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This is the fifth part of a list of the most ‘useful’ Croatian verbs, containing 98 verbs. They are either listed individually, in verb pairs, and occasionally in triplets; this part contains 53 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:
↓ računati ~ iz- calculate, rely on
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* There are also rare regular forms of passive adjectives, but the forms with -t are at least 10 times more common.
The verb pair can be used with an object in A:
Ana je izračunala troškove. Ana has calculated the expenses.
With a mediopassive se², the impf. verb has a frequent meaning: something counts, i.e. something matters (or not, if negative):
I ovo se računa. This too counts.
To se ne računa. It doesn’t count.
(The last example is a quite frequent phrase.)
The impf. verb, when used with na¨ + A, has a similar meaning: count on, rely on:
Ana računa na Ivanu. Ana counts on Ivana.
The meanings count and rely apply only to the impf. verb.
↓ raditi ~ napraviti work, do, make
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* There’s no regular verbal noun, rad work is used when needed.
This verb is used with optional locations:
Ivan radi u bolnici. Ivan works in a hospital.
Ana radi do četiri. Ana works until 4 o’clock.
The perf. verb napraviti doesn’t cover the meaning work.
In questions, the verb is used as a generic verb, like English do:
Što radiš? What are you doing?
The perf. verb can be used in the generic sense, asking about the outcome:
Što si napravio? What have you done? {to a male}
The verb pair also means make; it’s used with objects in A. Such use of raditi is a bit colloquial:
Ivan radi salatu. Ivan is making a salad. (a bit colloquial)
Ivan je napravio salatu. Ivan has made a salad.
Impersonal mediopassive of the imperfective verb, with o¨ + DL, means it is/was about:
Radi se o kvaru na motoru. It’s about an engine fault.
The agent nouns are unexpectedly radnik m / radnica f worker.
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The impf. verb is used only for ongoing births or general statements.
The perf. verb is used with an object in A:
Ana je rodila Gorana. Ana gave birth to Goran.
Both verbs can be used 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:
Goran se rodio prije 10 godina. Goran was born 10 years ago.
(Note that the sentence above is in the past tense in Croatian.)
Instead of mediopassive, passive adjectives can be used:
Goran je rođen prije 10 godina. Goran was born 10 years ago.
(Note that the sentence above is in the present tense in Croatian.)
The agent noun is a very common noun roditelj parent, used for men and women, i.e. covering fathers too.
↓ rasti (raste, rastao, rasla) ~* na- (»), po- (») grow
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* There’s no regular impf. verbal noun, rast growth is used when needed.
These verbs are used with a subject in N only:
Drvo raste. A tree grows.
Metaphorically, other things – prices, sea levels and so on – can grow in Croatian:
Temperature rastu. Temperatures are rising. (lit. ‘growing’)
The perf. verb means something has grown to some degree (but it doesn’t imply it cannot grow more), while the impf. verb doesn’t imply any outcome:
Goran je narastao. Goran has grown.
Goran je rastao. Goran was growing.
↓ rastavljati ~ rastaviti take apart
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This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Goran je rastavio igračku. Goran took apart the toy.
The opposite meaning is expressed by sastavljati ~ sastaviti assemble (put parts together).
↓ razbijati («) ~ razbiti (razbije) break, smash, shatter, crash
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The main meaning of this verb is break in a way that something shatters or falls apart.
It’s used with objects in A:
Goran je razbio prozor. Goran has broken the window.
If something happens to the subject, and we don’t know who caused it (or we don’t want to say it), mediopassive se² is used:
Prozor se razbio. The window broke.
This verb pair is also used for body parts when they are injured with a lot of blood etc, like head, chin, elbows and knees. It can include broken bones, but the focus is on the visible damage.
This is also used when someone wrecks a car, or destroys something by external force, causing a lot of visible damage. It then contrasts with kvariti ~ po- («) break, spoil which implies an internal, invisible damage:
Auto je razbijen. The car is wrecked.
Auto je pokvaren. The car is broken. (engine or electrics don’t work)
Therefore, this pair is used only with certain objects; other uses of English break are covered by other verbs:
- for things that usually break in two (bone, tooth, stick...), use lomiti ~ s- break
- for damaging a mechanism (car engine, computer...) so it doesn’t work anymore, use kvariti ~ po- («) break, spoil
↓ razgovarati («) talk with someone, converse
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* There’s no regular verbal noun, razgovor conversation is used when needed.
