Language/Croatian/Grammar/Present-Tense-of-Regular-Verbs

Croatian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Present Tense of Regular Verbs

As a Croatian language teacher, I have taught the present tense of regular verbs to many students over the years. In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense in Croatian, understand the different verb endings for each person, and practice using them in sentences. This lesson is part of the larger course titled "Complete 0 to A1 Croatian Course" and is suitable for complete beginners.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: How to Use Have & Croatian Syntax and Style.

What is the present tense?

The present tense is a verb form used to describe actions that are happening at the moment of speaking or are regularly occurring in the present. In Croatian, the present tense can also be used to describe future actions or to express general truths.

How to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense

To form the present tense of regular verbs in Croatian, you need to add different endings to the stem of the verb. The endings vary depending on the person (first, second or third) and the gender (masculine, feminine or neuter) of the subject.

Verb endings for masculine and neuter nouns

• First person singular (ja) - -am (for masculine nouns) or -em (for neuter nouns)
• Second person singular (ti) - -aš (for masculine nouns) or -eš (for neuter nouns)
• Third person singular (on/ona/ono) - -a (for masculine nouns) or -e (for neuter nouns)
• First person plural (mi) - -amo (for both masculine and neuter nouns)
• Second person plural (vi) - -ate (for both masculine and neuter nouns)
• Third person plural (oni/one/ona) - -aju (for both masculine and neuter nouns)

Verb endings for feminine nouns

• First person singular (ja) - -am
• Second person singular (ti) - -aš
• Third person singular (ona) - -a
• First person plural (mi) - -amo
• Second person plural (vi) - -ate
• Third person plural (one) - -aju

Examples

Here are some examples of regular verbs in the present tense conjugated for different persons and genders.

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja radim	Yah RAH-deem	I work
Ti čitaš	Tee CHEE-tash	You read
On gleda	On GLEH-da	He watches
Mi pišemo	Mee PEE-she-mo	We write
Vi govorite	Vee GOH-vo-ree-te	You speak
One pjevaju	OH-neh PYEH-va-yoo	They sing

In Croatian, the verb always comes at the second position in the sentence, right after the subject. For example:

• Ja pijem kavu. (I am drinking coffee.)
• Ona čita knjigu. (She is reading a book.)

Practice

Now that you know how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense, it's time to practice using them in simple sentences. Here are some examples:

• Ja čitam novine. (I am reading the newspaper.)
• Ti radiš u uredu. (You are working in the office.)
• Ona voli plesati. (She likes to dance.)
• Mi kuhamo ručak. (We are cooking lunch.)
• Vi gledate televiziju. (You are watching TV.)
• One pjevaju pjesmu. (They are singing a song.)

Try to make your own sentences using regular verbs in the present tense. You can use a dictionary or an online translator to find new vocabulary and verbs.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you have learned how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense in Croatian. Remember to pay attention to the different verb endings for each person and gender, and practice using them in simple sentences. In the next lesson, you will learn about the present tense of irregular verbs. Keep up the good work!

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Verbs and Tenses & Adjectives: Gender and Number.

Table of Contents - Croatian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns: Gender and Number
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

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Daily Activities

• Common Activities
• Hobbies and Interests

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives: Gender and Number
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

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Croatian Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

Other Lessons

• Croatian Language Varieties
• Nouns
• Future Tense
• Gender in Croatian
• Nouns and Cases
• Adjectives: Gender and Number
• Participles and Gerunds
• Croatian Idiomatic Expressions
• Negation
• Word Order and Sentence Structure

Sources

• Serbo-Croatian grammar - Wikipedia
• Croatian Verbs, the Best Detailed Introduction - tenses, aspect, and ...
• The present tense in the Croatian language, affirmative - SpeakCRO ...