A1 题目 1 min read 简单

Question Forms with 'Biti'

标记为已学
Practice it

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To ask a question with 'biti' (to be), simply place the verb form before the subject or use the particle 'li'.

  • Use the short form of 'biti' at the start: 'Jesi li ti umoran?' (Are you tired?)
  • Inversion is common in speech: 'Umoran si?' (You are tired?)
  • The particle 'li' is mandatory for formal 'yes/no' questions: 'Je li on ovdje?' (Is he here?)
Verb + li + Subject + ...?

Meanings

The verb 'biti' is used to define states, identity, or location. In questions, it functions as the primary anchor for seeking confirmation.

1

Yes/No Confirmation

Seeking a true or false answer regarding a state of being.

“Je li ovo tvoja knjiga?”

“Jesi li gladan?”

Conjugation of 'Biti' (To Be)

Person Full Form Short Form Negative
Ja (I) Jesam sam Nisam
Ti (You) Jesi si Nisi
On/Ona (He/She) Je je Nije
Mi (We) Jesmo smo Nismo
Vi (You pl.) Jeste ste Niste
Oni (They) Jesu su Nisu

Reference Table

Reference table for Question Forms with 'Biti'
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subject + Verb Ti si sretan.
Question (li) Verb + li + Subject Jesi li ti sretan?
Question (Intonation) Subject + Verb + ? Ti si sretan?
Negative Subject + Negative Verb Ti nisi sretan.
Negative Question Negative Verb + li + Subject Nisi li ti sretan?
Short Answer Verb Jesi.

正式程度

正式
Jeste li spremni?

Jeste li spremni? (Meeting a friend vs. a boss)

中性
Jesi li spreman?

Jesi li spreman? (Meeting a friend vs. a boss)

非正式
Spreman si?

Spreman si? (Meeting a friend vs. a boss)

俚语
Spreman?

Spreman? (Meeting a friend vs. a boss)

The 'Biti' Question Map

Biti

Forms

  • Jesi Are you
  • Je Is

Particles

  • li interrogative marker
Sign up free to read full explanation

Examples by Level

1

Jesi li ti umoran?

Are you tired?

2

Je li ovo tvoja olovka?

Is this your pen?

3

Jesu li oni sretni?

Are they happy?

4

Jesmo li mi ovdje?

Are we here?

1

Nisi li ti bio u Zagrebu?

Weren't you in Zagreb?

2

Je li hladno vani?

Is it cold outside?

3

Jeste li vi spremni za put?

Are you ready for the trip?

4

Jesu li vrata otvorena?

Are the doors open?

1

Zar nisi ti rekao da si zauzet?

Didn't you say you were busy?

2

Je li moguće da je već kasno?

Is it possible it's already late?

3

Jesu li svi dokumenti potpisani?

Are all documents signed?

4

Biste li bili ljubazni pomoći?

Would you be kind enough to help?

1

Je li doista nužno da budemo ovdje?

Is it really necessary that we be here?

2

Jesu li ovi rezultati konačni?

Are these results final?

3

Nije li očito da je on kriv?

Isn't it obvious he is guilty?

4

Jesi li svjestan posljedica?

Are you aware of the consequences?

1

Je li ikada bilo sumnje u njegovu iskrenost?

Was there ever any doubt about his sincerity?

2

Jesu li ovi postulati i dalje važeći?

Are these postulates still valid?

3

Nije li to bila tek puka slučajnost?

Wasn't that just a mere coincidence?

4

Jeste li vi doista spremni na ovakav rizik?

Are you truly ready for such a risk?

1

Je li, dakle, naša sudbina unaprijed određena?

Is our destiny, therefore, predetermined?

2

Jesu li ovi arhaični izrazi još uvijek u uporabi?

Are these archaic expressions still in use?

3

Nije li paradoksalno da smo ovdje?

Isn't it paradoxical that we are here?

4

Jeste li vi, uistinu, svjesni dubine ovog problema?

Are you, truly, aware of the depth of this problem?

Easily Confused

Question Forms with 'Biti' 对比 Li vs. Da li

Learners often mix 'li' (standard) with 'da li' (common in Serbian/Bosnian).

Question Forms with 'Biti' 对比 Short form vs. Long form

Learners try to start sentences with short forms.

Question Forms with 'Biti' 对比 Intonation vs. Particle

Learners don't know when to use 'li' vs. just rising intonation.

常见错误

✗

Si ti umoran?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

Short forms cannot start a sentence.
✗

Jesi ti li umoran?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

Li must follow the verb immediately.
✗

Je ti umoran?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

Wrong person conjugation.
✗

Ti si umoran?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

While grammatically okay as a statement-question, it's not the standard 'li' form.
✗

Nije ti umoran?

✓

Nisi li ti umoran?

Wrong person conjugation.
✗

Jesi li umoran ti?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

Subject placement is usually after 'li'.
✗

Jesi li umoran?

✓

Jesi li umoran?

Actually correct, but often learners forget the 'li'.
✗

Zar ti si umoran?

✓

Zar nisi ti umoran?

Zar usually triggers negative or emphatic forms.
✗

Jesi li bio umoran?

✓

Jesi li bio umoran?

Correct, but learners often struggle with past tense 'biti'.
✗

Je li da si umoran?

✓

Jesi li umoran?

Over-complicating with 'Je li da'.
✗

Biti li ti umoran?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

Using infinitive instead of conjugated form.
✗

Jesi li ti umoran biti?

✓

Jesi li ti umoran?

Redundant infinitive.
✗

Jesu li oni umorni?

✓

Jesu li oni umorni?

Correct, but learners struggle with plural adjective agreement.

Sentence Patterns

Jesi li ___?