This verb is used when more than one people talk, i.e. when they converse. For one-sided talk, govoriti («) is used.
Other sides of conversation are expressed with s¨ / sa¨ + I:
Razgovarao sam s Anom. I talked to Ana. {m}
Razgovarat ću s njima. I’ll talk to them.
The topic of conversation is expressed with o¨ + DL:
Razgovarali smo o Ivanu. We talked about Ivan.
Colloquially, the verb pričati ~* is- («) is used often instead.
↓ razmišljati («) ~ razmisliti think (about something)
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This verb pair is used in two ways. First, you can think about some thing or person, expressed with o¨ + DL:
Ana razmišlja o odmoru. Ana is thinking about vacation.
Then, you can think about doing something; this is usually expressed with an atemporal clause (i.e. da + a verb in present, either impf. or perf. + object etc.):
Ana razmišlja [da ode kući]. Ana is thinking [about going home].
↓ razumjeti (razumije,...) understand
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* In speech, the imperative is often shortened to razumi.
This verb can be used with an object (a person or something you understand or not) in A:
Ana nije razumjela problem. Ana didn’t understand the problem.
Ivana razumije Anu. Ivana understands Ana.
This verb is essentially perfective, i.e. duration cannot be normally expressed with it.
The verb is often used with content clauses, and using any tense:
Ana razumije [što je Ivana rekla]. Ana understands [what Ivana has said].
In comparison with a very similar verb pair shvaćati ~~ shvatiti, this verb is also used for physical understanding, e.g. over a noisy phone line.
There’s a potential adjective razumljiv understandable.
In ‘Ikavian’ regions of Croatia, this verb has often the form razumiti in speech.
↓ rezati (reže) ~* od-, pre- cut
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This pair has two perfective verbs: one with od- expresses cutting of a smaller piece from a larger piece (e.g. a slice of bread), while one with pre- means just cutting something in two (e.g. a rope).
Both perf. verbs have exactly the same form, just the prefix is different, so only one is listed.
What is cut or cut off is expressed in A:
Ana reže kruh. Ana is cutting bread.
Ana je odrezala komad kolača. Ana has cut off a piece of cake.
These verbs are using for cutting with knives, scissors and many other things.
The agent nouns are rezač m / rezačica f cutter. The masc. noun also covers various devices (cutters).
In ‘Ikavian’ regions of Croatia, this verb is usually used colloqually as rizati (riže).
In Serbia and eastern parts of Bosnia, these verbs are not used for cutting things with scissors (e.g. fingernails, hair) – other verbs are used instead.
↓
rješavati («) ~* riješiti solve (problem); se² get rid of
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* The perf. verbal noun rješenje is also used as a common noun, meaning solution (to some problem). It’s not used for chemical solutions and such things.
This verb pair is used with an object in A, with a bit wider use than the English verb:
Ana je riješila problem. Ana has solved the problem.
Goran mora riješiti zadaću. Goran has to complete the homework. (lit. ‘solve’)
With a se² and an object in G, the verb pair means get rid of:
Ana se riješila starog auta. Ana got rid of the old car.
There’s a potential adjective rješiv solvable.
In ‘Ikavian’ regions of Croatia, this pair is usually used colloqually as rišavati («) ~* rišiti (riši).
↓ rušiti ~*/~ s- demolish, tear down
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This verb pair is used with an object in A:
Vjetar je srušio stablo. The wind has knocked down the tree.
With a se² the meaning is mediopassive, something falls down, collapses:
Kuća se srušila. The house collapsed.
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This verb can be used in three ways. First, you can dream of some thing (expressed in A):
Sanjao sam tebe. I dreamed of you. {m}
You can also dream about something, expressed as o¨ + DL in Croatian (but this is less common):
Sanjao sam o ovome. I dreamed about this. {m}
Finally, you can dream of anything, expressed by a content clause in Croatian, matching an English clause:
Ana sanja [da je na odmoru]. Ana is dreaming [she’s on vacation].
↓ sastajati (sastaje) se² ~¹ sastati (sastane) se² meet (longer meeting, planned)
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* There’s no regular smlf. verbal noun, the noun sastanak (sastank-) meeting is used when needed.
This verb pair is always used with se². The subjects meet:
Ana i Ivana su se sastale. Ana and Ivana met.
Another way to express another party is with s¨/sa¨ + I:
Ana se sastala s Ivanom. Ana met Ivana.
