The Croatian language has seven tenses in whole, however you solely want three to begin talking and understanding on a regular basis conversations. That’s the factor about Croatian grammar – it all the time appears extra overwhelming at first look than it really is!
On this put up, we’ll deal with these three key tenses that can assist you get began. By the top, you’ll have a a lot better concept about how Croatian tenses work. Let’s dive in!
Croatian Tenses
Croatian has three tenses: previous, current, and future. There is just one current tense, however the previous and future tenses even have totally different varieties, making it seven tenses altogether.
In the event you’re a newbie, the three important ones are all you want proper now, and this put up will focus solely on them that can assist you get began. Right here’s a step-by-step lesson on how it’s best to go about studying Croatian tenses:
Step 1 – Current Tense
It’s best to all the time begin with studying the current tense. We use it to explain issues which are occurring proper now or issues that we do daily. Not like English, which has current easy and current steady, Croatian solely has one current tense kind. In Croatian, it’s known as prezent. Listed below are some easy examples:
How To Conjugate Verbs In The Current Tense
In Croatian, verbs change relying on who’s doing the motion (I, you, we, and so forth.). These adjustments occur by including particular endings to the bottom of the verb. Let’s break it down!
Every verb has a ”base”. As a newbie, you don’t want to determine the verb’s base for now. It would come naturally to you as you study.
Within the instance beneath, I’ve used the verb govoriti (to talk). Think about the phrase govor as the bottom of the verb. Listed below are the endings you’ll be needing:
Most verbs observe this straightforward sample of endings. Nevertheless, some verbs are exceptions to this rule. For instance, the verb jesti (to eat) turns into jedem (I eat). That is simply to let you already know that there are some irregularities, however don’t fear about this for now. Begin with the widespread verbs and their patterns, and the remaining will get simpler as you go.
Issues To Watch Out For
Take a look at this desk with the verb pisati (to jot down).
You may be questioning why, within the verb pisati (to jot down), the s modified to š in pišem. This variation occurs to observe pure Croatian pronunciation guidelines, so the phrases sound smoother. If the letter š is new to you, taking a second to study the Croatian alphabet will make issues a lot clearer!
Necessary: Take into account that in pure Croatian conversations, the topic is obvious for the context, so there’s no want to make use of the pronoun each time.
Listed below are a couple of extra on a regular basis Croatian verbs within the current tense. Try to discover which change so much and which don’t:
- Ići (to go) – Idem (I’m going)
- Spavati (to sleep) – Spavam (I sleep)
- Jesti (to eat) – Jedem (I eat)
- Piti (to drink) – Pijem (I drink)
- Čitati (to learn) – Čitam (I learn)
- Pjevati (to sing) – Pjevam (I sing)
Step 2 – Previous Tense
Croatian has 4 previous tenses in whole, however for now, let’s deal with the easy previous tense. That is the one previous tense kind utilized in on a regular basis speech. In Croatian, it’s known as perfekt.
Each previous tense verb in Croatian is made up of two elements: the current tense of the verb “to be” (biti) and the previous participle, which comes from the verb you wish to use. Let’s first have a look at find out how to conjugate the auxiliary verb biti (to be):
Now, let’s try to construct some easy sentences with the verb to be and previous participles to construct sentences that describe issues that occurred up to now.
How To Make The Previous Participle?
As talked about above, the current tense can have some difficult particulars, like sound adjustments in sure verbs (pisati – pišem). However the excellent news is that the previous tense is way less complicated! You don’t want to fret about these sorts of adjustments. Simply take away the -ti from the infinitive and add the precise ending to make the previous participle.
The ending is determined by the gender and variety of the topic. We’re going to make use of the verb spavati (to sleep) for example. Right here’s the way it works:
When you study the sample, these endings apply to most common Croatian verbs! Simply keep in mind to take away the -ti from the infinitive and add the right ending for the topic.
