Language/Croatian/Grammar/Advanced-Verb-Tenses

Croatian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Intermediate Croatian Grammar → Advanced Verb Tenses

Introduction

In this lesson, we will delve into the advanced verb tenses in the Croatian language. Building upon the knowledge gained in the previous lessons of this course, we will explore more complex verb forms and structures. Mastering advanced verb tenses is essential for achieving a high level of proficiency in Croatian and expressing yourself with precision and accuracy.

Throughout this lesson, we will cover three main topics: compound past tense, future perfect tense, and conditional mood. Each topic will be explained in detail, accompanied by numerous examples to help you understand and internalize the concepts. Additionally, we will explore any regional variations in the usage or understanding of these verb tenses, providing you with a deeper insight into Croatian culture and language.

By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of these advanced verb tenses and be able to use them confidently in your own conversations and writing. Let's begin!

Compound Past Tense

The compound past tense, also known as the perfect tense, is used to talk about completed actions in the past. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "biti" (to be) in the present tense with the past participle of the main verb. Here is the conjugation of "biti" in the present tense:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja sam	Ya sahm	I am
Ti si	Tee see	You are (informal)
On/Ona/Ono je	Ohn/Ohnah/Ohno yay	He/She/It is
Mi smo	Mee smoh	We are
Vi ste	Vee steh	You are (formal/plural)
Oni/One/Ona su	Ohnee/Ohneh/Ohnah soo	They are

To form the compound past tense, we use the present tense conjugation of "biti" and add the past participle of the main verb. The past participle in Croatian is formed by adding the suffix "-o" (for neuter gender), "-a" (for feminine gender), or "-i" (for masculine gender) to the verb stem. Here are some examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja sam bio/bila/bilo	Ya sahm bee-oh/bee-lah/bee-loh	I have been
Ti si bio/bila/bilo	Tee see bee-oh/bee-lah/bee-loh	You have been (informal)
On/Ona/Ono je bio/bila/bilo	Ohn/Ohnah/Ohno yay bee-oh/bee-lah/bee-loh	He/She/It has been
Mi smo bili/bile/bila	Mee smoh bee-lee/bee-leh/bee-lah	We have been
Vi ste bili/bile/bila	Vee steh bee-lee/bee-leh/bee-lah	You have been (formal/plural)
Oni/One/Ona su bili/bile/bila	Ohnee/Ohneh/Ohnah soo bee-lee/bee-leh/bee-lah	They have been

It is important to note that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. Let's look at some examples:

• Ja sam bio u Zagrebu. (I have been in Zagreb.)
• Ona je bila sretna. (She has been happy.)
• Mi smo bili na plaži. (We have been at the beach.)

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to talk about actions that will be completed in the future before another specified event or time. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb "biti" in the future tense with the past participle of the main verb. Here is the conjugation of "biti" in the future tense:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja ću biti	Ya choo bee-tee	I will be
Ti ćeš biti	Tee cheh bee-tee	You will be (informal)
On/Ona/Ono će biti	Ohn/Ohnah/Ohno 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 (formal/plural)
Oni/One/Ona će biti	Ohnee/Ohneh/Ohnah cheh bee-tee	They will be

To form the future perfect tense, we use the future tense conjugation of "biti" and add the past participle of the main verb. Here are some examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja ću biti dovršio/dovršila/dovršilo	Ya choo bee-tee doh-vr-shee-oh/doh-vr-shee-lah/doh-vr-shee-loh	I will have finished
Ti ćeš biti dovršio/dovršila/dovršilo	Tee cheh bee-tee doh-vr-shee-oh/doh-vr-shee-lah/doh-vr-shee-loh	You will have finished (informal)
On/Ona/Ono će biti dovršio/dovršila/dovršilo	Ohn/Ohnah/Ohno cheh bee-tee doh-vr-shee-oh/doh-vr-shee-lah/doh-vr-shee-loh	He/She/It will have finished
Mi ćemo biti dovršili/dovršile/dovršila	Mee cheh-moh bee-tee doh-vr-shee-lee/doh-vr-shee-leh/doh-vr-shee-lah	We will have finished
Vi ćete biti dovršili/dovršile/dovršila	Vee cheh-teh bee-tee doh-vr-shee-lee/doh-vr-shee-leh/doh-vr-shee-lah	You will have finished (formal/plural)
Oni/One/Ona će biti dovršili/dovršile/dovršila	Ohnee/Ohneh/Ohnah cheh bee-tee doh-vr-shee-lee/doh-vr-shee-leh/doh-vr-shee-lah	They will have finished