The verb sastati (sastane) se² is ‘semelfactive’, i.e. it stands for a single meeting, while the impf. verb implies ongoing or repeating events in past and future.
This pair is today mostly used for business and official meetings. Other meetings are usually expressed in speech with the verb pair nalaziti ~¹/~ naći (nađe,...) find.
The pair implies a planned meeting; for accidental or brief meetings, the pair sretati (sreće) ~ sresti (sretne, sreo) is used.
↓ sastavljati ~ sastaviti assemble (put parts together)
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This verb pair is used with objects in A:
Ana je sastavila igračku. Ana assembled the toy.
The perf. passive adjective sastavljen can be used to express what (or how many) parts something has, using od¨ + G:
Igračka je sastavljena od tri dijela. The toy consists of three parts.
Colloquially, same meaning is sometimes expressed with the multi-purpose slagati (slaže) ~ složiti arrange, put together; se² agree.
The opposite meaning is expressed by rastavljati ~ rastaviti take apart.
↓ savijati («) ~ saviti (savije) fold, bend
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The main meaning of this verb is bend, but it’s not used when a road or river bends (i.e. when something is permanenty not straight).
The most common use is when something is happening to the subject, and we don’t know who caused it (or we don’t want to say it), so mediopassive se² is used:
Grane se savijaju na vjetru. The branches bend in the wind.
(In this example, na¨ + DL is used in meaning ‘exposure to elements’.)
When someone or something bends some object, it’s expressed with in A:
Goran ne može saviti ruku. Goran can’t bend his arm.
Vjetar savija grane. The wind is bending the branches.
↓ shvaćati ~~ shvatiti understand
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This verb pair can be used with an object (a person or something you understand or not) in A:
Ana nije shvatila problem. Ana didn’t understand the problem.
Ivana shvaća Anu. Ivana understands Ana.
The verbs are often used with content clauses, starting with da, and using any tense:
Ana shvaća
[da nema dovoljno novca].
Ana understands [she doesn’t have enough money].
In imperative, the ‘inchoative’ verb is almost always used:
Shvati to! Understand that!
This verb pair is very similar to razumjeti (razumije,...) understand; however, this pair doesn’t cover understanding a language, a less familiar word, or understanding what was said over a noisy phone line, while razumjeti (razumije,...) understand covers all these meanings as well. Interestingly, this verb pair is more common in speech.
There’s a potential adjective shvatljiv understandable.
The impf. verb is used in a slightly different form, shvatati, in Serbia.
↓ sjećati se² ~~ sjetiti se² remember (recall, come to mind)
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This verb pair is virtually always used with se².
Unlike English, Croatian distinguishes storing into memory from retrieving something from memory; this verb pair expresses only retrieving. If you can get a fact from your memory, it’s expressed with the impf. verb and a content clause (using any tense):
Sjećam se [gdje je auto]. I recall [where the car is]. (I can get it from my memory)
The ‘inchoative’ verb sjetiti se² in past tense is often used to express that you have recalled something just now (and previously you couldn’t):
Sjetila sam se [gdje je auto]. I remember now [where the car is]. {f}
This verb has ‘inchoative’ meaning, since from the moment you recall something, you are aware of it. Therefore, it corresponds to English come to mind.
It’s also very common to use this verb when you remembered (or didn’t) to do something (expressed in infinitive, with possible objects, etc.) If you failed to do something, it’s not necessarily permanent loss of memory:
Jesi li se sjetio zatvoriti prozor? Did you remember to close the window? {to a male}
Nisam se sjetio zatvoriti prozor. I didn’t remember to close the window. {m}
A similar meaning is expressed with zaboraviti perf. forget as well:
Zaboravio sam zatvoriti prozor. I forgot to close the window. {m}
If you just recall somebody or something, it’s expressed as an object in G:
Ana se sjetila Ivane. Ivana came to Ana’s mind.
Storing into memory, i.e. memorizing, is expressed by pamtiti ~~ za- memorize, bear in mind.
↓ sjedati ~ sjesti (sjedne, sjeo) sit down
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This verb pair is dynamic sit down, in contrast to sjediti, which is static sit.
This pair is used with optional destinations. The perf. verb is mostly used (its relation with sjediti sit is start-of-state, i.e. ‘inchoative’):
Ana je sjela. Ana has sat down.
Ana je sjela na kauč. Ana has sat down on the couch.
