STUDY GUIDE
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LESSON 31
GRAMMAR
VOCABULARY
PRACTICE
ANSWER KEY
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GRAMMAR
PRESENT TENSE – TI VERBS
In the previous lesson we talked about the Present Tense and how in Serbian,
verbs are categorized by how they are conjugated. We talked about the 5
subgroups of TI verbs and how this classification only applies to the Simple
Present Tense. In this lesson we will learn the conjugation patterns for the group
I of TI verbs or the I/E verbs.
While learning about the different verb groups for Present Tense it’s a good idea
to pay attention to the head verbs for each subgroup. Memorizing their
conjugation patterns will help you conjugate all other verbs within the same
subgroup.
Remember to learn the verb stems along with each verb in infinitive (i.e. verb
raditi means to work or to do and its verb stem is RADI).
TI VERBS – GROUP I – I/E VERBS
The first group of the TI verbs are the I/E verbs. The verb stem of the I/E verbs has
the -I ending. In the case of our head verb raditi which means to do or to work,
the verb stem is RADI. For the 3rd person plural the Present Tense ending is -E (the
verb stem ending -I is omitted) (i.e. Oni rade – They work, or they do).
I/E verbs make the Present Tense by adding the endings for the Present Tense to
the verb stem. This stem is called the present verb stem because it is used for
making the Present Tense. We will refer to it simply as the verb stem in this
chapter about the Present Tense. It is not to be confused with the infinitive verb
stem, which we will learn later in the future lessons about other tenses in
Serbian language.
Study Guide 2
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HEAD VERB – RADITI (TO WORK, TO DO)
PRESENT TENSE ENDINGS Verb raditi – to do, to work; (verb stem RADI)
Present Tense Conjugation
# Singular Plural # Singular Plural
1. 1.
-M -MO RADIM RADIMO
2. 2.
-Š -TE RADIŠ RADITE
3. 3.
/ -E RADI RADE
In the case of the verb raditi, the verb stem is radi. Then we apply the following
pattern:
For the first person (ja) we add -m to the end of the verb stem radi. When we do
this, we get radim, which means I do or I work.
For the second person (ti) we add -š to the verb stem. When we do this, we get
radiš, which means you do or you work.
For the third person singular (on/ona/ono) we don’t need to add an ending, radi
stays the same. Radi means he/she/it works.
For the first person plural (we) we add –mo to the verb stem radi, so we end up
with radimo, which means we do or we work.
For the second person plural/polite (vi) we add –te to the verb stem radi, so we
get radite, which means you (polite) work or you (plural) work.
For the third person plural (oni/ one/ona) we substitute the i ending of the verb
stem radi with an e, so instead of radi, we get rade, which means they work.
Study Guide 3
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Ja radim–I work
Ti radiš – You work
On/ona/ono radi – He/she/it works
Mi radimo – We work
Vi radite– You (polite) or you (plural) work
Oni/one/ona rade –They work
Notice how the third person singular (on/ona/ono) conjugates. The verb stem
doesn’t change. It’s simply radi. The ending of radi is an -i. And now look at how
the third person plural (oni/one/ona) conjugates, it substitutes the –i of the verb
stem with an -e, so instead of radi it’s rade, which means they do or they work.
This is the reason why raditi belongs to the i/e subgroup of verbs – because in
the third person singular (on/ona/ono) the verbs will always end in -i, keeping
their verb stem (in this case radi, which means he/she/it works).
I/E VERB – UČITI (TO LEARN, TO STUDY)
How would you say I study or I learn? If the verb stem is uči, then we know for
the first person we need to add an -m to the verb stem, giving us učim. So, Ja
učim means I study or I learn.
How would you say We study? Mi učimo. Since the verb stem is uči, we add the –
mo ending for the first person plural (mi), giving us učimo. So, mi učimo is we
study, or we learn.
