Language/Bosnian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Bosnian Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Bosnian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to properly use the verb "be" in the Bosnian language. "Be" is an important and commonly used verb in many languages, including Bosnian. Understanding how to use "be" is essential to forming complete sentences and expressing thoughts and ideas clearly.

The Verb "Be" in Bosnian

The verb "be" is translated as "biti" in Bosnian. It is an irregular verb that is used to connect the subject of the sentence to the predicate. In the present tense, "be" has several different forms depending on the subject of the sentence.

Here is a table that shows the present tense forms of "be":

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
Ja sam	ya sahm	I am
Ti si	tee see	You are
On/Ona/Ono je	ohn/oh-nah/oh-noh yeh	He/She/It is
Mi smo	mee smoh	We are
Vi ste	vee steh	You are
Oni/One/Ona su	oh-nee/oh-neh/oh-nah soo	They are

Here are some examples of "be" in use:

• Ja sam student. (I am a student.)
• Ti si lijepa. (You are beautiful.)
• On je visok. (He is tall.)
• Mi smo sretni. (We are happy.)
• Vi ste umorni. (You are tired.)
• Oni su pametni. (They are smart.)

Note that the verb "be" does not change form based on the gender of the subject. Whether the subject is male, female, or neutral, the verb form remains the same.

Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening at the moment of speaking. The present continuous tense is formed using the present tense of "be" and the present participle of the main verb.

Here is a table that shows the present continuous tense forms of "be":

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
Ja sam (u procesu)	ya sahm (oo pro-tseh-su)	I am (in the process of)
Ti si (u procesu)	tee see (oo pro-tseh-su)	You are (in the process of)
On/Ona/Ono je (u procesu)	ohn/oh-nah/oh-noh yeh (oo pro-tseh-su)	He/She/It is (in the process of)
Mi smo (u procesu)	mee smoh (oo pro-tseh-su)	We are (in the process of)
Vi ste (u procesu)	vee steh (oo pro-tseh-su)	You are (in the process of)
Oni/One/Ona su (u procesu)	oh-nee/oh-neh/oh-nah soo (oo pro-tseh-su)	They are (in the process of)

Here are some examples of the present continuous tense:

• Ja sam učenje bosanskog jezika. (I am learning Bosnian.)
• Ti si čitanje knjige. (You are reading a book.)
• On je gledanje TV-a. (He is watching TV.)
• Mi smo slušanje muzike. (We are listening to music.)
• Vi ste pričanje sa prijateljem. (You are talking to a friend.)
• Oni su pisanje eseja. (They are writing an essay.)

Past Tense

The past tense of "be" is used to describe actions or states that occurred in the past. The past tense of "be" is irregular and has different forms depending on the subject of the sentence.

Here is a table that shows the past tense forms of "be":

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
Ja sam bio/bila	ya sahm bee-oh/bee-lah	I was
Ti si bio/bila	tee see bee-oh/bee-lah	You were
On/Ona/Ono je bio/bila	ohn/oh-nah/oh-noh yeh bee-oh/bee-lah	He/She/It was
Mi smo bili/bile	mee smoh bee-lee/bee-leh	We were
Vi ste bili/bile	vee steh bee-lee/bee-leh	You were
Oni/One/Ona su bili/bile	oh-nee/oh-neh/oh-nah soo bee-lee/bee-leh	They were

Here are some examples of the past tense:

• Ja sam bio/bila u Japanu. (I was in Japan.)
• Ti si bila umorna. (You were tired.)
• On je bio sretan. (He was happy.)
• Mi smo bili u parku. (We were in the park.)
• Vi ste bili prijateljski raspoloženi. (You were friendly.)
• Oni su bili na odmoru. (They were on vacation.)

Future Tense

The future tense of "be" is used to describe actions or states that will occur in the future. The future tense of "be" is irregular and has different forms depending on the subject of the sentence.

Here is a table that shows the future tense forms of "be":

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
Ja ću biti	ya choo bee-tee	I will be
Ti ćeš biti	tee cheh bee-tee	You will be
On/Ona/Ono će biti	ohn/oh-nah/oh-noh cheh bee-tee	He/She/It will be
Mi ćemo biti	mee cheh-moh bee-tee	We will be
Vi ćete biti	vee cheh-teh bee-tee	You will be
Oni/One/Ona će biti	oh-nee/oh-neh/oh-nah cheh bee-tee	They will be

Here are some examples of the future tense:

• Ja ću biti profesor. (I will be a teacher.)
• Ti ćeš biti učenik. (You will be a student.)
• On će biti bogat. (He will be rich.)
• Mi ćemo biti sretni. (We will be happy.)
• Vi ćete biti umorni. (You will be tired.)
• Oni će biti uspješni. (They will be successful.)

Practice Dialogue

Here is a dialogue to practice using the verb "be":

• Person 1: Kako si? (How are you?)
• Person 2: Ja sam dobro, hvala. A ti? (I am good, thank you. And you?)
• Person 1: Ja sam također dobro. (I am also good.)
• Person 2: Gdje si bio/bila prije nego što si došao/došla ovdje? (Where were you before you came here?)
• Person 1: Bio sam kod kuće. (I was at home.)
• Person 2: Što ćeš raditi nakon ove lekcije? (What will you do after this lesson?)
• Person 1: Mislim da ću gledati film. (I think I will watch a movie.)

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Give your Opinion
• Personal pronouns
• Gender
• Pronouns
• Questions
• Future Tense
• Plurals
• Nouns

Sources

• Bosnian language - Wikipedia
• Bosnian Grammar - How to Use "Be"
• Everything You Need to Know About Bosnian Grammar | BLEND