čita knjigu. Ana is reading a book.
Ana je pročitala knjigu. Ana has read the book. (the whole book)
With these sentences, a person in DL can be added to express reading to someone:
Ana čita knjigu Goranu. Ana is reading the book to Goran.
This verb pair can also be used with content clauses (starting with da or a question-word, all tenses can be used) or noun clauses (starting with što (č-) what):
Ana je pročitala [što se dogodilo]. Ana has read what had happened.
There’s a potential adjective čitljiv readable.
The agent nouns are čitač m / čitačica f reader. The masc. noun also covers devices used for reading.
There are more agent nouns: čitatelj m / čitateljica f also mean reader, but related to reading literature and newspapers. And there’s one more agent noun: čitalac (čitaoc-), also meaning reader.
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This verb behaves partly like a perf. verb, but it’s used in the present tense, in meaning can hear.
It’s used with an object in A:
Čujem pticu. I can hear a bird.
With a se², it gets mediopassive meaning, that is, something (in N) can be heard:
Ptica se čuje. A bird can be heard.
This verb can also be used with content clauses, starting with da or a question-word (all tenses can be used):
Čula sam [da je Goran na igralištu]. I heard [Goran was on the playground]. {f}
Ana je čula [što se dogodilo]. Ana heard [what had happened].
Note that while in English we have adjustment of tenses (has happened → had happened), the Croatian sentence simply uses the past tense in the content clause – there’s no adjustment of tenses in Croatian.
Historically, čuven was a passive adjective, but it has shifted its meaning, and today it means only famous.
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It’s used with an object in A:
Ana čuva pisma u ladici. Ana keeps letters in the drawer.
With a se², it gets mediopassive meaning, that is, something (in N) is kept, is stored:
Novac se čuva u banci. The money is kept in the bank.
This verb is used for storing valuable things in special places. If you keep the keys in your pocket, the verb držati (drži) hold is rather used.
The agent nouns are čuvar m / čuvarica keeper, guard.
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* The impf. verb has alternative forms: pres. adv. davajući and imper-2 davaj.
This pair is used with an object in A and an optional recipient in DL:
Ana je dala knjigu Ivani. Ana has given the book to Ivana.
With a se², it gets mediopassive meaning, that is, something (in N) is given:
Injekcija se daje u ruku . The injection is given in the arm.
This pair is not used to ‘give’ a speech, a lecture, etc; use držati (drži) hold; keep.
The perfective verb dati is also used in three specific constructions. First, a bit colloquially, it means let, allow when used with a clause:
Ana ne da Goranu
[da trči].
Ana doesn’t let Goran [run].
(lit. ‘doesn’t give Goran that he runs’)
More colloquially, when used with a a se² and inf, the meaning is can (this is a passive construction, so no objects, but there’s a subject!):
Prozor se ne da otvoriti. (colloq.) The window can’t be opened.
Prozor se nije dao otvoriti. (colloq.) The window couldn’t be opened.
When a person in DL is added to the last construction, it means the person can or can’t be bothered (it’s used for unpleasant things, and maybe a bit colloquial):
Ani se ne da prati prozore. Ana can’t be bothered to wash windows.
Ani se nije dalo prati prozore. Ana couldn’t be bothered to wash windows.
This is usually used with negation; here the subject of the verb dati is actually the verb in inf (possibly with its objects), so the verb dati must be in the 3rd person, neuter.
These three constructions use only the perf. verb dati, even in the present tense!
The last two constructions are not used in Serbia.
↓ dešavati («) se² ~ desiti («) se² happen (colloq.)
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This verb pair is always used with a se².
It’s considered non-standard, but it’s frequent in speech and casual writing. The impf. verb usually corresponds to go on, while perf. corresponds to happen:
Nešto se dešava u dvorištu. Something is going on in the yard.
Nešto se desilo jučer. Something happened yesterday.
Persons affected can be expressed in DL:
Nešto nam se desilo jučer. Something happened to us yesterday.
The same meaning can be expressed with događati («) se² ~ dogoditi («) se² happen.
