Language/Bosnian/Grammar/Present-Tense

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Bosnian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Present Tense

Welcome to our lesson on the Present Tense in Bosnian! Understanding how to use the present tense is crucial for effective communication in any language, and Bosnian is no exception. The present tense allows you to describe actions that are occurring now or habitual actions. This lesson will guide you through the intricacies of conjugating both regular and irregular verbs in the present tense, and we’ll provide plenty of practice exercises to make sure you feel confident using what you've learned.

In this lesson, we will cover the following topics:

Introduction to Present Tense

The present tense is used to express actions happening at the moment or routines. For example, saying "I eat" or "He reads" indicates ongoing actions or habitual behaviors. In Bosnian, the present tense is formed by conjugating verbs according to their subject and tense.

Regular Verbs Conjugation

Regular verbs in Bosnian follow specific patterns when conjugated. The three main groups based on their endings are -ati, -iti, and -eti. Let’s break down how to conjugate these regular verbs. Below are the conjugation patterns for each group:

Group 1: Verbs ending in -ati

For regular verbs ending in -ati, the endings change as follows:

• ja (I) - -am

• ti (you singular) - -aš

• on/ona/ono (he/she/it) - -a

• mi (we) - -amo

• vi (you plural/formal) - -ate

• oni/one/ona (they) - -aju

Here’s an example with the verb "raditi" (to work):

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
radim	ˈradim	I work
radiš	ˈradiʃ	you work (singular)
radi	ˈradi	he/she/it works
radimo	ˈradimo	we work
radite	ˈradite	you work (plural/formal)
rade	ˈrade	they work

Group 2: Verbs ending in -iti

For regular verbs ending in -iti, the endings are slightly different:

• ja (I) - -im

• ti (you singular) - -iš

• on/ona/ono (he/she/it) - -i

• mi (we) - -imo

• vi (you plural/formal) - -ite

• oni/one/ona (they) - -e

Example with the verb "čitati" (to read):

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
čitam	ˈt͡ʃitam	I read
čitaš	ˈt͡ʃitaʃ	you read (singular)
čita	ˈt͡ʃita	he/she/it reads
čitamo	ˈt͡ʃitamo	we read
čitate	ˈt͡ʃitate	you read (plural/formal)
čitaju	ˈt͡ʃitaju	they read

Group 3: Verbs ending in -eti

For regular verbs ending in -eti, the endings are similar to those of -iti verbs:

• ja (I) - -em

• ti (you singular) - -eš

• on/ona/ono (he/she/it) - -e

• mi (we) - -emo

• vi (you plural/formal) - -ete

• oni/one/ona (they) - -u

Example with the verb "vidjeti" (to see):

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
vidim	ˈvidim	I see
vidiš	ˈvidiʃ	you see (singular)
vidi	ˈvidi	he/she/it sees
vidimo	ˈvidimo	we see
vidite	ˈvidite	you see (plural/formal)
vide	ˈvide	they see

Irregular Verbs Conjugation

Irregular verbs in Bosnian do not follow the regular conjugation patterns, and their forms can vary widely. Here are some of the most commonly used irregular verbs in the present tense:

Example 1: "biti" (to be)

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
ja sam	ja sam	I am
ti si	ti si	you are (singular)
on/ona/ono je	on/ona/ono je	he/she/it is
mi smo	mi smo	we are
vi ste	vi ste	you are (plural/formal)
oni/one/ona su	oni/one/ona su	they are

Example 2: "imati" (to have)

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
ja imam	ja imam	I have
ti imaš	ti imaš	you have (singular)
on/ona/ono ima	on/ona/ono ima	he/she/it has
mi imamo	mi imamo	we have
vi imate	vi imate	you have (plural/formal)
oni/one/ona imaju	oni/one/ona imaju	they have

Example 3: "moći" (can/to be able to)

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
ja mogu	ja mogu	I can
ti možeš	ti možeš	you can (singular)
on/ona/ono može	on/ona/ono može	he/she/it can
mi možemo	mi možemo	we can
vi možete	vi možete	you can (plural/formal)
oni/one/ona mogu	oni/one/ona mogu	they can

Forming Sentences in the Present Tense

Now that we understand how to conjugate verbs, let’s look at how to form complete sentences in the present tense. The usual structure in Bosnian is Subject + Verb + Object.

