Present Active Participles (Glagolski prilozi sadašnji)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the present active participle to describe an action happening at the same time as the main verb, always ending in '-ći'.
- Only use imperfective verbs (e.g., 'pjevati' -> 'pjevajući').
- Form it by adding '-ći' to the 3rd person plural present (oni pjevaju + ći).
- The subject of the participle must be the same as the main verb.
Formation of Present Active Participle
| Infinitive | 3rd Person Plural (Present) | Participle Form | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
pjevati
|
pjevaju
|
pjevajući
|
singing
|
|
raditi
|
rade
|
radeći
|
working
|
|
ići
|
idu
|
idući
|
going/next
|
|
pisati
|
pišu
|
pišući
|
writing
|
|
gledati
|
gledaju
|
gledajući
|
watching
|
|
spavati
|
spavaju
|
spavajući
|
sleeping
|
|
trčati
|
trče
|
trčeći
|
running
|
|
govoriti
|
govore
|
govoreći
|
speaking
|
Meanings
An invariable verbal form used to express an action that occurs simultaneously with the action of the main verb in a sentence.
Simultaneous Action
Expressing that two actions are happening at the exact same time.
“Pjevajući pod tušem, zaboravio je na vrijeme.”
“Gledajući film, jeli su kokice.”
Manner
Describing the way or manner in which the main action is performed.
“Došao je kući trčeći.”
“Odgovorila je smijući se.”
Cause or Reason
Indicating the reason why the main action is happening (equivalent to 'since' or 'because').
“Znajući da kasni, požurio je na kolodvor.”
“Vjerujući u uspjeh, naporno je radio.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
3rd Plural + -ći
|
Oni plešu -> plešući
|
|
Negative
|
ne + participle
|
ne znajući (not knowing)
|
|
Reflexive
|
participle + se
|
smijući se (laughing)
|
|
With Object
|
participle + object
|
čitajući knjigu (reading a book)
|
|
Manner
|
verb + participle
|
Došao je plačući (He came crying)
|
|
Time
|
participle, main verb
|
Šetajući, sreo sam ga (While walking, I met him)
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Ušao je u prostoriju smijući se. (entering a room)
Ušao je u sobu smijući se. (entering a room)
Uletio je u sobu smijući se. (entering a room)
Uletio je unutra s cerom na licu. (entering a room)
The Simultaneous Action Map
Requirements
- Nesvršeni glagoli Imperfective verbs
- Isti subjekt Same subject
Functions
- Istovremenost Simultaneity
- Način Manner
Present vs. Past Participle
Can I use the -ći form?
Is the verb imperfective?
Is the subject the same as the main verb?
Beispiele nach Niveau
On ide pjevajući.
He goes singing.
Smijući se, ona priča.
Laughing, she talks.
Jedući, gledamo TV.
Eating, we watch TV.
Oni hodaju pričajući.
They walk talking.
Radeći u vrtu, našao sam ključ.
Working in the garden, I found a key.
Ne znajući put, pitao sam prolaznika.
Not knowing the way, I asked a passerby.
Slušajući radio, on kuha ručak.
Listening to the radio, he cooks lunch.
Trčeći u školu, vidjela je prijateljicu.
Running to school, she saw a friend.
Putujući Europom, naučio sam mnogo.
Traveling through Europe, I learned a lot.
Razmišljajući o problemu, dobio sam ideju.
Thinking about the problem, I got an idea.
Čekajući autobus, čitao je novine.
Waiting for the bus, he read the newspaper.
Vjerujući u sebe, pobijedila je.
Believing in herself, she won.
Nastojeći popraviti situaciju, nazvao je šefa.
Striving to fix the situation, he called the boss.
Ne mareći za kišu, nastavili su šetnju.
Not caring about the rain, they continued their walk.
Sumnjajući u istinu, postavljao je pitanja.
Doubting the truth, he kept asking questions.
Gledajući s vrha planine, osjećao se slobodno.
Looking from the top of the mountain, he felt free.
Analizirajući podatke, uočili smo trend.
Analyzing the data, we noticed a trend.
Pretpostavljajući najgore, pripremili su se.
Assuming the worst, they prepared themselves.
Žudeći za promjenom, napustio je grad.
Longing for change, he left the city.
Oklijevajući pred vratima, duboko je udahnuo.
Hesitating before the door, he took a deep breath.
Interpretirajući tekst, kritičar je bio oštar.
Interpreting the text, the critic was harsh.
Zanemarujući očite dokaze, sudac je pogriješio.
Ignoring obvious evidence, the judge made a mistake.
Reflektirajući o prošlosti, napisao je memoare.
Reflecting on the past, he wrote memoirs.
Insinuirajući krivnju, tužitelj je počeo govor.
Insinuating guilt, the prosecutor began the speech.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners try to use the participle as the main verb (e.g., 'I am working').
Mixing up -ći (ongoing) and -vši (completed).
Using the participle to describe a noun (The singing bird).
Häufige Fehler
Ja sam pjevajući.
Ja pjevam.
Oni su radeći.
Oni rade.
Pjevajući, on je sretan.
On je sretan dok pjeva.
Vidi pjevajući pticu.
Vidi pticu koja pjeva.
Došavšići kući...
Dolazeći kući...
Pojedući jabuku...