Just like in the compound past tense, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. Let's look at some examples:

• Ja ću biti završio svoj rad prije večere. (I will have finished my work before dinner.)
• On će biti završio fakultet do kraja godine. (He will have finished college by the end of the year.)
• Mi ćemo biti pročitali sve knjige prije putovanja. (We will have read all the books before the trip.)

Conditional Mood

The conditional mood is used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations, and to express wishes or requests. It is formed by combining the conditional form of the auxiliary verb "biti" with the infinitive form of the main verb. Here is the conjugation of "biti" in the conditional mood:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja bih bio/bila/bilo	Ya bee bee-oh/bee-lah/bee-loh	I would be
Ti bi bio/bila/bilo	Tee bee bee-oh/bee-lah/bee-loh	You would be (informal)
On/Ona/Ono bi bio/bila/bilo	Ohn/Ohnah/Ohno bee bee-oh/bee-lah/bee-loh	He/She/It would be
Mi bismo bili/bile/bila	Mee bee-smoh bee-lee/bee-leh/bee-lah	We would be
Vi biste bili/bile/bila	Vee bee-steh bee-lee/bee-leh/bee-lah	You would be (formal/plural)
Oni/One/Ona bi bili/bile/bila	Ohnee/Ohneh/Ohnah bee bee-lee/bee-leh/bee-lah	They would be

To form the conditional mood, we use the conditional form of "biti" and add the infinitive form of the main verb. Here are some examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja bih bio vratio/vratila/vratilo	Ya bee bee vr-ah-tee-oh/vr-ah-tee-lah/vr-ah-tee-loh	I would have returned
Ti bi bio vratio/vratila/vratilo	Tee bee bee vr-ah-tee-oh/vr-ah-tee-lah/vr-ah-tee-loh	You would have returned (informal)
On/Ona/Ono bi bio vratio/vratila/vratilo	Ohn/Ohnah/Ohno bee bee vr-ah-tee-oh/vr-ah-tee-lah/vr-ah-tee-loh	He/She/It would have returned
Mi bismo bili vratili/vratile/vratila	Mee bee-smoh bee-lee vr-ah-tee-lee/vr-ah-tee-leh/vr-ah-tee-lah	We would have returned
Vi biste bili vratili/vratile/vratila	Vee bee-steh bee-lee vr-ah-tee-lee/vr-ah-tee-leh/vr-ah-tee-lah	You would have returned (formal/plural)
Oni/One/Ona bi bili vratili/vratile/vratila	Ohnee/Ohneh/Ohnah bee bee vr-ah-tee-lee/vr-ah-tee-leh/vr-ah-tee-lah	They would have returned

As in the previous tenses, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. Let's look at some examples:

• Ja bih bio poslao pismo da sam znao. (I would have sent the letter if I had known.)
• Ona bi bila zahvalna da je dobila posao. (She would be grateful if she got the job.)
• Mi bismo bili sretni da smo pobijedili. (We would be happy if we had won.)

Cultural Insights

In Croatian culture, verb tenses play a significant role in communication and expression. The correct usage of verb tenses helps to convey precise meanings and intentions, ensuring effective and accurate communication. Understanding advanced verb tenses is particularly important in formal settings, such as academic or professional contexts, where precision and clarity are essential.

Regional variations in the usage and understanding of verb tenses may exist within Croatia due to historical, linguistic, and cultural factors. For example, certain dialects may have different conjugation patterns or unique verb forms that differ from the standard Croatian. These regional variations add richness and diversity to the Croatian language and reflect the cultural heritage of different regions within Croatia.

