This is the fourth part of my list of the most useful Croatian verbs, containing 96 verbs. They are either listed individually, in verb pairs, and occasionally in triplets; this part contains 56 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.
Click on any item to show detailed information:
↓ padati ~ pasti (padne, pao) fall
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, pad fall is used when needed.
The verb pair is used without objects, and with optional destinations:
Šalica je pala na pod. The cup fell to the floor.
This pair also expresses dropping things unintentionally, by adding the person involved in DL (the thing dropped is still the subject):
Šalica mi je pala. I’ve dropped the cup.
For intentional dropping, use bacati ~ baciti throw.
This pair is often used with kiša rain and snijeg snow to expess it’s raining or snowing
(in such sentences, the subject usually comes after the verb):,
Padala je kiša. It was raining. (lit. ‘A rain was falling.’)
Pada snijeg. It’s snowing. (lit. ‘A snow is falling.’)
Impersonally, the imperfective verb is sometimes used to express raining or snowing, understood from the context:
Pada. It was raining. It’s raining. / It’s snowing.
Padalo je. It was raining. / It was snowing.
The past forms of the perf. verb are used as real adjectives, meaning fallen; the base form is pali:
Ima puno palog lišća. There’s a lot of fallen leaves.
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* The verbal noun pakiranje is also used as a general noun, meaning pack, packing.
This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ana pakira odjeću. Ana is packing her clothes.
If you are packing your things to go somewhere, i.e. just pack, you have to use a se²:
Ana se spakirala. Ana has packed.
↓ paliti ~*/~ u- («) ignite, turn on
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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:
Upalili su vatru. They’ve ignited the fire.
Upalit ću auto. I’ll turn the car on.
The opposite meaning is expressed by gasiti («) extinguish, turn off.
↓ pamtiti ~~ za- memorize, bear in mind
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Unlike English, Croatian has a special verb pair for storing things into memory.
The verb zapamtiti is ‘inchoative’: it means something got into the memory. (Since it’s inchoative, it’s normally not used in the present tense.)
It can be used with a content clause, representing the fact you want to memorize (using verbs in any tense, but no perf. verbs in the present tense; note that the Croatian clause below is in the present tense: there’s no adjustment of tenses in Croatian):
Ana nije zapamtila [gdje su ključevi]. Ana didn’t ‘memorize’ [where the keys were].
It’s also often used with objects in A, also representing things you want to memorize:
Ana nije zapamtila njegovu adresu. Ana didn’t ‘memorize’ his address.
You can also memorize to do something, expressed by a clause, usually using a ‘modal’ verb:
Ana je zapamtila [da mora kupiti kruh]. Ana ‘memorized’ [she had to buy bread].
Unlike English memorize, this is a very common verb in Croatian.
The verb pamtiti is imperfective: it means something is in the memory (it’s mostly used with adverbs dobro well and dugo for a long time):
Ana je dugo pamtila
[što se dogodilo].
Ana ‘had in memory’ for a long time [what had happened]. (i.e. remembered)
It can be also used with objects in A:
Dobro pamtim školu. I remember the school well.
Meaning of this verb overlaps with sjećati se² ~~ sjetiti se² remember (recall, come to mind), which is more common in speech (note this verb uses G):
Dobro se sjećam škole. I remember the school well.
↓ paziti be careful, watch out
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* There’s no regular verbal noun, pažnja is used instead.
The verb is often used in imperative:
Pazi! Watch out!
The verb can be used with na¨ + A, in meaning watch out for:
Ana pazi na trnje. Ana is watching out for thorns.
The verb can be used with atemporal clauses (starting with da, having both impf. and perf. verbs, but only in the present tense), which express what the subject wants to happen (and are consequently often negative, e.g. doesn’t fall):
Goran pazi [da ne padne]. Goran is careful [that he doesn’t fall].
There’s potential adjective pažljiv with an unexpected meaning: careful.
↓ peći (peče,...) ~* ispeći (ispeče,...) bake
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* The verbal noun is spelled the same as the noun pečenje roasted meat, which is different only in stress.
This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Ana peče kolače. Ana is baking cakes.
Ivan je ispekao pizzu. Ivan baked a pizza.
While English prefers other verbs in some instances, i.e. make a cake etc., Croatian prefers this verb pair whenever baking is done.
This verb pair can also be 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’, e.g. for things left to bake:
Kolači se peku. Cakes are baking.