Je li ___ tvoja?

Jesu li oni ___?

Nisi li ti ___?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Umoran si?

Ordering food very common

Je li ovo ljuto?

Job interview common

Jeste li spremni za izazov?

Travel common

Je li ovo pravi vlak?

Social media common

Jeste li vidjeli ovo?

Food delivery occasional

Je li dostava besplatna?

Sign up free to see all examples
💡

The 'Li' Rule

Always keep 'li' right after the verb. It's the glue that holds the question together.
⚠️

No Short Starts

Never start a sentence with 'si' or 'je'. Use 'Jesi' or 'Je' instead.
🎯

Casual Questions

In casual texting, you can drop 'li' and just use a question mark.
💬

Politeness

Use 'Jeste li' when speaking to strangers or superiors to show respect.

Smart Tips

Always use the 'Vi' form (Jeste li) to be polite.

Jesi li spreman? → Jeste li spremni?

Drop the 'li' and use rising intonation.

Jesi li umoran? → Umoran si?

Use the full form 'Jesi' instead of 'si'.

Si umoran? → Jesi li umoran?

Use 'Zar nisi' to show disbelief.

Nisi li umoran? → Zar nisi umoran?

发音

Jesi li ti umoran? ↘

Intonation

Questions with 'li' have a falling intonation at the end, while statement-questions have a rising one.

Yes/No Question

Jesi li ti sretan? ↘

Standard confirmation

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember: 'Li' is the 'Question Key'—it unlocks the sentence!

Visual Association

Imagine a tiny key labeled 'LI' floating in front of a sentence. When it touches the verb, the sentence flips into a question.

Rhyme

Verb plus 'li' makes a question, that's the rule for every session.

Story

Mark is confused. He wants to ask if it's raining. He says 'Je kiša?' but it sounds wrong. He adds 'li' after 'Je'. Now he says 'Je li kiša?' and everyone understands him perfectly.

Word Web

JesiJeJesmoliNisamNije

挑战

Write 5 questions using 'li' about your surroundings in 5 minutes.

文化笔记

Using 'li' is considered the standard, polite way to ask questions. In casual settings, dropping it is very common.

In coastal regions, people often use 'Je li' even in very casual speech.

More formal structures are often preferred in rural areas.

The particle 'li' is an ancient Slavic interrogative marker.

Conversation Starters

“

Jesi li umoran?

“

Je li ovo tvoja kava?

“

Jeste li spremni za sastanak?

“

Jesu li oni stigli?

Journal Prompts

Write about your day using 5 questions with 'li'.
Ask your friend 3 questions about their plans.
Create a dialogue between a waiter and a guest.
Reflect on a past event using negative questions.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the missing part.

___ li ti umoran?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi
Jesi is the correct form for 'ti'.
Choose the correct question. 多项选择

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li ti umoran?
Short forms cannot start a sentence.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Je ti gladan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li ti gladan?
Correct conjugation for 'ti'.
Turn into a question. Sentence Transformation

On je sretan.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Je li on sretan?
Li follows the verb.
Is this true? True False Rule

Short forms can start a sentence.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Short forms are enclitics.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ___? B: Jesam, hvala.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li gladan
Matching the answer 'Jesam'.
Order the words. Sentence Building

li / ti / Jesi / umoran

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li ti umoran
Standard word order.
Match the form to the person. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vi
Jeste is the 2nd person plural.

Score: /8

练习题

8 exercises
Fill in the missing part.

___ li ti umoran?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi
Jesi is the correct form for 'ti'.
Choose the correct question. 多项选择

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li ti umoran?
Short forms cannot start a sentence.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Je ti gladan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li ti gladan?
Correct conjugation for 'ti'.
Turn into a question. Sentence Transformation

On je sretan.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Je li on sretan?
Li follows the verb.
Is this true? True False Rule

Short forms can start a sentence.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Short forms are enclitics.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ___? B: Jesam, hvala.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li gladan
Matching the answer 'Jesam'.
Order the words. Sentence Building

li / ti / Jesi / umoran

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li ti umoran
Standard word order.
Match the form to the person. Match Pairs

Match 'Jeste' to:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vi
Jeste is the 2nd person plural.

Score: /8

常见问题 (8)

No, 'si' is a short form and cannot start a sentence. Use 'Jesi' instead.

It is an interrogative particle that turns a statement into a yes/no question.

It's understood, but 'Jesi li' is the standard Croatian form.

Use the negative verb form + 'li'. Example: 'Nisi li ti umoran?'

In casual, informal texting or quick speech.

It's the most common verb and the basis for many other structures.

Yes, it works with all verbs, not just 'biti'.

Yes, 'Jesi' is singular informal, 'Jeste' is plural or formal.

Sign up free to practice

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

¿...?

Croatian requires a structural change (particle/word order).

French moderate

Est-ce que

Croatian 'li' is a clitic, not a fixed phrase.

German moderate

Verb-first

Croatian adds a particle.

Japanese moderate

ka

Placement is different (end vs. after verb).

Arabic high

hal

Croatian 'li' is not sentence-initial.

Chinese moderate

ma

Croatian 'li' is internal to the verb phrase.

Previous
Negation of 'Biti' (Nisam, Nisi, Nije)
Next
Understanding Formal 'Vi' vs. Informal 'Ti'

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Asking 'How are you?' (Kako ste/si?)
A0

Asking Yes/No Questions with Intonation
A0

Question Words: Tko? Što? (Who? What?)
A0

Asking for Directions (Gdje je...?)
A0

Asking for the Price (Koliko košta?)
Was this helpful?

评论 (0)

登录后评论
还没有评论。成为第一个分享想法的人！