Interesting Fact: In Croatian, the verb "to be" (biti) is often omitted in certain sentences when it is clear from the context. This linguistic feature, known as "zero copula," is a characteristic of many Slavic languages and contributes to the efficiency and brevity of spoken Croatian.

Practice Exercises

Now it's time to practice what you've learned! Complete the following exercises to reinforce your understanding of the compound past tense, future perfect tense, and conditional mood. Solutions and explanations will be provided at the end for your reference.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb "biti" and the past participle of the main verb.

1. Ja ________ (doći) kući prije sat vremena. 2. Ti ________ (vidjeti) tu predstavu već tri puta. 3. On ________ (pročitati) sve knjige iz te trilogije. 4. Mi ________ (otići) na more prošlog ljeta. 5. Vi ________ (raditi) na ovom projektu cijeli mjesec. 6. Oni ________ (učiti) strane jezike od malih nogu.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using the future perfect tense.

1. Ja završavam fakultet sljedeće godine. -> Ja ________ fakultet sljedeće godine. 2. Ona upoznaje svjetski poznatog pjevača sutra. -> Ona ________ svjetski poznatog pjevača sutra. 3. Mi čitamo ovu knjigu prije spavanja. -> Mi ________ ovu knjigu prije spavanja. 4. Vi putujete u Pariz sljedeći tjedan. -> Vi ________ u Pariz sljedeći tjedan. 5. Oni rade na tom projektu već mjesec dana. -> Oni ________ na tom projektu već mjesec dana.

Exercise 3: Complete the sentences using the conditional mood.

1. Ja ________ s tobom na taj koncert da sam znao ranije. 2. Ti ________ me da si bio iskren od početka. 3. On ________ uvjetovan da su se ispunili svi zahtjevi. 4. Mi ________ na vrijeme da smo imali više resursa. 5. Vi ________ svijet da ste imali moć mijenjati stvari. 6. Oni ________ sve da su imali priliku.

Solutions and Explanations

Exercise 1:

1. Ja sam došao/la kući prije sat vremena. 2. Ti si vidio/la tu predstavu već tri puta. 3. On je pročitao/la sve knjige iz te trilogije. 4. Mi smo otišli/e na more prošlog ljeta. 5. Vi ste radili/e na ovom projektu cijeli mjesec. 6. Oni su učili/e strane jezike od malih nogu.

Exercise 2:

1. Ja ću završiti fakultet sljedeće godine. 2. Ona će upoznati svjetski poznatog pjevača sutra. 3. Mi ćemo pročitati ovu knjigu prije spavanja. 4. Vi ćete putovati u Pariz sljedeći tjedan. 5. Oni će raditi na tom projektu već mjesec dana.

Exercise 3:

1. Ja bih išao/la s tobom na taj koncert da sam znao ranije. 2. Ti bi me uvjerio/la da si bio iskren od početka. 3. On bi prihvatio uvjetovan da su se ispunili svi zahtjevi. 4. Mi bismo uspjeli na vrijeme da smo imali više resursa. 5. Vi biste promijenili svijet da ste imali moć mijenjati stvari. 6. Oni bi napravili sve da su imali priliku.

Congratulations on completing the exercises! You are now more familiar with the compound past tense, future perfect tense, and conditional mood in Croatian. Keep practicing to reinforce your knowledge and fluency in these advanced verb tenses.

Table of Contents - Croatian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns: Gender and Number
• Personal Pronouns

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

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

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Daily Activities

• Common Activities
• Hobbies and Interests

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives: Gender and Number
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

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Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

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Croatian Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

Sources

• Serbo-Croatian grammar - Wikipedia
• Croatian Verbs, the Best Detailed Introduction - tenses, aspect, and ...

Other Lessons

• 0 to A1 Course
• Verbs and Tenses
• Prepositions and Pronouns
• How to Use Be
• Nouns
• Croatian Idiomatic Expressions
• Advanced Noun and Adjective Declension
• Croatian Language Varieties
• Conditional Mood
• Word Order and Sentence Structure