↓ pisati (piše) ~* na- («) write
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The verb pair is used with objects in A (mandatory for the perf. verb), and optional recipients in DL:
Ana piše poruku. Ana is writing a message.
Ana piše poruku Ivani. Ana is writing a message to Ivana.
There’s a secondary present adjective pisaći writing, mostly used for pisaći stol writing desk and pisaći pribor stationery.
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* The verbal noun has the fixed meaning: question.
This verb pair is usually used with an object in A (recipient of the question) and another object, usually a content clause, starting with a question-word (all tenses can be used):
Pitala sam Anu [gdje je auto]. I asked Ana [where the car was]. {f}
Observe that there’s no tense shift in Croatian.
What is asked can also be an object in A, then the verb has two objects in A (one is always a person, or something else that can answer questions):
Pitala sam te nešto. I asked you something. {f}
The perf. verb is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. stands for an individual question. It’s not used really often and has an alternative form with za- instead of u-.
If want to use pitanje question as the second object, these verbs are not used, the verb pair postavljati ~ postaviti set, place is used idiomatically.
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The verb pair is used with an optional object in A, mandatory for the perf. verb:
Goran pije. Goran is drinking.
Goran pije vodu. Goran is drinking water.
| impf. | perf. | inch. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pres-1 | pjevam | otpjevam | zapjevam |
| pres-3 | pjeva | otpjeva | zapjeva |
| pres-3pl | pjevaju | otpjevaju | zapjevaju |
| pres. adv. | pjevajući | — | — |
| imper-2 | pjevaj | otpjevaj | zapjevaj |
| inf | pjevati | otpjevati | zapjevati |
| past-m | pjevao | otpjevao | zapjevao |
| past-f | pjevala | otpjevala | zapjevala |
| pass. adj. | pjevan | otpjevan | — |
| gerund | pjevanje | — | — |
The verb pair is used with an optional object in A:
Ptice pjevaju. Birds are singing.
Goran pjeva pjesmu. Goran is singing a song.
Two perfective verbs are a standard perfective, for singing something to the end, and an ‘inchoative’ verb, meaning start singing.
Ana je zapjevala. Ana started singing.
The perfective verb requires an object in A:
Goran je otpjevao pjesmu. Goran has sung a song.
The agent nouns are pjevač m / pjevačica f singer.
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The verb pair is used with an optional object in A:
Ana plaća večeru. Ana is paying for the dinner.
You can also pay something to somebody, expressed in DL, which is usually expressed with buy in English:
Ana je platila Goranu večeru. Ana bought Goran the dinner.
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun; the noun plan plan can be used when needed.
The verbs can used with another verb in infinitive, which can have additional objects and so on:
Ana planira kupiti auto. Ana is planning to buy a car.
They can also be used with objects in A, when some activity is planned:
Ivan planira put. Ivan is planning the trip.
↓ plivati ~* ot- , do- ~~ za- swim
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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 ot- is simply the perfective version of the impf. verb; it covers swim away as well.
The perf. verb derived with do- is used in situations where the English come can be used; it’s essentially come by swimming.
Ana pliva. Ana is swimming.
Ana je otplivala. Goran swam away.
The agent nouns are plivač m / plivačica f swimmer.
↓ počinjati (počinje) ~ početi (počne) begin
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* Occasionally, the perf. verb is seen with alternative, non-standard forms of the present tense, having -m- instead of -n-, e.g. počme. This seems to be more common in coastal regions.
** There’s no regular perf. verbal noun; početak (početk-) beginning is used instead.
This is a phase verb pair. It can be used with a noun standing for an activity as the subject, and no object:
Kiša počinje. The rain is starting.
Film je počeo. The movie has started.
When the subject is something new or indefinite (e.g. we just say some movie has started), it’s usually expressed by putting the subject after the verb, which roughly corresponds to using English indefinite article a/an:
Počeo je film. A movie has started.
To describe how something starts, a noun in I can be used:
Nova godina je počela vatrometom. The new year started with fireworks.
Another way of using this pair is with another impf. verb in infinitive, possibly with its objects, etc.:
Goran je počeo jesti. Goran has begun eating.
Goran je počeo jesti jabuku. Goran has begun eating an apple.
The opposite pair is prestajati (prestaje) ~ prestati (prestane) stop, cease for natural events (e.g. rain) and feelings (e.g. pain), while for man-made things, završavati («) ~ završiti («) end is used.