In Zagreb and the surrounding regions, this pair can be used with a se²; this is regarded as colloquial today, but you’ll see it sometimes in writing:
Ana se sjela. (colloquial, regional) Ana has sat down.
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This verb is static, imperfective, i.e. it expresses continuous sitting somewhere (expressed as an optional location):
Ana sjedi. Ana is sitting.
Ana sjedi na kauču. Ana is sitting on the couch.
The verb is quite similar to sjesti (sjedne, sjeo) perf. sit down; however, the perf. verb doesn’t have the -i-, and has -n- in the present tense.
Sometimes, in older literature, this verbs appears as sjedjeti (sjedi,...).
↓ skretati (skreće) ~ skrenuti (skrene) turn (change direction)
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* The verbal noun means also turn (in traffic).
This verb pair is mostly used when turning while driving:
Ana je skrenula lijevo. Ana has turned left.
↓ skidati ~ skinuti (skine) take off, take down, remove
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With things placed in places that use the preposition na¨, this pair is the opposite of stavljati ~ staviti put (things somewhere). It uses objects in A and origins:
Ana je skinula sliku sa zida. Ana has removed the picture from the wall.
This verb pair is very often used as the opposite of oblačiti («) ~ obući (obuče,...) put on (clothes). Clothes taken off are expressed in A:
Goran je skinuo majicu. Goran has taken his T-shirt off.
In this use, you can express that somebody is taking clothes off from someone else. The person taking the clothes off is the subject (in N), and the person undressed is in DL:
Ana je skinula Goranu majicu. Ana has taken Goran’s T-shirt off.
Conversely, with a se², the meaning is simply undress, take off clothes:
Goran se skida. Goran is undressing.
When you are taking clothes from yourself, sometimes sa sebe from himself/herself/themselves will be added, with no change in meaning:
Goran je skinuo majicu sa sebe. Goran has taken his T-shirt off.
↓ sklapati ~ sklopiti fold; assemble; conclude (an agreement)
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This verb pair is used with objects in A, which can be many things. First, things that can be folded, converted to a more compact configuration, such as umbrellas, parasols, swiss knives, foldable chairs and like:
Goran je sklopio kišobran. Goran has folded the umbrella.
With a se², there’s the usual mediopassive meaning, something folds, or can be folded:
Sjedala se sklapaju. The seats fold.
Next, the verb pair can be used in the meaning put together, assemble:
Ana je sklopila policu za knjige. Ana assembled the bookshelf.
This use could be a bit colloquial; the same meaning is more precisely expressed with the verb pair sastavljati ~ sastaviti assemble (put parts together).
Third, it’s used idiomatically to make alliances, conclude contracts and agreements:
Stranke su sklopile sporazum. The parties concluded an agreement.
There’s a potential adjective sklopiv collapsible, foldable, which is also used in the alternative, less common form sklopljiv.
↓ skupljati ~ skupiti collect, gather; se² shrink
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This verb pair is used with an object in A when you collect something, gather people, etc.:
Goran skuplja grančice. Goran is collecting little twigs.
Ana je skupila susjede. Ana has gathered her neighbors.
With a se², there’s mediopassive meaning, something or somebody gathers:
Prijatelji su se skupili. Friends have gathered.
When the subject is cloth, clothes, with a se², the meaning is shrink:
Majica se skupila. The T-shirt has shrunk.
The agent nouns are skupljač m / skupljačica f collector. The masc. noun also covers some devices (collectors).
The perf. verb has an alternative form sakupiti, which is more common in Bosnia and Serbia.
↓ slagati (slaže) ~ složiti arrange, put together; se² agree
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This multi-purpose verb pair has the basic meaning arrange. It can be used to arrange anything, either for storage, or for use, expressed as objects in A:
Ana je složila knjige. Ana has arranged books.
It can be used both with locations (if something is already there, just not arranged) and destinations (if something is put there):
Složila je knjige na policu. She’s arranged the books on the shelf. (put them there)
Složila je knjige na polici. (the same, but the books were already there)
With a se², when the subject is people, this pair means go along well, agree:
Oni se slažu. They agree. (or: go along)
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This pair is used with an object in A, and an optional recipient in DL:
Ana je poslala Ivani poruku. Ana has sent a message to Ivana.
The matching verbs on the receiving side are primati ~ primiti receive or more colloquial, dobivati («) ~ dobiti (dobije) get (a thing, a message, an idea).