Step 3 – Future Tense
Croatian additionally has two future tenses, futur I and futur II. For now, you solely want the primary one, which can also be can also be the best tense to study of all.
Very like the previous tense, it’s constructed from two verbs: the auxiliary (helper) verb and the primary verb.
The principle verb is all the time used within the infinitive. To study futur I, it’s best to solely study the type of the helper verb htjeti (to need).
How To Kind The Future Tense
To kind the primary future tense in Croatian, you’ll use the helper verb htjeti and the primary verb within the infinitive kind:
Omitting The Topic
When talking Croatian, the topic (like I, you, or she) is often clear from the context, so it’s potential to easily not use it in a sentence and simply deal with the verb. That is an instance of Croatian sentence construction, the place the topic may be dropped, and the that means stays clear. If you pass over the topic sooner or later tense, the primary verb goes earlier than the helper verb:
- Ja ću učiti – Učiti ću. (I’ll study)
- Mi ćemo raditi. – Raditi ćemo. (We are going to work)
- Ti ćeš pisati. – Pisati ćeš. (You’ll write)
- Oni će igrati. – Igrati će. (They may play)
Step 4 – Extra Difficult Tenses For Superior Learners
There are extra previous and future tenses discovered within the Croatian language. These should not tremendous essential for newcomers, however should you’re trying to get fluent, then you definately may find yourself utilizing them typically.
The pluperfect tense is a previous tense that’s usually restricted to Croatian writing. The aorist tense and imperfect previous tenses are old style and never generally used right this moment. They sound extra formal or old-style. The second future tense is just not used for normal future occasions however just for issues that may occur relying on different occasions or circumstances.
Suggestions For Studying Croatian Tenses
Listed below are a couple of ideas that’ll make it simpler so that you can study Croatian tenses.
- Begin by studying the most typical phrases that you just may find yourself utilizing daily. These are verbs liki biti (to be), imati (to have), ići (to go), and vidjeti (to see).
- To kind the current tense appropriately, study the irregular verbs and the way totally different teams of Croatian verbs observe conjugation guidelines.
- Croatian verbs conjugate based mostly on the topic, so observe saying them with pronouns (ja, ti, on/ona, mi, vi, oni/one), though they’re often omitted in pure dialog.
- Give attention to one tense at a time to keep away from confusion.
- Use flashcards to memorize verb endings.
- Write brief sentences about your every day life utilizing every tense.
- Repeat widespread phrases to construct confidence.
- All the time keep in mind gender endings for the previous tense (-o, -la, -lo).
Steadily Requested Questions
1. How Many Tenses Are There In Croatian?
In Croatian, there are three important tenses: previous, current, and future. There are 4 extra tenses that aren’t as often used, making it seven tenses in whole.
2. What Are The Genders In Croatian Grammar?
In Croatian, there are three genders: female, masculine, and neuter. All nouns belong to one among these genders, and it impacts how different phrases, like adjectives, change. That is essential when utilizing previous or future tenses. For instance, ‘slept’ in Croatian is spavala for a lady and spavao for a person.
3. Do Any Language Apps Train Croatian?
An amazing Croatian newbie language app that you should use is the Ling app. It’s received easy-to-follow classes in studying, writing, talking, and listening. You possibly can observe talking with a chatbot and play mini-games to make studying fulfilling!
Tense-Free Croatian Studying
This information walked you thru the three important Croatian tenses: current, previous, and future. You discovered the fundamentals of conjugation, find out how to construct every tense, and what verb endings to make use of.
You’ve already taken an enormous step towards turning into assured in easy conversations. Don’t stress concerning the difficult particulars simply but. Beginning easy and practising repeatedly is vital to any language journey.
Be taught The Croatian Language
Now that you just’ve received the fundamentals of Croatian tenses down, it’s time to maintain going! Take Croatian language classes on-line with Ling, and uncover an app that’ll assist you grasp the language and tenses at your individual tempo. Begin studying Croatian right this moment.