↓ pogađati («) ~ pogoditi («) hit; guess
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun; pogodak (pogotk-) hit can be used instead.
The basic meaning is hit the target, e.g. goal, basket, someone – usually with something flying (a ball, arrow, stone):
Goran je pogodio prozor. Goran has hit the window.
Note: the target can be untentional; you aimed for something, but you’ve hit something else.
If you hit something directly (e.g. with a fist, foot), the verb pair udarati ~¹ udariti hit, punch is used.
A derived, but common meaning is guess something, often expressed with a content clause (starting with da or a question-word, using any tense, but no perf. verbs in the present tense):
Pogodila sam [gdje je auto]. I guessed [where the car is]. {f}
(Note that the perf. verb implies that the guessing was successful: you were right.)
Also, noun clauses can be used in this construction (starting with što (č-) what or tko (k-) who):
Pogodila sam [što je to]. I guessed [what that is]. {f}
Another derived meaning is that someone (who is an object in A) was negatively affected or hurt by something (the subject in N):
Anu je to jako pogodilo. Ana took it very badly.
Vijesti su ih pogodile.
They took the news badly.
↓ pokazivati (pokazuje) ~ pokazati (pokaže) show
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The verb is used with an object in A, and an optional ‘recipient’ in DL:
Ana pokazuje kuću Ivani. Ana is showing the house to Ivana.
Instead of objects in A, content clauses starting with da or a question-word are often used (using any tense, but no perf. verbs in the present tense):
Ana je pokazala Ivani
[gdje je kuhinja].
Ana has shown Ivana [where the kitchen is].
Goran pokazuje
[da može stajati na rukama].
Goran is showing [(that) he can stand on his hands].
With a se², a content clause can be the subject (the verb must be neuter singular accordingly), and the meaning is turn out that...:
Pokazalo se
[da je škola predaleko].
lit. ‘It turned out [the school was too far]’.
= The school turned out to be too far.
Note that in Croatian, the subject is usually not something turning up to have unexpected properties, but the whole clause! This is unlike English.
Also, note that the clause in the example above uses the present tense. There’s no adjustment of tenses in Croatian!
This is a somewhat formal use; in speech, it’s more common to use ispadati ~ ispasti (ispadne, ispao) fall out, drop out, turn out.
↓ pokrivati («) ~ pokriti (pokrije) cover
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The verb pair is used with an object in A or a se²; what is used to cover can be expressed in I:
Ana je pokrila Gorana. Ana has covered Goran.
Goran se pokriva dekom. Goran is covering himself with a blanket.
This pair is also used metaphorically, in journalism, sports, law etc., as in English.
The opposite meaning is expressed with otkrivati («) ~ otkriti (otkrije) uncover; discover; reveal.
The agent noun is pokrivač, mostly used for blankets and similar things.
↓ pokušavati («) ~ pokušati try
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, pokušaj attempt is used when needed.
The verb is used with another verb in infinitive, which can have its objects, and so on:
Goran pokušava stajati na jednoj nozi. Goran is trying to stand on one leg.
↓ pomagati (pomaže) ~ pomoći (pomogne,...) help
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* Besides the regular verbal noun, the common noun pomoć f help is frequently used.
The verb is used with a ‘recipient’ of help in DL:
Ana pomaže Goranu. Ana is helping Goran.
As objects, infinitives (of both impf. and perf. verbs) with additional objects can be used:
Ana je pomogla Goranu otvoriti kutiju. Ana has helped Goran open the box.
Instead of inf, atemporal clauses (starting with da, having both impf. and perf. verbs, but only in the present tense) can be used:
Ana je pomogla Goranu [da otvori kutiju]. (the same meaning)
The subject of the clause must be the same as the recipient of help in DL.
The agent nouns are pomagač m / pomagačica f helper.
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* The verbal noun ponašanje is used as a common noun, meaning behavior.
This verb is used with adverbs, expressing how someone behaves:
Goran se ponaša grozno. Goran behaves horribly.
Unlike in English, this verb must be used with an adverb, it doesn’t imply good behavior on its own!
If the behavior is directed toward someone, that can be expressed with prema + DL:
Goran se ponaša grozno prema mami. Goran behaves horribly with his mom.
↓ popravljati ~ popraviti fix, repair
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, popravak (popravk-) is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ivan je popravio auto. Ivan has fixed his car.