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This verb means follow, but not in the same way as pratiti.
It’s often used when something comes after something else in a time schedule, usually without an object:
Film slijedi nakon vijesti. The movie ‘follows’ after the news.
It’s also used when someone literally follows someone, expressed in A:
Netko me slijedi. Someone is following me.
↓ slikati ~* na- paint (picture), take (photo)
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This verb pair has a simple meaning – make a painting or a photo.
This verb pair is used with an optional object in A (mandatory for the perf. verb) expressing who or what is going to be on a painting of a photo:
Ana je slikala Gorana. Ana took a picture of Goran.
Slikaj nas! Take a picture of us!
When someone takes a picture of themselves, se² is used:
Slikali smo se. We took a photo of us.
The perfective verb is used only when making a painting is completed, never for taking a photo!
The verb uzeti (uzme) perf. take (something) is not used in Croatian for "taking photos".
The agent nouns are slikar m / slikarica f painter, used only for people who make paintings.
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This verb is used with objects in A:
Goran sluša radio. Goran is listening to the radio.
The agent nouns are slušatelj m / slušateljica f listener. Another noun is used too: slušalac (slušaoc-).
↓ smanjivati (smanjuje) ~ smanjiti decrease, diminish
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This verb pair is usually used with a se², when something decreases:
Buka se smanjila. The noise decreased.
↓ smetati ~¹ za- («) disturb, bother, be a nuisance
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* There’s no regular smlf. verbal noun, the noun smetnja is used when needed.
This pair is similar to sviđati se² ~~ svidjeti (svidi,...) se² like: what causes disturbance is the subject, and who is disturbed is an object in DL:
Buka mi smeta. The noise is disturbing me.
What is disturbing can be expressed with a clause starting with što (all tenses are allowed, but no perf. verbs in present) – the clause is the subject then:
Ani smeta [što mora čekati]. lit. Ana is bothered [by having to wait].
Colloquially, the person affected can be in A (some consider this a ‘mistake’):
Buka me smeta. (colloq., controversial) The noise is disturbing me.
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This verb is always used with se²; to laugh at somebody/something, use DL:
Goran se smije. Goran is laughing.
Goran se smije Ani. Goran is laughing at Ana.
↓ smjeti (smije,...) may, be allowed to
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This verb is usually used in negative, when somebody is not allowed to do something, with another verb in infinitive, which can have its objects and so on:
Ne smiješ skakati po krevetu. You must not jump on the bed.
In everyday language, as in English, to express non-negated meaning is allowed, the verb moći (može +,...) can is used.
In some Croatian regions and neigboring countries (Bosnia, Serbia) this verb also means dare; this meaning is archaic in most of Croatia, the verb pair usuđivati (usuđuje) se² ~ usuditi («) se² dare is used to express that meaning.
↓ snimati ~ snimiti record (video, sound)
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This verb pair has the basic meaning of recording sound and/or video on some device.
The verb pair is used for recording videos and movies; what is taken is in A:
Ana je snimila Gorana kako pliva. Ana took a video of Goran swimming.
It's also used with any kind of sound recording:
Gibonni je snimio novi album. Gibonni recorded a new album.
It can be also used for photos:
Ana je snimila dvije fotografije. Ana took two photos.
To take pictures of people, use slikati ~* na- paint (picture), take (photo).
The verb uzeti (uzme) perf. take (something) is not used in Croatian for "taking photos".
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This verb pair is used with objects in A, and destinations – where the object is connected to:
Ana je spojila radio u struju.
Ana has connected the radio to power. (lit. ‘into current’)
There’s a potential adjective spojiv connectable.
↓ spavati ~~ zaspati (zaspi) sleep
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* The perf. verb zaspati has alternative, non-standard present forms (e.g. pres-3 zaspe, etc.) that are quite common in more eastern regions of Croatia (and in Serbia, but they aren’t accepted as standard anywhere).
This verb is used without objects:
Goran spava. Goran is sleeping.
The perf. verb is ‘inchoative’; it usually corresponds to English fall asleep:
Goran je brzo zaspao. Goran quickly fell asleep.
There’s a secondary present adjective spavaći, used almost exclusively in the phrase spavaća soba, lit. ‘sleeping room’, i.e. bedroom.
The agent nouns are spavač m / spavačica f sleeper.
↓
sprečavati («) ~ spriječiti prevent [/u/c]
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Coming soon...
