Present tense of a-class verbs
In short
Present of a-verbs — stem = infinitive minus -ti, and it never changes.
| ending | gledati | |
|---|---|---|
| ja | -am | gledam |
| ti | -aš | gledaš |
| on/ona/ono | -a | gleda |
| mi | -amo | gledamo |
| vi | -ate | gledate |
| oni/one/ona | -aju | gledaju |
Recognise the class by the ja form in -am. Negation: ne as a separate word — ne gledam.
A1 · Lesson 12 · Present tense: verbs in -am
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
So far you could say what something is. Now you can say what somebody does. In Serbian the end of the verb tells you who is doing it — and it does that job so well that the pronoun is usually left out.
One stem, six endings
Serbian verbs come in three groups. This lesson takes the easiest and biggest one, the group people call the a-verbs, because in the I form they end in -am: gledam, pevam, spavam.
Take the dictionary form gledati (to watch), cut off the final -ti, and you are left with the stem gleda-. The stem never changes. Everything you do happens at the very end of the word.
| ending | form | meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ja | -am | gledam | I watch |
| ti | -aš | gledaš | you watch |
| on / ona / ono | -a | gleda | he / she / it watches |
| mi | -amo | gledamo | we watch |
| vi | -ate | gledate | you watch (plural or polite) |
| oni / one / ona | -aju | gledaju | they watch |
Notice that only one letter separates gledam, gledaš and gleda. Serbian ears are trained on that last letter, so say it clearly.
Every a-verb behaves the same way. Swap the stem and the endings stay exactly where they were:
| spavati (to sleep) | kuvati (to cook) | šetati (to walk) | plivati (to swim) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ja | spavam | kuvam | šetam | plivam |
| ti | spavaš | kuvaš | šetaš | plivaš |
| on / ona | spava | kuva | šeta | pliva |
| mi | spavamo | kuvamo | šetamo | plivamo |
| vi | spavate | kuvate | šetate | plivate |
| oni / one | spavaju | kuvaju | šetaju | plivaju |
How do I know a verb is an a-verb?
By its I form. If the ja form ends in -am, the whole rest of the table follows automatically. That is why dictionaries and this course always give you the two forms together: čitati, čitam.
Here are five more, spelled out in full — read down each column and you will see the same six endings again:
| čitati (to read) | pevati (to sing) | ručati (to have lunch) | večerati (to have dinner) | razgovarati (to talk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ja | čitam | pevam | ručam | večeram | razgovaram |
| ti | čitaš | pevaš | ručaš | večeraš | razgovaraš |
| on / ona | čita | peva | ruča | večera | razgovara |
| mi | čitamo | pevamo | ručamo | večeramo | razgovaramo |
| vi | čitate | pevate | ručate | večerate | razgovarate |
| oni / one | čitaju | pevaju | ručaju | večeraju | razgovaraju |
Others in the same class: slušati, slušam (to listen) and znati, znam (to know).
Leaving the pronoun out
Čitam already means I read — nothing is missing. Add ja only when you want to point at yourself: Ja čitam, a ti spavaš. (I am reading, and you are sleeping.) A pronoun in Serbian is emphasis, not grammar.
One present, two English tenses
Serbian has a single present tense. Pevam is both I sing and I am singing; which one you mean comes from the situation, not from the verb. Do not look for an extra word to add — there isn't one.
To say you don't do something, put ne in front of the verb, as a separate word: ne pevam, ne spavaju. This is different from biti, which fuses its negative into one word (nisam).
Vi is both plural you and the polite you for one person you address formally. The verb form is -ate either way: Da li vi plivate?
Check what you read
6 of the 15 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Ja ujutru(plivati).
Da li ti danas(kuvati)?
Marko uveče(čitati).
Danas ja ___, a sutra kuva Ana.
Ti previše ___.
Ova devojka lepo ___.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Uveče obično čitam.
In the evening I usually read.
Ti previše spavaš.
You sleep too much.
Marko popodne pliva.
Marko swims in the afternoon.
Kada obično večeraš?
When do you usually have dinner?
Mi obično kasno ručamo.
We usually have lunch late.
Deca uveče rano spavaju.
The children go to sleep early in the evening.
Ova devojka lepo peva.
This girl sings beautifully.
Mi uvek zajedno večeramo.
We always have dinner together.
Zašto tako kasno ručate?
Why do you have lunch so late?
Taj čovek ujutru uvek šeta.
That man always goes for a walk in the morning.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 219
Try it yourself
Translate a sentence that uses this rule. The check marks the word that went wrong and names the rule behind it, as in the app.
Sentences
Write it in Serbian
In the evening I usually read.