↓ dirati ~¹ dirnuti (dirne) touch
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This pair means touch, and the object is in A:
Goran je dirao Anin mobitel. Goran was touching Ana’s cellphone.
The verb dirnuti (dirne) is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. it means touch once or touch briefly, for a moment:
Goran je dirnuo nos. Goran briefly touched his nose.
↓ dizati (diže) ~ dići / dignuti (digne,...) raise, lift, rise
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The perf. verb has alternative inf and past forms; both are regarded standard.
The basic meaning is lift, raise, and the object is in A:
Goran je digao ruku . Goran raised his hand.
With a se², the meaning is mediopassive, the subject raises on their own, usually corresponding to English get up, rise; this is a bit colloquial:
Goran se digao. Goran got up.
The same expression is used for the Sun and the Moon:
Sunce se diglo. The Sun rose.
↓ djelovati (djeluje) have effect, function, work
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Lijekovi ponekad ne djeluju. Drugs sometimes have no effect.
Coming soon...
↓ dobivati («) ~ dobiti (dobije) get (a thing, a message, an idea)
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* There are alternative, non-standard present forms dobija and dobi.
This verb pair is used with an object in A (more or less mandatory) and optional origins:
Ana je dobila poruku. Ana has got a message.
Ana je dobila poruku iz banke. Ana has got a message from the bank.
When the origin is a person, it’s expressed by od¨ + G:
Ana je dobila poruku od Ivana. Ana has got a message from Ivan.
Using this verb to get messages is a bit colloquial, but common; a more formal way is using primati ~ primiti receive.
It’s also used to get things or any kind:
Dobili smo besplatno piće. We got free drinks.
This pair is used when you physically get something (someone brought you or sent you something), and when you get an e-mail, disease, idea, child or chance. It’s not used to express many other things expressed with English get:
- to express get beer from the fridge, use donositi («) ~ don
ijeti (donese,...) bring (things) - to express I got what you said, use shvaćati ~~ shvatiti understand
- to express I got home, got to work, use dolaziti ~ doći (dođe,...) come, arrive
- to express I’ve got to go, gotta go, use morati must, have to
- to express I got hungry, use postajati (postaje) ~ postati (postane) become
- to express get in touch, use javljati ~ javiti inform, get in touch
A quick rule is: in Croatian, if you can dobivati («) ~ dobiti (dobije) something, then you can imati have it (but the inverse doesn’t hold).
↓ dodavati (dodaje) ~ dodati add; pass (ball)
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* There are alternative, non-standard forms of the present tense of the impf. verb (dodavam, etc.) and the pres. adv. (dodavajući). Futhermore, you’ll also hear the present tense forms stressed as dodajem or dodavam in western areas. The impf. imperative has a standard form which coincides with the perf. imperative, so dodavaj is actually more common.
The verb pair can be used with objects in A and optional recipients in DL:
Ana je dodala olovku Goranu. Ana has passed the pen to Goran.
This pair is frequently used to express passing ball in sports, and often the object in A is left out, as it’s assumed to be a ball:
Ivan je dodao loptu Marku. Ivan passed the ball to Marko.
Ivan je dodao Marku. (the same meaning, in sports!)
To express passing something on the table during meal (salt, vinegar...) you can use either this verb or davati (daje) ~ dati give.
In cooking, chemistry, math, etc. this verb pair is used to express add; where things are added to is expressed as a destination:
Dodajte dvije žlice šećera u brašno. Add two tablespoons of sugar to the flour.
In writing, this verb expressed say/write something in addition, i.e. again corresponds to English add. It’s then used with content clauses, starting with da, and using any tense (but not perf. verbs in the present tense):
Ana je dodala [da će kupiti kolače]. Ana added [(that) she’ll buy the cakes].
This use is rare in speech.
↓ događati («) se² ~ dogoditi («) se² happen
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun događaj event is used when needed.
This verb pair is always used with a se². The impf. verb usually corresponds to go on, while perf. corresponds to happen:
Nešto se događa u dvorištu. Something is going on in the yard.