↓ spremati ~ spremiti tidy; put to its place, store; prepare
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This versatile verb pair has the basic meaning: bring something/someone to the optimal/requested state. It’s basically used for three things:
First, to put things (expressed in A) back to their places, e.g. if a book is out of its usual place (shelf), a toy is out of the box, etc.:
Spremio sam knjige. I’ve put the books back in place. {m}
If the place is expressed, it’s a destination:
Spremio sam knjige na policu. I’ve put the books back to the shelf. {m}
Then, this pair covers the meanings prepare. It’s used with an object in A:
Spremio sam ručak. I’ve prepared lunch. {m}
With a se², it means get ready, prepare oneself:
Spremio sam se. I’ve prepared (myself). {m}
The same meaning is expressed also by pripremati («) ~ pripremiti («) prepare.
Finally, the third meaning is tidy, again used with an object in A:
Spremio sam sobu. I’ve tidied the room. {m}
The agent nouns are spremač m / spremačica f cleaning person.
There’s a related adjective spreman (spremn-) ready.
↓ sretati (sreće) ~ sresti (sretne, sreo) meet (briefly, accidentally)
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* There’s no regular perfective verbal noun, susret encounter, meeting is used when needed.
This verb pair is used when someone accidentally meets someone (expressed as an object in A):
Ana je jučer srela Mariju. Ana came across Marija yesterday.
With a se², it implies either an accidental, or a planned, but brief meeting, where the subjects meet:
Ana i Marija su se jučer srele. Ana and Marija met briefly yesterday.
Another option is that the subject meets someone expressed by s¨ / sa¨ + I (a se² is still required):
Ana se jučer srela s Marijom. Ana met Marija briefly yesterday.
This pair is used for accidental or brief meetings.
- for planned meetings, the verb pair nalaziti ~¹/~ naći (nađe,...) find is often used in speech
- for official or business meetings, the verb pair sastajati (sastaje) se² ~¹ sastati (sastane) se² meet (longer meeting, planned) is preferred
↓ stajati (staje) ~ stati (stane) stop, come to halt
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This verb is used for dynamic standing, i.e. going to stand somewhere; it’s used without objects and with optional destinations (unlike in English):
Goran je stao. Goran stopped.
Goran je stao na krevet. Goran has stood on the bed. (Croatian: a destination!)
It can be also used when a noun, standing for some process or activity, stops. It can mean a temporary halt, it can start again at any time. (Stopping permanently is expressed by prestajati (prestaje) ~ prestati (prestane) stop, cease.)
Kiša je stala. The rain stopped.
The perfective verb has a derived meaning: fit, again used with destinations. In this meaning, the perfective verb is normally used in the present tense, including the true present, i.e. the moment of speaking:
Goran ne stane u hlače. Goran doesn’t fit into the pants. (Croatian: a destination!)
Knjiga ne stane na policu. The book doesn’t fit on the shelf.
Knjiga nije stala na policu. The book didn’t fit on the shelf.
Kofer nije stao u ormar. The suitcase didn’t fit in the closet.
The affected person can be added in DL (note that knjiga book is the subject):
Ani knjiga ne stane na policu. Ana can’t fit the book on the shelf.
The meaning fit of the perf. verb is very restricted: only be not too big.
- to express these pants fit you perfectly, use stajati (stoji)
- to express be suitable, fit the job, use odgovarati («) ~ odgovoriti («)
- to express fit in with the crowd etc., other verbs are used
Sometimes, in older literature and in speech in Dalmatia and maybe some other parts, this pair used with another impf. verb in inf, meaning start:
Stala je pričat. She started talking. (literature, Dalmatia)
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This verb is used for static standing; there are optional locations, but no objects:
Goran stoji. Goran is standing.
Goran stoji na krevetu. Goran is standing on the bed.
Ana stoji pred kućom. Ana is standing in front of the house.
The verb also expresses where something is, where something is kept:
Noževi stoje u ladici. Knives ‘stand’ in the drawer. (i.e. are kept)
This verb is also – maybe a bit colloquially – used to express how some clothes fit someone; the clothing item is the subject, the affected person is in DL, and there’s an adverb:
Cipele mu odlično stoje. The shoes fit him great.
Ovo mi loše stoji. This fits me badly. (speaking about a piece of clothes/outfit)
Sometimes, in writing, this verb is used to express cost. That’s very rare in speech and casual writing:
Knjiga stoji 100 kuna. (formal, rare in speech) The book costs 100 kuna.
