Learn Bosnian  grammar :  Verbs

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The infinitive: the infinitive is the noun form of the verb.

Auxiliary: auxiliary verbs are used to form compound tenses of verbs,eg have in I have seen. An example of the auxiliary verb in Bosnian language is: 'To be' (biti)

Compound: compound tenses are verb tenses consisting of more than one element. In Bosnian, compound tenses are formed by the auxiliary verb and the past participle, e.g. he has written

Conditional: the conditional is introduced in English by the auxiliary would (I would come if I had time)

Imperative: the imperative is used for giving orders , eg be good, or making suggestions( eg let's go) Imperfect indicative: this verb indicates past habitual or continuos action(she was talking)

Indicative or simple: the normal form of the verb , as in' I am trying'

Past participle: this is the form usually used after the auxiliary 'have' in English I have eaten

Present participle: this is the form which ends in -ing in English e.g. going

Subjunctive: the subjunctive generally follows the conjunction after expressions of doubt, fear, emotion, etc.. eg if I were you

The Infinitive

Once you know some basic rules, verbs are easy to use. To repeat,there are three main groups of verb endings in Bosnian language:

verbs that end in -ati in the infinitive

verbs that end in -iti in the infinitive

verbs ending in -eti in the infinitive

In order to be able to conjugate other verbs, one has to know the form of the 1st person singular. Other verbs fall into the following patterns in the present tense.

Examples of the declension of the above mentioned regular verbs:

itati to read
Sjediti to sit
Poeti to begin

1) itati -- to read

Ja itam -- I am reading (or I read)
Ti ita -- You are reading
On/Ona/Ono ita -- He/She/It is reading
Mi itamo -- We are reading
Vi itate -- You (pl) are reading
Oni itaju --They are reading

2) Sjediti -- to sit

Ja sjedim -- I am sitting (or I sit)
Ti sjedi -- You are sitting
On/Ona/Ono sjedi -- He/She/It is sitting
Mi sjedimo -- We are sitting
Vi sjedite -- You (pl) are sitting
Oni sjede --They are sitting

3) Poeti -- to begin (something)

Ja poinjem -- I am beginning to (or I sit)
Ti poinje -- You are beginning to
On/Ona/Ono poinje -- He/She/It is beginning to
Mi poinjemo -- We are beginning to
Vi poinjete -- You (pl) are beginning to
Oni poinju --They are beginning to

The infinitive can be used:

after verbs of perception

I hear her playing. ujem je kako svira.

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1) This is the list of some most commonly used verbs ending in -iti:

Please note that there are two aspects of Bosnian verbs:the simple form that denotes a completed action and the second that denotes a continuos action.

Infinitive	Simple verb form	Continuous form
To appreciate	cijeniti
To break	slomiti	slamati
To buy	kupiti	kupovati
To close	zatvoriti	zatvarati
To cover	pokriti	pokrivati
To decrease	smanjiti	smanjivati
To do	raditi
To drink	piti
To drive	voziti
To explain	objasniti	objanjavati
To finish	zavriti	zavravati
To follow	pratiti
To grow	rasti
To hate	mrziti
To learn	uiti
To leave	ostaviti	ostavljati
To make	praviti
To open	otvoriti	otvarati
To put	staviti	stavljati
To receive	dobiti	dobivati
To resolve	rijeiti	rjeavati
To throw	baciti	bacati
To think	misliti	razmiljati

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2) Verbs ending on -ati:

Infinitive	Simple form	Continuous form
To admit	priznati
To believe	vjerovati
To call	zvati
To choose	izabrati	izabirati
To cook	kuhati
To create	stvarati
To cry	plakati
To describe	opisati	opisivati
To give	dati	davati
To have	imati
To hear	sluati
To increase	uveati	uveavati
To jump	skakati
To know	znati
To be scared of	bojati se
To laugh	smijati se
To rain	padati
To read	itati
To run	trati
To say	kazati	govoriti
To send	poslati
To sell	prodati	prodavati
To sleep	spavati
To talk	priati
To wait	ekati
To walk	hodati
To write	pisati

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3)Verbs ending in -eti

Infinitive	Simple form	Continuous form
To begin	poeti	poinjati
To bring	donijeti	donositi
To hold	drati
To live	ivjeti
To love	voljeti	viati
To see	vidjeti
To take	uzeti	uzimati
To understand	razumjeti	razumjevati
To want	htjeti

Note : As the verb itself is changed in the process of conjugation, the personal pronoun is usually ( in common speech) left out .

Illustrative example:
Ja sam priao. -- I was talking.
Priao sam -- I was talking.

Reflexive verbs

The reflexive verbs are used to give the idea of myself, yourself, himself, herself etc. When a verb is used reflexively it usually means that the action turns back to the subject, in which case a reflexive pronoun is used.

In the present tense, the reflexive verbs include: to wash oneself

Ja se kupam/la	I wash myself
Ti se kupa	You wash yourself
On se kupa	He washes himself
Mi se kupamo	We wash ourselves
Vi se kupate	You wash yourselves
Oni se kupaju	They wash temselves

Other common reflexive verbs used:

To remember	sjeati se
To get angry	ljutiti se
To get dressed/undressed	oblaiti se /skidati se
To get dirty	isprljati se
To rest	odmarati se
To consider (oneself)	smatrati se
To shave (oneself)	brijati se

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©Namira Bajraktarevic 2002