The verb pair can be used with se²: the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. somebody or something improves:
Vrijeme se popravlja. The weather is improving.
There’s a potential adjective popravljiv improveable, fixable.
↓ posjećivati (posjećuje) ~ posjetiti visit
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun; nouns posjeta or posjet, both meaning visit are used when needed. The first noun is often considered non-standard in Croatian, but it’s more common in writing and speech (more than 10 times).
This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ana je posjetila baku. Ana visited her grandmother.
These verbs have been borrowed from Russian in past centuries.
↓ postajati (postaje) ~ postati (postane) become
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* The present forms of the perf. verb are also stresed as postane, etc. and imperative as postani.
** There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, postanak (postank-) is used when needed.
The verb pair is used in a way similar to biti (je² +) ‘~’ (bude) be – with nouns in N and adverbs:
Postaje hladno. It’s getting cold.
Postalo je hladno. It got cold.
Ivan će postati otac. Ivan is going to become a father.
It’s also used with adjectives in N, adjusted to the gender and number of the subject:
Goran je postao nervozan. Goran became nervous.
Ana polako postaje nestrpljiva. Ana is slowly getting impatient.
It’s sometimes used with specific subjects used with biti (je² +) ‘~’ (bude) be:
Postalo nas je strah. We got afraid.
However, this pair is never used in existential phrases (see imati have).
↓ postavljati ~ postaviti set, place
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This verb pair translates to several meanings in English. The basic meaning is set, in the meaning fix, put on an elevated place, erect (a monument), but also make ready (e.g. set the table). It’s not used in the meanings set free, set in motion (Croatian has specific verbs for such actions).
The objects are in A:
Ana je postavila stol. Ana has set the table.
When you want to express where something is placed or fixed, you have to use destinations, unlike in English:
Postavit ću sliku na zid. I’ll put the picture on the wall. (Croatian: a destination!)
This pair is also used to formulate and ask questions:
Postavio sam dva pitanja. I asked two questions. {m}
↓ postizati (postiže) ~ postići (postigne,...) achieve
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This pair is often used with an object in A:
Ana je postigla uspjeh. Ana achieved success.
What is achived can also be expressed with a content clause.
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The verb is used without an object, often covering the ‘existential’ meaning there is, with countable objects:
Ne postoje plave jabuke. Blue apples don’t exist.
Postoje dva problema. There are two problems.
† The present adverb postojeći is frequently used as a true adjective, meaning existing, current:
Obavijest postojećim korisnicima. A notice to current users.
↓ posuđivati (posuđuje) ~ posuditi («) borrow, lend
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There’s no regular perfective verbal noun, the noun posudba is used when needed.
These verbs are used in two meanings. One is borrow something (expressed in A) from an origin (expressed with od¨ + G for people):
Goran je posudio loptu od Ivana. Goran has borrowed a ball from Ivan.
The same verbs are used to express lend. What is lent is still expressed in A, while the recipient is in DL:
Ivan je posudio loptu Goranu. Ivan has lent a ball to Goran.
This verb pair uses ‘round trip’ time periods, i.e. na¨ + period, meaning things borrowed should be returned in that time period:
Goran je posudio loptu od Ivana na tri dana.
Goran has borrowed a ball from Ivan for three days.
If you used za¨ + period in the example above, it would mean how much it took to complete the borrowing before you took the ball (e.g. to negotiate, etc.), not when you’re going to return it!
↓ povećavati («) ~ povećati enlarge, magnify
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This pair is often used with a se² , when something increases:
Cijene su se povećale. The prices increased.
It’s also used with an object in A, when someone enlarges, increases or magnifies something:
Restoran je povećao cijene.
The restaurant increased its prices.
↓ pozdravljati ~ pozdraviti greet, say goodbye
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u/c
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This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ana pere kosu. Ana is washing her hair.
If you are washing yourself, you have to use a se² (which is true reflexive, i.e. it can be emphasized as sebe):
Goran se oprao. Goran has washed himself.
There’s a potential adjective periv washable.
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This verb is used with objects in A:
Pas nas prati. The dog is following us.
The verb is also used when somebody regularly watches something (e.g. a TV series).
† The present adverb prateći is also used as a true adjective, meaning accompanying.
↓ predviđati («) ~ predvidjeti (predvidi,...) predict
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This verb pair can be used with an object in A:
Goran predviđa svašta. Goran predicts all sorts of things.