A much more common way to express this meaning is koštati cost.
† The present adverb stojeći is also used as a true adjective, meaning standing, stationary.
There’s a secondary present adjective stajaći standing, mostly used for stajaća vojska standing army and stajaća voda standing water. Note that these meanings are unlike other secondary present adjectives, which have ‘used for’ meanings. Compare:
| kupaći kostim | = costume used for bathing |
| pisaći stol | = desk used for writing |
| spavaća soba | = room used for sleeping |
In comparison, stajaća voda is not ‘water for standing’, but ‘water which is standing’.
↓ stavljati ~ staviti put (things somewhere)
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This pair is used with objects in A, and destinations (unlike in English!) for where you put something:
Stavio sam pivo u frižider. I’ve put the beer in the fridge. {m} (Croatian: a destination!)
This verb is used for putting things anywhere, temporary or permanently; to stress that something is put to a more permanent place, where something is kept, use spremati ~ spremiti tidy; put to its place, store; prepare.
For example, you could use either pair to put the beer in the fridge, while you would use only stavljati ~ staviti to put the beer on the table!
This pair is used only for literally putting things in some place, while English put has many other uses. Common metaphorical uses of put are expressed in the following way in Croatian:
- to put something in order, use spremati ~ spremiti tidy; put to its place, store; prepare
- to put someone at risk, use dovoditi («) ~ dovesti (dovede, doveo) bring (someone)
- to put effort into something, use ulagati (ulaže) ~ uložiti («) invest, put in (effort, time)
The opposite action is represented by:
- for places using u¨: vaditi ~ iz- take out, pull out
- for places using na¨: skidati ~ skinuti (skine) take off, take down, remove
Another option is uzimati ~ uzeti (uzme) take (something), with no restrictions.
↓ stizati (stiže) ~ stići (stigne,...) get, arrive, make on time
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This verb pair means reaching a point in space, time or both; what is reached is expressed as a destination:
Ana je stigla na posao. Ana has arrived to work.
Using this pair with negation usually implies reaching something too late, or not reaching at all (depending on the context):
Ana nije stigla na sastanak. Ana didn't get to the meeting (on time).
It can also be used with another verb in infinitive, which can have its objects, and so on, to express that somebody had time to do something; it’s usually used in negative:
Ana nije stigla kupiti kruh. Ana had no time to buy bread.
Finally, it can be used with objects in A, meaning someone catches up with someone else:
Goran je stigao Anu. Goran has caught up with Ana.
↓ strpiti se² / strpjeti se² perf. wait patiently
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* Forms with -je- are very rare in real life – more than 30 times less than forms with -i-, which you’ll find in newspapers and books – but the standard still insists on the forms with -je-.
** The verbal noun strpljenje is also used as a common noun, meaning patience.
The verb is used without any object, but often with a time period or time clause:
Strpio sam se jednu godinu. I waited patiently for a year. {m}
Strpi se! Be patient!
There’s a frequently used potential adjective, with a bit unexpected meaning: strpljiv patient.
This verb is perfective, so it’s mostly used in past and future tenses. There is no exact imperfective counterpart; if you need to express this meaning in the true present tense, you can use the verb čekati with the adverb strpljivo.
↓ sudjelovati (sudjeluje) participate [u/c]
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This verb is usually used with an object expressed with u¨ + DL:
(todo example)
It can be also used without any objects:
(todo example)
Actor: sudionik, sudionica
↓ sumnjati ~¹/~~ po- («) doubt, have doubts, suspect
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* There’s no regular impf. verbal noun, sumnja suspicion is used when needed.
A lot of speakers pronounce all forms of these verbs with -mlj- (e.g. sumljao), and the related noun as sumlja. This is considered non-standard, despite such forms being listed in some dictionaries for centuries.
These verbs are often used with u + A, expressing what is suspicious:
Ana sumnja u priču. Ana has doubts about the story. (lit. ‘suspects the story’)
These verbs can be also used with content clauses, starting with da:
Ne sumnjam [da će padati kiša]. I have no doubt [it will rain].
The verb posumnjati («) is used as ‘semelfactive’ (suspect for a short while, doubt for a moment), but sometimes also as ‘inchoative’ (start suspecting, start doubting), depending on the context.
