Present Tense of 'Biti' (Long Forms)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The verb 'biti' (to be) is the foundation of Serbian; use long forms for emphasis or at the start of sentences.
- Use long forms for emphasis: 'Ja sam student' (I am a student).
- Use long forms at the start of a sentence: 'Jesi li ti umoran?' (Are you tired?).
- The short form is for neutral statements, the long form is for stress or questions.
Present Tense of 'Biti'
| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ja
|
sam
|
nisam
|
jesam li
|
|
Ti
|
si
|
nisi
|
jesi li
|
|
On/Ona/Ono
|
je
|
nije
|
je li
|
|
Mi
|
smo
|
nismo
|
jesmo li
|
|
Vi
|
ste
|
niste
|
jeste li
|
|
Oni/One/Ona
|
su
|
nisu
|
jesu li
|
Meanings
The verb 'biti' functions as the copula, linking the subject to a noun, adjective, or location.
Identity
Defining who or what someone is.
“Ja sam Marko.”
“Ti si student.”
State/Condition
Describing how someone feels or their state.
“Ja sam umoran.”
“Mi smo gladni.”
Location
Stating where someone or something is.
“Ja sam u Beogradu.”
“Oni su kod kuće.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Verb
|
Ja sam srećan
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + Negated Verb
|
Ja nisam srećan
|
|
Question
|
Verb + li + Subject
|
Jesi li ti srećan?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Verb
|
Jesam
|
|
Negative Answer
|
Negated Verb
|
Nisam
|
|
Emphasis
|
Long Form
|
Ja jesam student
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Ja sam ovde. (Arrival)
Sam ovde. (Arrival)
Tu sam. (Arrival)
Evo me. (Arrival)
Uses of Biti
Identity
- Ja sam Marko I am Marko
State
- Ja sam umoran I am tired
Location
- Ja sam ovde I am here
Beispiele nach Niveau
Ja sam student.
I am a student.
Ti si moj prijatelj.
You are my friend.
Ona je ovde.
She is here.
Mi smo srećni.
We are happy.
Jesi li ti umoran?
Are you tired?
Ja nisam gladan.
I am not hungry.
Vi ste u Beogradu.
You are in Belgrade.
Oni nisu kod kuće.
They are not at home.
Biti ili ne biti, to je pitanje.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Da li ste sigurni u to?
Are you sure about that?
Nisam siguran da li je to tačno.
I am not sure if that is correct.
Bili smo tamo juče.
We were there yesterday.
Kad bih ja bio na tvom mestu...
If I were in your place...
Nije važno ko je kriv.
It is not important who is guilty.
Oni su bili veoma ljubazni.
They were very kind.
Bilo bi lepo da dođeš.
It would be nice if you came.
Nije mi jasno zašto je to tako.
It is not clear to me why it is like that.
Biti čovek znači biti odgovoran.
To be a human means to be responsible.
Ne bih bio ovde da nije tebe.
I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.
Sve je to bilo davno.
All of that was a long time ago.
Bivajući svestan situacije, odlučio sam da odem.
Being aware of the situation, I decided to leave.
Neka bude po tvom.
Let it be your way.
Bilo kako bilo, moramo nastaviti.
Be that as it may, we must continue.
Nije bilo druge nego prihvatiti.
There was no other choice but to accept.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners confuse 'to be' with 'to exist'.
When to use 'sam' vs 'jesam'.
Where to put the verb.
Häufige Fehler
Ja ne sam
Ja nisam
Ja student
Ja sam student
Oni je
Oni su
Ti sam
Ti si
Jesi ti umoran?
Jesi li ti umoran?
Ja sam biti
Ja sam
Nisam umoran ja
Ja nisam umoran
Da li ti si...
Da li si ti...
Biti sam...
Ja sam...
Oni su bili umorni juče
Oni su bili umorni juče
Bivajući umoran...
Budući umoran...
Neka budeš...
Neka bude...
Bilo je da...
Bilo je tako da...
Satzmuster
Ja sam ___.
Ti si ___.
Jesi li ti ___?
Ja nisam ___.
Real World Usage
Ja sam u kafiću!
Gde si?
Ja sam veoma motivisan.
Gde je hotel?
Ja sam na adresi.
Ja sam spreman za čas.
Drop the pronoun
Negation
Enclitic position
Emphasis
Smart Tips
Always use 'nisam', never 'ne sam'.
Use the long form 'jesam' instead of 'sam'.
Remember to place 'li' after the verb.
Drop the pronoun to sound more natural.
Aussprache
Vowel length
The 'i' in 'biti' is short.
Question intonation
Jesi li ti umoran? ↑
Rising pitch at the end for yes/no questions.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember 'S-S-J-S-S-S' for the endings: Sam, Si, Je, Smo, Ste, Su.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a mirror. When you look at yourself, you say 'Ja sam' (I am). When you point to others, you use the other forms.
Rhyme
Ja sam, ti si, on je tu, mi smo, vi ste, oni su.
Story
Marko is a student. He says 'Ja sam student'. He is tired, so he says 'Ja nisam veseo'. He asks his friend 'Jesi li ti veseo?' and his friend says 'Jesam'.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write 5 sentences about yourself using 'Ja sam' and 5 about your friends using 'Oni su'.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Serbians often drop the pronoun 'Ja' because the verb form 'sam' already indicates the subject.
Very similar to Serbian, but sometimes uses 'jesam' more frequently in formal contexts.
Similar to Serbian, often uses 'biti' in the same way.
Derived from Proto-Slavic *byti.
Gesprächseinstiege
Ko si ti?
Jesi li umoran?
Gde si sada?
Da li ste sigurni?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Ja ___ student.
Ja ___ umoran.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ti je srećan.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
We are here.
Answer starts with: Mi ...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___ li ti spreman?
Oni ___ kod kuće.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesJa ___ student.
Ja ___ umoran.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ti je srećan.
umoran / ti / si / ?
We are here.
Match: Ja, Ti, Mi
___ li ti spreman?
Oni ___ kod kuće.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, Serbian is a pro-drop language. You can often omit 'Ja', 'Ti', etc.
'Sam' is the neutral short form, 'jesam' is the emphatic long form.
Usually in the second position, especially for short forms.
Use 'li' after the verb or change your intonation.
Yes, it covers identity, state, and location.
In Serbian, the negative 'ni' is prefixed to the verb.
Yes, but that's a different rule involving the past participle.
It is neutral and used in all registers.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
ser/estar
Serbian has only one verb for 'to be'.
être
Serbian has enclitic forms that French lacks.
sein
Serbian allows subject pronoun dropping.
desu/iru/aru
Serbian does not distinguish animate/inanimate for 'to be'.
kana
Serbian requires the copula in the present tense.
shi
Serbian uses 'biti' with adjectives.