The verbs are often used with content clauses, i.e. clauses starting with da or question-words, and using any tense (but not perf. verbs in the present tense):
Ana je predvidjela
[da će Goran biti gladan].
Ana predicted [Goran would be hungry].
The Croatian clause is in the future tense, as there’s no adjustment of tenses in Croatian.
There’s a potential adjective predvidljiv predictable.
↓ prekidati («) ~ prekinuti (prekine) interrupt, quit
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, prekid is used when needed.
This verb pair is used for interruptions, unexpected or forced endings or actions. It’s used with objects in A:
Sudac je prekinuo utakmicu. The referee has stopped the match.
With a se², the meaning is mediopassive, i.e. something unexpectedly ends ‘on its own’:
Veza se prekinula. The connection has broken.
↓ prestajati (prestaje) ~ prestati (prestane) stop, cease
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* The present forms of the perf. verb are sometime stresed as prestane, etc. (i.e. the stress in ‘western’ areas of Croatia is sometimes on the 2nd syllable for this verb). The imperative forms are also stressed as prestani, etc.
** There’s no regular perf. verbal noun; prestanak (prestank-) is used instead.
This is a phase verb pair. The verb pair can be used with a noun standing for some process as the subject, without anything else:
Kiša je prestala. The rain has stopped.
This is not used for organized activities (e.g. party, meeting), man-made things (e.g. story, war, movie) or periods of time (e.g. month, day). For example, it’s often used with:
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bol f pain buka noise glavoboljaʷ¹ headache |
kiša rain krvarenje bleeding oluja storm |
opasnost f danger sn vjetar (vjetr-) wind |
To express that something ends (e.g. a movie, a story, a party, an evening) use only završavati («) ~ završiti («).
It can be also used with another imperfective verb in infinitive, which can have additional objects and so on:
Goran je prestao plakati. Goran has stopped crying.
Ivan je prestao piti pivo. Ivan has stopped drinking beer.
There’s no restriction on the type of activity in the construction with an infinitive.
The opposite meaning is expressed by počinjati (počinje) ~ početi (počne) begin.
↓ pretpostavljati ~ pretpostaviti suppose
| impf. | perf. | |
|---|---|---|
| pres-1 | pretpostavljam | pretpostavim |
| pres-3 | pretpostavlja | pretpostavi |
| pres-3pl | pretpostavljaju | pretpostave |
| pres. adv. | pretpostavljajući | — |
| imper-2 | pretpostavljaj | pretpostavi |
| inf | pretpostavljati | pretpostaviti |
| past-m | pretpostavljao | pretpostavio |
| past-f | pretpostavljala | pretpostavila |
| pass. adj. | pretpostavljan | pretpostavljen |
| gerund | pretpostavljanje | * |
* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, the noun pretpostavka assumption is used instead.
This verb is usually used with a content clause (i.e. all verbs in any tense, except perf. verbs in present) as its object:
Pretpostavljam [da imaš malo vremena]. I suppose [you have some time].
This verb is basically a literal translation of the German verb voraussetzen, and ultimately based on Latin praesuppōnere.
↓ prevoditi («) ~ prevesti (prevede, preveo) translate
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, but the noun prijevod translation is used when needed.
This verb pair is used with objects in A, and optional destinations and origins:
Ana prevodi s engleskog. Ana translates from English.
Ana je prevela knjigu s engleskog na hrvatski. Ana has translated the book from English to Croatian.
Pay attention that languages use the preposition s¨ / sa¨ for origins and na¨ for destinations and locations.
There’s a potential adjective prevodljiv translatable.
The agent nouns are prevoditelj m / prevoditeljica f translatior. There’s another masc. noun: prevodilac (prevodioc-).
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This verb pair is traditionally used to tell narration, e.g. a story, or to talk about something; what is told is an object in A, and an optional recipient is in DL:
Ana je ispričala kratku priču Goranu. Ana told Goran a short story.
The object can be expressed with a noun clause:
Ivan je ispričao [što se dogodilo]. Ivan told [what has happened].
Colloquially, this verb pair also covers meanings expressed by pairs govoriti («) ~ reći (reče / kaže,...) speak, say, tell and razgovarati («) talk with someone, converse:
Pričala sam s Anom. (colloq.) I talked to Ana. {f}
There’s a potential adjective pričljiv, with a bit unexpected meaning: talkative, chatty.