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These verbs are often used with a se², mediopassively, i.e. something dries ‘on its own’:
Majica se suši. The T-shirt is drying.
Sometimes the verbs can be used with an object in A, when someone actively dries something, which is also used for blowing hair:
Ana suši kosu fenom. Ana is ‘drying’ her hair with a blow-dryer.
↓ sviđati se² ~~ svidjeti (svidi,...) se² like
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This verb pair is always used with a se². Cases are in the ‘reverse’ mode: what is liked is the subject (in N), and who likes is expressed in DL:
Ani se sviđa Ivan. Ana likes Ivan.
The perf. verb is ‘inchoative’, i.e. it means start to like, but it’s also used for an instant impression you like something:
Ani se svidio film. Ana liked the movie.
This is often used to like something on social media.
The subject (i.e. what someone likes) can be a verb in inf, possibly with its objects and so on:
Ani se svidjelo piti čaj ujutro. Ana liked drinking tea in the morning.
The subject can be also an adverb:
Ani se svidjelo tamo. Ana liked it there. / Ana liked being there.
Pay attention that in both constructions (inf and an adverb as the subject), the verb must be in neuter singular.
This verb has a bit different meaning than English like – it sometimes corresponds to English love.
For more information, see voljeti (voli,...) ~~ za- («) love.
↓ svirati ~* od- («) ~~ za- («) play (music)
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The impf verb used with an optional object in A, which can be a song or an instrument:
Ana svira. Ana is playing.
Ana svira gitaru. Ana is playing a guitar.
Like in English, the verbs have ‘middle’ use without a se²:
Svirala je neka dosadna glazba. Some boring music was playing.
(This is exceptional, as only a few verbs in Croatian show that behavior.)
In the last example, the subject was placed after the verb, to emphasize indefiniteness.
Two perfective verbs are a perfective completion verb, for playing something to the end, and an ‘inchoative’ verb, meaning start playing. The completion verb, as usual, requires an object in A:
Ana je zasvirala. Ana started playing (music).
Goran je odsvirao pjesmu. Goran has played a song. (from start to end)
The agent nouns are svirač m / sviračica f musician.
↓ svlačiti ~ svući (svuče,...) take off (clothes)
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Clothes taken off expressed in A:
Goran je svukao majicu. Goran has taken his T-shirt off.
You can express that somebody is taking clothes off someone else. The person putting the clothes on is the subject (in N), and the person getting undressed is in DL:
Ana je svukla Goranu majicu. Ana has taken a T-shirt off Goran.
With a se², the meaning is reflexive; it’s assumed someone is taking his or her clothes off:
Goran se svukao. Goran has taken his clothes off.
This meaning is also expressed, a bit colloquially, with the pair skidati ~ skinuti (skine) take off, take down, remove.
The opposite meaning is expressed by the verb pair oblačiti («) ~ obući (obuče,...) put on (clothes).
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This verb pair is always used with a se². It can be used without any object:
Ivan se našalio. Ivan joked.
It can be also used with a content clause, i.e. a da-clause in any tense (but no perf. verbs in present):
Goran se šali [da je dinosaur]. Goran is joking [he’s a dinosaur].
There’s a potential adjective šaljiv, with a bit unexpected meaning: funny, used for people who like to make jokes (but not for things that are funny).
↓ šetati (šeće / šeta) ~* pro- («) stroll, walk
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This verb pair with se² expresses casual walking; the se² is often left out, which was considered non-standard in the past:
Goran šeće. Goran is walking.
Goran se šeće. (the same, a bit more formal)
It’s possible to walk someone (an object in A) but that again must be for their pleasure; normally it’s used for children and dogs:
Ivan šeće psa. Ivan is walking his dog.
↓ šutiti / šutjeti ~~ za- («) be silent
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* Although forms with -jeti are standard, simplified forms with -iti are very often used as well.
** There’s no regular impf. verbal noun; šutnja silence (because nobody is speaking) is used when needed.
The verbs are used without any objects:
Ana šuti. Ana is silent.
The verb zašutjeti is ‘inchoative’, i.e. it means fall silent, stop talking:
Goran je zašutio. Goran fell silent.
There’s a potential adjective šutljiv, with a bit unexpected meaning: silent, quiet (person).
In Serbia and parts of Bosnia, another verb covers this meaning: ćutati (ćuti) ~~ za- («), which is rarely used in Croatia.
The rest: A-G • H-M • N-O • P • T-Ž
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