Nešto se dogodilo jučer. Something happened yesterday.
Persons affected can be expressed in DL:
Nešto nam se dogodilo jučer. Something happened to us yesterday.
The same meaning can be expressed with dešavati («) se² ~ desiti se² happen, which is considered a bit non-standard.
↓ dogovarati («) (se²) ~ dogovoriti («) (se²) negotiate, agree
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun dogovor agreement is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with se². Persons agreeing can be subjects, or one can be expressed with s¨ / sa¨ + I:
Ana i Goran su se dogovorili. Ana and Goran made an agreement.
Ana se dogovorila s Goranom. Ana made an agreement with Goran.
If you want to express what was agreed, it’s usually expressed with an unrestricted da-clause: present of both impf. and perf. verbs can be used in them, usually expressing relative future (this is a special behavior). When such clause is used, the particle se² is sometimes left out:
Ana i Goran su se dogovorili
[da će ići u kino].
Ana and Goran have agreed [to go to the cinema].
(Note that this is an exceptional behavior, as most verb use clauses with some restrictions, e.g. content or atemporal clauses.)
↓ dolaziti ~ doći (dođe,...) come, arrive
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun; the noun dolazak (dolask-) arrival can be used.
This verb pair is used with optional destinations and origins:
Goran je došao u sobu. Goran came to the room.
Goran je došao s igrališta. Goran came from the playground.
As with other verbs of motion, if someone came somewhere to pick up something or pick/get someone, it can be expressed with po¨ + A:
Goran je došao po čistu majicu. Goran came to take a clean T-shirt.
Ana je došla po Gorana. Ana came to get Goran.
The idea is: you came somewhere to take something or someone with you.
Also, as with other verbs of motion, if someone came somewhere to do something, it can be expressed with inf, and objects etc. can be added to it:
Goran je došao popiti vode. Goran came to drink some water.
These verbs are used with both ‘time frames’ (za¨ + period), meaning how much time it took/will take to get there, and ‘round trip’ time periods (na¨ + period), meaning how much time you are going to stay there:
Došla sam za dva sata. I arrived in two hours. {f}
Došla sam na tri dana. I arrived for three days. {f}
This verb pair is also used in a frequent impersonal construction, meaning take place, come about, occur; what is taking place is expressed with do¨ + G (and there’s no subject, of course):
Dolazi do promjena. Changes are taking place. (i.e. There are changes.)
Došlo je do promjena. Changes took place. (i.e. There were changes.)
(Of course, the verb must be in neuter singular, as in any impersonal expression.)
↓
donositi («) ~ donijeti (donese,...) bring (things)
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* The perf. verb has alternative, non-standard past forms and infinitive, marked with an asterisk.
** The perf. passive adjective has one more form, but non-standard: donešen.
This verb pair is used with objects in A, and optional destinations and origins:
Goran je donio knjigu. Goran brought the book.
Goran je donio knjigu u sobu. Goran brought the book to the room.
Destinations can be persons in DL:
Ana je donijela Goranu sladoled. Ana has brought Goran an ice-cream.
This verb pair is used only for bringing things, including abstract things (e.g. happiness).
To bring people and animals, dovoditi («) ~ dovesti (dovede, doveo) bring (someone) is used.
(An exception is that some speakers will use this verb pair for small animals which are always carried, e.g. hamsters.)
The difference between this pair and odnositi («) ~ odnijeti (odnese,...) take (carry things)
is similar to come vs. go.
This verb pair is, idiomatically, used to make decisions:
Ana je donijela odluku. Ana made a decision.
↓ dopuštati («) ~ dopustiti («) allow, let
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* The perfective verbal noun dopuštenje is used as a common noun, meaning permission.
This verb pair is used with atemporal clauses (where only present tense can be used, of both perf. and impf. verbs), where persons in DL are allowed (by the subject) to do what is expressed by the clause:
Ana je dopustila Goranu [da gleda film]. Ana has let Goran watch the movie.
As with other atemporal clauses, the pronoun to can be used instead:
Ana to nije dopustila Goranu. Ana didn’t allow Goran that.