↓ prihvaćati ~ prihvatiti accept
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This verb pair can be used with an object (what is accepted) in A:
Ana je prihvatila objašnjenje. Ana has accepted the explanation.
The verbs are often used with content clauses, starting with da, and using any tense, or with noun clauses, starting with forms of tko (k-) who and što (č-) what:
Ana ne prihvaća
[da mora čekati satima].
Ana doesn't accept [she has to wait for hours].
Ne prihvaćam [što su mi rekli]. I don't accept [what they told me].
There’s a potential adjective prihvatljiv acceptable.
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This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ivana je primila poruku . Ivana has received a message.
To specify sources, origins can be added (for persons: od¨ + G):
Ana je primila poruku iz banke.
Ana has received a message from the bank.
Ivana je primila poruku od Ane. Ivana has received a message from Ana.
The same meaning is often expressed in speech with dobivati («) ~ dobiti (dobije) get (a thing, a message, an idea).
Colloquially, this pair can mean take, start holding, grab, hold for a while:
Ana je primila Gorana za ruku . (colloq.) Ana took Goran by his hand. (or: took Goran’s hand)
In that meaning, the pair is used in the same ways as držati (drži) hold; keep.
There’s a phrase which corresponds to an English phrase, meaning express disbelief, dismay:
Ana se primila za glavu. (colloq.) Ana shook her head. (lit: ‘held her head’)
The meaning take, start holding, grab, hold for a while is not found in Bosnia or Serbia; the verb pair hvatati ~ uhvatiti catch and others are used instead.
↓ pripadati ~~ pripasti (pripadne, pripao) belong
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This verb is used to express belonging to someone or something (expressed in DL):
Auto pripada Ani. The car belongs to Ana.
The verb pripasti (pripadne) is ‘inchoative’, describing entering a state, and it’s hard to translate it to English:
Uloga je pripala Ani. Ana got the role.
This is frequently used metaphorically, when someone gets the following:
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čast honor nagrada award |
priznanje recognition, award uloga role |
† The present adverb pripadajući is sometimes used as a true adjective, meaning corresponding. It’s mostly used in official documents, contracts, etc.
The agent nouns are pripadnik m / pripadnica f member. They are mostly used in official documents, laws and like; they aren’t used for members of a club, but rather of ethnic groups, armed forces, police etc.
↓ pripremati («) ~ pripremiti («) prepare
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, priprema is used when needed.
The verb pair is used with objects in A, where English often uses verbs make:
Ana priprema ručak. Ana is preparing lunch.
You can also prepare someone (in A) for something (za¨ + A):
Ana priprema Gorana za školu. Ana is preparing Goran for school.
If you prepare on your own, e.g. like English get ready, you have to use se²:
Pripremamo se za vikend. We’re preparing for the weekend.
If you prepare (or prepare someone) to do something, it’s expressed by an clause (in any tense, present of perf. verbs stands for future) starting with da:
Pripremi se [da ćeš dugo čekati]. Prepare for a long wait.
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* There’s no regular verbal noun, proba is used when needed.
The verb is slightly colloquial. It’s usually used in the past or future tense, since it’s essentially perfective. It can be used with another verb in infinitive, which can have its objects, and so on:
Goran je probao stajati na jednoj nozi. Goran has tried to stand on one leg.
Unlike pokušavati («) ~ pokušati, this verb can be also used with objects in A; it also corresponds to English try on (for clothes) and try out (i.e. test):
Ivan je probao hlače. Ivan has tried the trousers on.
When trying food, it often corresponds to English taste:
Ana je probala kolač. Ana has tasted the cake.
↓ prodavati (prodaje) ~ prodati sell
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* There are alternative, non-standard forms of the present tense of the impf. verb (prodavam, etc.) and the pres. adv. (prodavajući). The impf. imperative has standard form which coincides with the perf. imperative, so prodavaj is actually more common.
** There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, prodaja is used when needed.
The verb pair is used with objects in A and optional recipients (i.e. buyers) in DL:
Ana je prodala kuću. Ana has sold the house.
Ana je prodala kuću Marku. Ana has sold the house to Marko.
With a se², in the present tense it corresponds to English on sale and Spanish se venda:
Kuća se prodaje. The house is on sale. (lit. ‘is being sold’)
The agent nouns are prodavač m / prodavačica f seller, always used for people who work in shops.
