Language/Croatian/Grammar/Present-Tense-of-Irregular-Verbs

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◀️ Present Tense of Regular Verbs — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Common Activities ▶️

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Croatian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

Greetings, language learners! I am excited to teach you about the Present Tense of Irregular Verbs in Croatian. This lesson is part of the "Complete 0 to A1 Croatian Course" and is specifically tailored for beginners.

As you already know, the present tense is used to describe actions being performed currently. In previous lessons, you learned about the Present Tense of Regular Verbs. In this lesson, we will cover the Present Tense of Irregular verbs.

Irregular verbs are commonly used verbs that do not follow the typical conjugation rules that regular verbs follow. This means that you must memorize the conjugations for each irregular verb, and these verbs are often used in day-to-day speech.

Before we begin, it is essential to review the present tense endings. The endings are placed at the end of the stem (the part of the verb before the ending). Here is an example with the verb "gledati" (to watch):

| Present Tense Endings || | -am || Ja gledam (I watch) | | -aš || Ti gledaš (You watch) | | -a || On/Ona/Ono gleda (He/She/It watches) | | -amo || Mi gledamo (We watch) | | -ate || Vi gledate (You all watch) | | -aju || Oni/One/Ona gledaju (They watch) |

As you can see, the endings depend on the subject of the sentence. Now, let's move on to the irregular present tense verbs, starting with "biti" (to be).

"To Be" in Present Tense

"Biti" is a highly irregular verb that means "to be." In Croatian, "biti" conjugates differently than other verbs. Below is a table with the conjugations for "biti" in the Present Tense:

Croatian Pronunciation English
Ja sam ya sahm I am
Ti si tee see You are
On/Ona/Ono je ohn/ohana/ohono yeh He/She/It is
Mi smo mee smoh We are
Vi ste vee steh You all are
Oni/One/Ona su ohnee/ohneh/ohnah soo They are

It is important to note that the verb "biti" can be omitted in conversational Croatian when the context is already understood. For example, instead of saying "Ja sam student" (I am a student), you can just say "student" (a student). Let's move on to other common irregular verbs.

Other Common Irregular Verbs in Present Tense

Below is a list of other commonly used irregular verbs in the present tense, along with their conjugations. Memorizing these verbs and their conjugations will enable you to speak more fluently and confidently in Croatian.

  • "Imati" (to have)
Croatian Pronunciation English
Ja imam ya eemahm I have
Ti imaš tee eemash You have
On/Ona/Ono ima ohn/ohana/ohono eemah He/She/It has
Mi imamo mee eemamoh We have
Vi imate vee eematteh You all have
Oni/One/Ona imaju ohnee/ohneh/ohnah eemahyoo They have
  • "Htjeti" (to want)
Croatian Pronunciation English
Ja hoću ya hotchoo I want
Ti hoćeš tee hotchesh You want
On/Ona/Ono hoće ohn/ohana/ohono hotcheh He/She/It wants
Mi hoćemo mee hohchemoh We want
Vi hoćete vee hohcheteh You all want
Oni/One/Ona hoće ohnee/ohneh/ohnah hotchey They want
  • "Moći" (to can/may)
Croatian Pronunciation English
Ja mogu ya mohgoo I can/may
Ti možeš tee mohzesh You can/may
On/Ona/Ono može ohn/ohana/ohono mohzheh He/She/It can/may
Mi možemo mee mohzhemoh We can/may
Vi možete vee mohzheteh You all can/may
Oni/One/Ona mogu ohnee/ohneh/ohnah mohgoo They can/may
  • "Željeti" (to wish/want)
Croatian Pronunciation English
Ja želim ya zhelimm I wish/want
Ti želiš tee zheleesh You wish/want
On/Ona/Ono želi ohn/ohana/ohono zheleh He/She/It wishes/wants
Mi želimo mee zheleemoh We wish/want
Vi želite vee zhelehteh You all wish/want
Oni/One/Ona žele ohnee/ohneh/ohnah zheley They wish/want

It is important to memorize the different forms of each irregular verb in order to use them correctly. Here are a few examples of these verbs in sentences:

  • "Ja imam novi automobil." (I have a new car.)
  • "Ti ne želiš jesti meso." (You do not want to eat meat.)
  • "Ona hoće otići u kino." (She wants to go to the cinema.)
  • "Mi ne možemo doći na sastanak." (We cannot come to the meeting.)

Remember that practice makes perfect, and that by incorporating these verbs into everyday conversations, you will learn how to use them more naturally.

That's it for today's lesson! Remember to practice these verbs in sentences and to speak out loud. Memorization is key, and with enough practice, you will be able to use these verbs fluently and accurately.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson and found it useful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Until next time, sretno učenje Croatian (happy learning Croatian)!

Table of Contents - Croatian Course - 0 to A1


Greetings and Introductions


Nouns and Pronouns


Numbers and Time


Verbs and Tenses


Daily Activities


Adjectives and Adverbs


Food and Drink


Croatian Culture and Traditions

Videos

Learn Croatian - Present tense verbs #2 - YouTube

Other Lessons

Sources


◀️ Present Tense of Regular Verbs — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Common Activities ▶️

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