A1 · Débutant Chapitre 7

Present Tense: Regular Verb Conjugation

7 Règles totales
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the heartbeat of Croatian by mastering regular verb patterns and everyday actions.

  • Identify the three main conjugation groups.
  • Conjugate common verbs like 'read', 'work', and 'buy'.
  • Express habits and scheduled future plans using the present tense.
From being to doing: start speaking in action.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense across different groups. This chapter unlocks your ability to describe ongoing actions and states.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to conjugate any regular -ati verb in the present tense.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to describe your daily routine using frequency adverbs.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to talk about plans for 'tomorrow' using current tense forms.

Conseils et astuces (4)

💡

Drop the pronoun

You don't need to say 'Ja' every time. The ending tells us who it is.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense Endings: -am, -em, -jem
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Drop it!

Always drop the -ati before adding endings.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 1: Verbs ending in -ati (e.g., čitati)
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Consistency

Group 2 is very regular. Once you learn one, you learn them all.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 2: Verbs ending in -iti, -jeti (e.g., raditi)
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The -uj- Rule

Always look for the -uj- sound in the present tense of these verbs.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 3: Verbs ending in -ovati, -ivati (e.g., kupovati)

Vocabulaire clé (7)

čitati to read raditi to work/do kupovati to buy ići to go piti to drink svaki dan every day sutra tomorrow

Real-World Preview

coffee

Meeting a Friend for Coffee

Review Summary

  • Stem + -m, -š, -, -mo, -te, -ju/-u
  • -ovati -> -ujem

Erreurs courantes

English speakers often try to use 'biti' (to be) to form the continuous present. In Croatian, 'Ja radim' means both 'I work' and 'I am working'.

Wrong: Ja radim svaki dan (meaning 'I am working') + Ja sam radim
Correct: Ja radim.

Applying the -ati plural ending (-ju) to -iti verbs. Group 2 verbs use -e for the 'they' form.

Wrong: Oni radiju
Correct: Oni rade

Forgetting the 'u' mutation in -ovati verbs. You must change the stem, not just add the ending.

Wrong: Ja kupovam
Correct: Ja kupujem

Next Steps

You've just conquered the most important part of Croatian grammar! With these verbs, you've opened the door to real conversations. Keep practicing these patterns until they feel like second nature.

Write 5 sentences about what you do every morning.

Record yourself saying 'Sutra idem...' followed by three different places.

Continue to: The Nominative Case: Subjects and Naming

Pratique rapide (10)

Fix the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Sutra ja ću putovati.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sutra putujem.
Present tense is better for plans.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense for Future Actions (with time expressions)

Fix the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ti radim.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti radiš
2nd person singular is -iš.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 2: Verbs ending in -iti, -jeti (e.g., raditi)

Fill in the correct form of 'kupovati'.

Ja ___ kruh.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kupujem
The correct form is kupujem.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 3: Verbs ending in -ovati, -ivati (e.g., kupovati)

Conjugate 'čitati' for 'Ja'.

Ja ___ knjigu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: čitam
1st person singular ending is -am.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 1: Verbs ending in -ati (e.g., čitati)

Which is correct?

___ li ti?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Radiš
2nd person singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using Present Tense for Habits and General Truths

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ja čitamam.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja čitam
Remove extra suffix.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense Endings: -am, -em, -jem

Conjugate 'učiti' for 'Mi'.

Mi ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: učimo
1st person plural.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using Present Tense for Habits and General Truths

Conjugate 'raditi' for 'Ja'.

Ja ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: radim
1st person singular is -im.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjugation Group 2: Verbs ending in -iti, -jeti (e.g., raditi)

Which is correct?

On ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: radi
Third person singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Present Tense Endings: -am, -em, -jem

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ti ićam u grad.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti ideš u grad
2nd person singular is 'ideš'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Irregular Present Tense Verbs (e.g., ići, htjeti)

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

The verb ending already contains the information about the subject.
Look at the infinitive ending: -ati, -eti, -iti, -ovati.
It is the infinitive marker. Removing it gives you the stem.
Yes, it is very common.
They are part of the same conjugation group as -iti verbs.
Look for the -iti or -jeti ending.
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Personal Pronouns and the Verb 'To Be' (Biti)
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The Nominative Case: Subjects and Naming
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