↓ prolaziti ~ proći (prođe,...) pass
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, prolazak (prolask-) is used when needed.
This pair is usually used without an object:
Zima je prošla. The winter passed.
As in English, it can be used with objects (in A) in meaning go past or across something:
Prošli smo njegovu kuću. We have passed his house.
This pair is not used in meaning pass ball, or pass salt: for that, the pair dodavati ~ dodati is used.
The past form of the perf. verb is used as a real adjective, in the meaning last, previous, past (as with other past forms used as adjectives, a form with -i, prošli is the basic form):
Prošla zima je bila hladna. The last/past winter was cold.
It’s a very common adjective, more common than English past. The phrase prošlo vrijeme means past tense.
The agent nouns are prolaznik m / prolaznica f passer-by.
↓ provjeravati («) ~ provjeriti check, verify
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* There’s no regular perf. verbal noun, provjera is used when needed.
This pair is usually used with content clauses – so any tense, but no perf. verbs in the present tense – normally formed out of questions:
Provjerio sam
[ima li mlijeka]. I’ve checked [if there’s any milk].
Ana provjerava [gdje je ključ]. Ana is checking [where the key is].
Provjeri
[do kad radi trgovina].
Check [‘until when’ the shop works]. (i.e. check the closing time)
Provjerit ću
[kod koga je knjiga].
I’ll check [‘at whom’ the book is]. (i.e. who has the book)
This pair can be also used with objects in A:
Provjerio sam kupaonicu. I’ve checked the bathroom. {m}
This verb has been likely borrowed from Russian.
↓ provoditi («) ~ provesti (provede, proveo) spend (time)
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This verb pair is used mostly to express spending time, e.g. holidays, afternoons, days, weekends etc. It’s used with locations:
Proveli smo dva dana u Dubrovniku. We spent two days in Dubrovnik.
This pair is not used for spending money or other resources; for such purposes, trošiti ~* po- («) is used.
↓ puniti ~* na- fill; charge (battery)
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This pair is used with objects in A:
Ana je napunila rezervoar. Ana has filled the (car) tank.
With a se², the meaning is mediopassive, that is, something happens or has happened to the subject, but we don’t know or won’t say who is causing it:
Kada se puni. The bathtub is filling.
This pair is also used for charging batteries, mobile phones etc.:
Ana je napunila mobitel. Ana charged her mobile phone. (lit. ‘filled’)
↓ puštati ~ pustiti release, let go, let
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The pair means release, let go and it’s used with objects in A:
Goran je pustio balon. Goran has let the balloon go.
Colloquially, it can be used to play music or movies:
Danas puštaju super pjesme. (colloq.) They play great songs today.
With atemporal da-clauses (using only present tense of both perf. and impf. verbs) it means let, allow; who is allowed to do something is still the object in A:
Ana je pustila psa [da trči]. Ana let the dog [run].
The subject of the da-clause must be the same as the object of the main clause:
Ana ih nije pustila [da se igraju noževima].
Ana didn’t let them [play with knives].
Sometimes, this construction is used with DL instead of A, which is colloquial:
Ana im nije pustila [da se igraju noževima]. (the same, but colloquial)
The last construction coincides completely with dopuštati («) ~ dopustiti («) allow, let.
This pair can also mean, colloquially, leave, in exactly the same way as ostavljati ~ ostaviti leave (things):
Pusti ga tamo. (colloq.) Leave it there. (or: him, depending on the context)
A very frequent use of that meaning is the special case of na miru:
Pusti me na miru! (colloq.) Leave me alone!
↓ putovati (putuje) ~ ot-, do- travel
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* There’s a very similar noun that’s spelled like the gerund (the only difference is the stress): putovanje travel.
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 depart 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 traveling.
The verbs are used with destinations and optionally origins:
Putujemo u Split. We’re traveling to Split.
Otputovali smo u Split. We’ve departed to Split.
Doputovali smo u Split. We’ve arrived in Split.
These verbs use ‘round trip’ time periods, i.e. na¨ + period, meaning you will return after that time period:
Otputovali smo na tri dana u Split.
We’ve departed to Split to spend three days there.
† The present adverb putujući is sometimes as a true adjective, meaning traveling.
The agent nouns are unexpectedly putnik m / putnica f traveler.
The rest: A-G • H-M • N-O • R-Š • T-Ž
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