Jedući jabuku...
On spava pjevajući.
On spava i sanja.
Čitajući knjigu, mama je kuhala.
Dok sam čitao knjigu, mama je kuhala.
Radeći cijeli dan, on je umoran.
Budući da je radio cijeli dan, umoran je.
On je došao trčajući.
On je došao trčeći.
Ne mareći za ništa...
Ne mareći ni za što...
Budući pijan...
Pijan...
Satzmuster
___ (participle), ___ (main verb).
Ne ___ (negative participle), ___ (main verb).
Glavni glagol + ___ (participle of manner).
Budući da ___ (participle phrase), ___.
Real World Usage
Uživajući u suncu! ☀️
Miješajte neprestano dodajući vodu.
Radeći na tom projektu, stekao sam iskustvo.
Izvještavajući uživo, vidimo velike gužve.
Gledajući kroz prozor, razmišljao je o njoj.
Trčeći prema golu, igrač je pao.
The 'They' Test
Aspect Check
Invariable Magic
Formal Flair
Smart Tips
Try replacing 'Dok + verb' with the '-ći' form to sound more like a native speaker.
Use a participle of manner like 'trčeći' (running) or 'plačući' (crying).
Don't forget to keep the 'se' after the participle!
Use 'Budući da...' (Being that...) to explain a reason concisely.
Aussprache
The suffix -ći
The 'ć' is a soft sound, like the 't' in 'future' or 'nature'.
Accentuation
The accent usually stays on the same syllable as in the 3rd person plural present.
Comma Pause
Šetajući [pause], sreo sam prijatelja.
A slight rise in pitch before the comma to indicate the clause is not finished.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember 'The 3 Cs': Conjugate (3rd plural), Connect (-ći), and Coincide (same subject).
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a person juggling. One hand is the main verb, the other hand is the '-ći' verb. They are both moving at the same time, and they both belong to the same person.
Rhyme
When actions happen at the same time, add -ći to make it rhyme!
Story
Marko was 'trčeći' (running) to the store. While 'trčeći', he was 'pjevajući' (singing). He was so busy 'pjevajući' that he didn't see the 'idući' (next) step and fell!
Word Web
Herausforderung
Look around you right now. Describe two things you are doing using one sentence with a '-ći' participle. (e.g., 'Sjedim pišući' - I sit writing).
Kulturelle Hinweise
The -ći form is highly encouraged in literature and journalism to avoid repetitive 'i' (and) or 'dok' (while) structures.
In some coastal dialects, you might hear 'pivajući' instead of 'pjevajući' due to the Ikavian reflex.
In northern regions, the use of this participle is less frequent in daily speech compared to standard Croatian, often replaced by 'dok' clauses.
Derived from the Proto-Slavic present active participle suffix *-nt-.
Gesprächseinstiege
Što obično radiš slušajući glazbu?
Jesi li ikada putovao Europom ne znajući jezik?
Možeš li učiti gledajući televiziju?
Što si naučio radeći svoj prvi posao?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
___ (čitati) knjigu, zaspao sam.
Select the correct use of the participle.
Find and fix the mistake:
Trčajući u školu, kiša je počela padati.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Combine: On je hodao. On je zviždao.
You can form a present active participle from the verb 'kupiti' (to buy - perfective).
A: Kako si naučio hrvatski? B: ___ (slušati) podcaste svaki dan.
Sort: 1. Radeći, 2. Došavši, 3. Pijući, 4. Vidjevši
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercises___ (čitati) knjigu, zaspao sam.
Select the correct use of the participle.
Find and fix the mistake:
Trčajući u školu, kiša je počela padati.
1. Raditi, 2. Ići, 3. Smijati se
Combine: On je hodao. On je zviždao.
You can form a present active participle from the verb 'kupiti' (to buy - perfective).
A: Kako si naučio hrvatski? B: ___ (slušati) podcaste svaki dan.
Sort: 1. Radeći, 2. Došavši, 3. Pijući, 4. Vidjevši
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No. Use the standard present tense `radim` for 'I am working'. The `-ći` form is only for secondary actions.
You cannot use the participle. Use `dok` (while). For example: `Dok sam ja pjevao, ona je plesala`.
`Radeći` is more formal and concise. `Dok radim` is more common in everyday speech.
Never. The present active participle is strictly for imperfective verbs because the action must be ongoing.
Just add `ne` before the participle, e.g., `ne znajući` (not knowing).
Grammatically yes, but it's often used as an adjective meaning 'next' (e.g., `idući tjedan`).
Usually, yes, if the participle phrase comes at the beginning of the sentence.
Because the subject is performing the action, unlike passive participles where the action is done to the subject.
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
-ing form (Gerund/Participle)
Croatian cannot use '-ći' for continuous tenses (I am singing).
Partizip I (-end)
German Partizip I is often an adjective; Croatian -ći is almost always adverbial.
Gerundio (-ando/-iendo)
Spanish uses gerundios for continuous tenses (estoy cantando), Croatian does not.
Gérondif (en ...-ant)
French requires the preposition 'en' for the gerundive sense.
着 (zhe)
Chinese 'zhe' is a particle, not a verbal conjugation suffix.
〜ながら (~nagara)
Japanese '~nagara' is attached to the 'masu' stem, not the 3rd person plural.