Here are some examples:

1. Ja čitam knjigu. (I read a book.)

2. Ti jedeš supu. (You are eating soup.)

3. On gleda televiziju. (He is watching TV.)

4. Mi igramo fudbal. (We play soccer.)

5. Oni slušaju muziku. (They are listening to music.)

Here are more examples in tabular form:

Bosnian	Pronunciation	English
Ja igram tenis.	ja igram ˈtenis	I play tennis.
Ti pišeš pismo.	ti ˈpiʃeʃ ˈpismo	You are writing a letter.
Ona vozi auto.	ˈona ˈvozi ˈauto	She is driving a car.
Mi imamo plan.	mi ˈimamo ˈplan	We have a plan.
Vi učite Bosanski.	vi ˈuʧite ˈbosanski	You are learning Bosnian.
Oni trče maraton.	ˈoni ˈtɾ͡ʃe ˈmaɾaton	They are running a marathon.

Practice Exercises

To solidify your understanding of the present tense, here are some exercises. Try to complete them, and then check your answers at the end of the exercises.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

1. Ja _______ (raditi) svaki dan. (I work every day.)

2. Ti _______ (čitati) knjige. (You read books.)

3. Ona _______ (moći) plivati. (She can swim.)

4. Mi _______ (vidjeti) filmove. (We watch movies.)

5. Oni _______ (igrati) fudbal. (They play soccer.)

Exercise 2: Translate the following sentences into Bosnian.

1. I have a cat.

2. You are running fast.

3. He sees the sun.

4. We are eating lunch.

5. They listen to music.

Exercise 3: Conjugate the following verbs in the present tense.

1. "igrati" (to play)

2. "učiti" (to learn)

3. "ići" (to go)

4. "svirati" (to play an instrument)

5. "kupovati" (to buy)

Exercise 4: Choose the correct form of the verb to complete the sentence.

1. Ti _______ (raditi/radi) kao učitelj. (You work as a teacher.)

2. Oni _______ (gledati/gleda) televiziju. (They watch TV.)

3. Ja _______ (imati/ima) mnogo prijatelja. (I have many friends.)

4. Mi _______ (moći/može) otići u bioskop. (We can go to the cinema.)

5. Ona _______ (čitati/čita) novine. (She reads the newspaper.)

Exercise 5: Create sentences using the following subjects and verbs.

1. I (to eat) - _______

2. You (to write) - _______

3. He (to drive) - _______

4. We (to listen) - _______

5. They (to play) - _______

Solutions to Exercises

Solutions to Exercise 1:

1. radim

2. čitaš

3. može

4. vidimo

5. igraju

Solutions to Exercise 2:

1. Imam mačku.

2. Ti trčiš brzo.

3. On vidi sunce.

4. Mi jedemo ručak.

5. Oni slušaju muziku.

Solutions to Exercise 3:

1. igram, igraš, igra, igramo, igrate, igraju

2. učim, učiš, uči, učimo, učite, uče

3. idem, ideš, ide, idemo, idete, idu

4. sviram, sviraš, svira, sviramo, svirate, sviraju

5. kupujem, kupuješ, kupuje, kupujemo, kupujete, kupuju

Solutions to Exercise 4:

1. radi

2. gledaju

3. imam

4. možemo

5. čita

Solutions to Exercise 5:

1. Ja jedem.

2. Ti pišeš.

3. On vozi.

4. Mi slušamo.

5. Oni igraju.

Congratulations! You have just taken a significant step in mastering the Bosnian present tense. Keep practicing, and soon you will be able to express yourself fluently in Bosnian!

Table of Contents - Bosnian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Bosnian Alphabet

• Bosnian Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Special Characters and Sounds

  ---

Basic Bosnian Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Questions and Negations

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Gender and Plurals
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Bosnian Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Common Hobbies
• Sports and Fitness

  ---

Bosnian Literature and Cinema

• Famous Writers and Works
• Bosnian Cinema

Sources

• Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Grammar: The Present Tense Singular ...
• Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Grammar: The Present Tense Plural ...

Other Lessons

• Articles and Nouns
• How to Use Be
• Bosnian Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Comparatives and Superlatives
• Questions and Negations
• Conditional Mood
• Adjective Agreement
• Give your Opinion
• 0 to A1 Course

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