The same meaning is often colloquially expressed with dati perf. give.
There’s a potential adjective dopustiv allowable, mostly used negated, i.e. nedopustiv unallowable.
↓ dovoditi («) ~ dovesti (dovede, doveo) bring (someone)
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This verb pair is used with objects in A, and optional destinations and origins. The objects are always persons, including babies, or animals that walk (cats, dogs, horses, etc.):
Ana je dovela Gorana u školu. Ana brought Goran to school.
Bringing anything else is expressed by donositi («)
~ donijeti (donese,...) bring (things).
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This verb is used with an object in A, and what is used for holding is optionally expressed with I:
Goran drži loptu. Goran is holding a ball.
Goran drži loptu rukama. Goran is holding a ball with his hands.
If something or someone is held by a part, you should use za¨ + A:
Goran je držao Anu za ruku. Goran held Ana by her hand. (or: held Ana’s hand)
In Croatian, you don’t hold someone’s body part, you rather hold someone (in A) za¨ + body part (in A). An exception is when you have something to do with a body part (want to wash it, examine it, paint it...).
With a se², it means someone holds on something to support themselves:
Drži se! Hold on tight! (to someone you’re familiar with)
What someone is holding to support themselves is expressed with za¨ + A; you can again add what exactly someone uses to hold, in I:
Goran se drži za ogradu. Goran is holding on to the fence.
Goran se drži rukom za ogradu. Goran is holding on to the fence with his hand.
This verb is also used when something is kept somewhere, expressed as a location (not a special guarded place, but rather a drawer or a pocket):
Ana drži ključeve u torbi. Ana keeps the keys in the purse.
With this verb, metaphorically, you can ‘keep’ riječ word and obećanje promise,
like in English, and also ‘hold’ predavanje lecture and govor speech.
A special case is the ‘location’ na oku, expressing keeping an eye on something or someone (basically the opposite of what is used in English):
Drži ga na oku! Keep an eye on him/it! (lit. ‘keep him/it on your eye’)
The agent noun is držač holder, mostly used for devices and things used for holding.
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This verb is a colloquial version of nedostajati (nedostaje) and uses cases in the same way.
What is missing is the subject:
Jedan dio fali. (colloq.) One part is missing.
If somebody is missing something, what’s missing is still the subject, and the person affected is in DL, and then it usually comes first:
Ani fali jedan dio. (colloq.) Ana is missing one part.
In such sentences, the affected person usually comes first, despite not being the subject.
As usual, the subject (what is missing) is often implied by the verb form:
Fališ mi. (colloq.) I miss you.
Note that this verb is not used to express miss a bus, miss a chance or miss a shot – specific verbs are used instead.
↓ gasiti ~*/~ u- («) extinguish, turn off
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This verb pair can be used with an object in A – for things that burn, but also for lights, engines, cars, TV and many other things:
Ugasili su vatru. They’ve extinguished the fire.
Ugasit ću televiziju. I’ll turn the TV off.
This verb pair can be also 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’, fire stops on its own, some device turns off by itself, etc.:
Svijeća se ugasila. The candle has burned out.
The opposite meaning is expressed by paliti ~*/~ u- («) ignite, turn on.
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This verb pair can be used with an object in A:
Gledamo film. We’re watching a movie.
Although there’s perf. verb pogledati, it’s used much less often than other perf. verbs. For some reason, it’s not used when watching anything for fun, even if you have watched the whole movie, you would use the impf. verb:
Gledao sam film. I’ve watched the movie. {m} (not pogledao)
However, if you watched an online lecture, it’s more common to use the perf. verb as well:
Pogledao sam predavanje. I’ve watched the lecture. (the whole lecture) {m}
Gledao sam predavanje. {m} (also possible and used)
The imperative is also found shortened as gle, but the meaning is shifted: look. You would never say gle predavanje meaning watch the lecture, but you would say gle, avion look, an airplane.
There’s a potential adjective gledljiv watchable.
