How to Conjugate Verbs in Present Tense in Croatian for English Speakers

Understanding Present Tense in Croatian Verbs

The present tense in Croatian is used to describe actions that are currently happening or general truths, similar to English. However, Croatian verbs conjugate differently depending on the subject pronoun and verb group.

Subject Pronouns in Croatian

Before conjugating verbs, it's important to know the Croatian subject pronouns, as verb endings change accordingly.

Verb Groups and Endings

Croatian verbs are divided into several conjugation groups based on their infinitive endings, mainly -ati, -iti, and -eti. Each group has its own pattern of endings in the present tense.

Conjugation Pattern for -ati Verbs

Let's take the verb raditi (to work) as an example. Here is how it conjugates in the present tense:

• ja radim (I work)
• ti radiš (you work)
• on/ona/ono radi (he/she/it works)
• mi radimo (we work)
• vi radite (you all work)
• oni/one/ona rade (they work)

Conjugation Pattern for -iti Verbs

For the verb pisati (to write), the present tense conjugation is:

• ja pišem (I write)
• ti pišeš (you write)
• on/ona/ono piše (he/she/it writes)
• mi pišemo (we write)
• vi pišete (you all write)
• oni/one/ona pišu (they write)

Conjugation Pattern for -eti Verbs

For the verb vidjeti (to see), the present tense conjugation is:

• ja vidim (I see)
• ti vidiš (you see)
• on/ona/ono vidi (he/she/it sees)
• mi vidimo (we see)
• vi vidite (you all see)
• oni/one/ona vide (they see)

Important Notes on Pronunciation and Spelling

Notice that some verb forms include special characters like š and ć. These are pronounced differently than English sounds and are important for correct Croatian pronunciation.

Practice Examples

Try conjugating the verb učiti (to learn) in the present tense using the patterns above.