Study Guide 4
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Ja učim – I study or I learn
Ti učiš –You study or You learn
On/ona/ono uči –He/she/it studies or learns
Mi učimo –We study or We learn
Vi učite –You (polite) or You (plural) study or learn
Oni/one/ona uče –They learn, or They study
Verb učiti – to study; to learn
Present Tense Conjugation
Verb stem UČI + endings for Present Tense
Singular Plural
Person Serbian English Person Serbian English
1. ja 1. mi
UČIM I study/learn UČIMO we study/learn
2. ti 2. vi
UČIŠ you UČITE you (polite/all)
study/learn study/learn
3. on, ona, 3. oni
UČI He, she, it UČE they
ono
studies/learns study/learn
The most important thing to remember is that the verb stem of the I/E verbs has
the -I ending. In the case of our head verb raditi which means to work or to do,
the verb stem is RADI. For the 3rd person plural the Present Tense ending is -E
(the verb stem ending -I is omitted) - (i.e. Oni kažu – They say).
In the Grammar Tools section of our website you will find a list of verbs with their
full conjugations and verb stems to help you get started. We are constantly
updating this list for your convenience.
Study Guide 5
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VOCABULARY
I/E VERBS - GROUP I
Serbian English Verb Stem
raditi to do, to work RADI
učiti to study, to learn UČI
misliti to think MISLI
videti to see VIDI
živeti to live ŽIVI
želeti to wish ŽELI
nositi to carry NOSI
voleti to like, to love VOLI
žaliti to grieve, regret ŽALI
LESSON EXAMPLES
Serbian English
Ja radim I work
Ti učiš You learn/study
On misli He thinks
Ona vidi She sees
Ono živi It lives
Mi želimo We wish
Vi nosite You carry
Ona vole They love (neuter)
Study Guide 6
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PRACTICE
EXCERCISE #1
Make the Present Tense of the following verbs:
1. verb želeti – to wish – v.s ŽELI
Singular Plural
1.
2.
3.
2. verb voleti – to love – v.s VOLI
Singular Plural
1.
2.
3.
3.verb živeti – to live – v.s ŽIVI
Singular Plural
1.
2.
3.
Study Guide 7
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4. verb misliti – to think – v.s MISLI
Singular Plural
1.
2.
3.
EXCERCISE #2
Translate into Serbian:
# English Serbian
1. They study every day (masculine) (example) Oni uče svaki dan
2. We see the tree
3. He studies
4. I live here
5. She works every day
6. You see the stone
EXCERCISE #3
Use the correct form of the verb and fill in the blanks:
Sentence Present Tense
1. Ja učim učimo/učim/uči(example)
2. Ona _______ želi/želim/želiš
3. Mi________ volite/voliš/volimo
4. Oni _______ nose/nosim/nosiš
5. Ti ________ mislimo/misliš/mislim
6. Oni _______ radimo/radite/rade
Study Guide 8
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ANSWER KEY
EXCERCISE #1
(The answer is underlined and in bold)
Make the Present Tense of the following verbs:
1.verb želeti – to wish – v.s ŽELI
Singular Plural
1.
želim želimo
2.
želiš želite
3.
želi žele
2.verb voleti – to love – v.s VOLI
Singular Plural
1.
volim volimo
2.
voliš volite
3.
voli vole
3.verb živeti – to live – v.s ŽIVI
Singular Plural
1.
živim živimo
2.
živiš živite
3.
živi žive
Study Guide 9
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4. verb misliti – to think – v.s MISLI
Singular Plural
1.
mislim mislimo
2.
misliš mislite
3.
misli misle
EXCERCISE #2
(The answer is underlined and in bold)
Translate into Serbian:
# English Serbian
1. They study every day (masculine) (example) Oni uče svaki dan
2. We see the tree Mi vidimo drvo
3. He studies On uči
4. I live here Ja živim ovde
5. She works every day Ona radi svaki dan
6. You see the stone Ti vidiš kamen
EXCERCISE #3
(The answer is underlined and in bold)
Use the correct form of the verb and fill in the blanks:
Sentence Present Tense
1. Ja učim učimo/učim/uči(example)
2. Ona želi želi/želim/želiš
3. Mi volimo volite/voliš/volimo
4. Oni nose nose/nosim/nosiš
Study Guide 10
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Sentence Present Tense
5. Ti misliš mislimo/misliš/mislim
6. Oni rade radimo/radite/rade
Great job! Ćao, drugari!
Study Guide 11
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