The agent nouns are gledatelj m / gledateljica f watcher. There’s another masc. noun: gledalac (gledaoc-).
↓ govoriti («) ~ reći (reče) / kazati (kaže,...) say
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There are several verbs overlapping with slightly different meanings and use. The verb reći (...) is usually used with an optional person in DL (the recipient of speech) and several possible ways to express what was said. A common option are content clauses, starting with da or a question-word (all tenses can be used, but no perf. verbs in the present tense):
Rekao sam Ani
[da je Goran na igralištu].
I told Ana [Goran was on the playground]. {m}
Rekao sam joj [gdje je Goran]. I told her [where Goran was]. {m}
Observe that there’s no tense shift in Croatian.
It can be used with simple objects in A, standing for what is said:
Rekao sam joj istinu. I told her the truth. {m}
This verb reći (...) is mostly used in imperative, past and future tenses and conditional. In the present tense, most speakers use kazati (kaže), even in the true present tense:
Kad kažeš [da me voliš].... When you say [you love me]...
Kažem ti... I’m telling you...
The present tense forms of the verb reći (...) are common in speech in Dalmatia, but usually not used in the real present tense:
Kad mi rečeš... (colloq., Dalmatia) When you tell me...
The verb govoriti («) has a bit different meaning: speak. It’s less often used with clauses; it’s rather used to express information about speech, not what was exactly spoken:
Ona govori jako tiho. She speaks very quietly.
Govorio je o svojoj djeci. He spoke about her children.
The agent nouns are govornik m / govornica f speaker. The feminine noun also covers the meaning speaker’s platform.
↓ graditi ~* iz- («), sa- («) build
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* As a verbal noun, the noun gradnja is also used.
There are two perf. verbs which have more or less the same meaning.
This verb pair is usually used with an object in A:
Goran je izgradio dvorac. Goran has built a castle.
The agent nouns are graditelj m / graditeljica f builder.
↓ grijati (grije) ~* u- heat, warm
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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 grije. The beer is warming.
More se ugrijalo. The sea warmed.
This verb pair can be also used with an object in A:
Ugrijala sam ručak. I’ve warmed the lunch. {f}
The opposite meaning is expressed by hladiti ~* o- («) cool.
The agent nouns are grijač m / grijačica f heater. The masc. noun also covers various devices (heaters).
↓
griješiti ~ po- («) err, make mistake
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun pogreška error is used when needed. In meaning sin, the noun grijeh is also used.
The verb pair is often used without an object:
Pogriješio sam. I’ve made a mistake. {m}
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun zagrljaj hug is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Goran grli Anu. Goran is hugging Ana.
The perf. verb is ‘inchoative’, meaning start hugging, but it’s also used in meaning hug once (i.e. ‘semelfactive’) or for short hugs:
Ana je zagrlila Gorana. Ana hugged Goran.
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun gubitak (gubitk-) loss is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ana je izgubila narukvicu. Ana has lost a bracelet.
It’s also used when people or teams lose in sports or games, without any object:
Jučer smo izgubili. We lost yesterday.
With a se², it gets mediopassive meaning, the subject became (got) lost:
Izgubili su se. They got lost.
The agent nouns are gubitnik m / gubitnica f loser.
↓ gurati ~ gurnuti (gurne) push
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This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Goran gura bicikl. Goran is pushing the bicycle.
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This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Ana je progutala tabletu. Ana swallowed a pill.
The rest: H-M • N-O • P • R-Š • T-Ž
Daniel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this excellent verb list (as well as the excellent introduction to Croatian). The sentence examples are very, very helpful.
My question is under the verb "boriti se," you state that it should be used with the genitive case as in "Ana se bori sa snom." Isn't "snom" in the instrumental case? Wouldn't "sanja" be the genitive case?
Thank you, Michael
You're right, of course! I've fixed it. The G case would be sna. This list is not the most recent I have, a much better list is in this PDF: https://od.lk/s/NTZfMTgyMzY2NF8/175EssentialCroatianVerbs%28DRAFT%29.pdf
DeleteI will update the online list soon to match the PDF. lp