The past verbal adverb
In short
| Stem | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| vowel (most verbs) | infinitive −ti + -vši | pročitavši, videvši, uzevši, čuvši, pobedivši |
| consonant (-ći verbs) | past došao −ao + -avši | došavši, rekavši, ušavši, našavši |
| reflexive | keeps se | vrativši se, probudivši se |
Perfective verbs only; action finished before the main verb; same subject. Spoken: pošto/kad + past.
B1 · Lesson 29 · Glagolski prilog prošli
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
In the last lesson you met forms like idući and pevajući: "going", "singing" — an action happening at the same time as the main verb. Serbian has a second form of this kind for an action that is already finished before the main verb starts. English says "having done": Having said that, the old woman vanished. Serbian says it in one word: Rekavši to, starica je nestala.
This form is called the past verbal adverb (glagolski prilog prošli). Like the -ći form it never changes: the same word works for a man, a woman, a group, in the past, present or future. It ends in -vši or -avši.
Two forms, two meanings
| Present verbal adverb (lesson 28) | Past verbal adverb (this lesson) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ending | -ći | -vši / -avši |
| Made from | imperfective verbs | perfective verbs |
| Timing | at the same time as the main verb | finished before the main verb |
| Example | Čitajući bajku, smejao se. (While reading the tale, he laughed.) | Pročitavši bajku, zaspao je. (Having read the tale, he fell asleep.) |
The aspect makes sense: a perfective verb presents an action as a completed whole, and a completed action is exactly what the past verbal adverb reports. So pročitati (to read through), not čitati; doći (to arrive), not dolaziti.
How to form it
Most verbs — the ones whose infinitive ends in a vowel + -ti — simply swap -ti for -vši. This is the vowel stem.
| Infinitive | Stem | Past verbal adverb |
|---|---|---|
| pročitati (to read through) | pročita- | pročitavši |
| videti (to see) | vide- | videvši |
| uzeti (to take) | uze- | uzevši |
| čuti (to hear) | ču- | čuvši |
| popiti (to drink up) | popi- | popivši |
| pobediti (to defeat) | pobedi- | pobedivši |
| završiti (to finish) | završi- | završivši |
Verbs in -ći have a stem ending in a consonant, hidden in the infinitive. You find it in the masculine past form you already know: došao → doš-. Drop the -ao and add -avši. This is the consonant stem.
| Infinitive | Past (he) | Past verbal adverb |
|---|---|---|
| doći (to come, arrive) | došao | došavši |
| reći (to say) | rekao | rekavši |
| ući (to enter) | ušao | ušavši |
| naći (to find) | našao | našavši |
| pobeći (to run away) | pobegao | pobegavši |
Reflexive verbs keep se
If the verb is reflexive, se stays with it, right after the adverb: vrativši se (having returned), probudivši se (having woken up), popevši se (having climbed), sakrivši se (having hidden).
- Vrativši se kući, carević je sve ispričao ocu. — Having returned home, the prince told his father everything.
- Probudivši se, shvatila sam da je sve bio san. — Having woken up, I realised it had all been a dream.
One subject for both actions
As with the -ći form, the person who did the first action must be the subject of the main verb. In Došavši do reke, junak je dao konju vode, the hero reached the river and the hero gave the horse water.
When the two actions have different subjects, you cannot use the past verbal adverb. Use a clause with pošto (after) or kad instead: Pošto je zmaj zaspao, junak je uzeo blago. — After the dragon fell asleep, the hero took the treasure. Never Zaspavši zmaj...
You will read it more than you say it
This form belongs to written and storytelling style: fairy tales, legends, novels, news. In everyday speech Serbians say the same thing with pošto or kad + the past tense. Learn to recognise -vši instantly when you read; when you speak, a pošto-clause is always safe.
| Written / literary | Spoken |
|---|---|
| Prošavši kroz šumu, ugledao je dvorac. | Pošto je prošao kroz šumu, ugledao je dvorac. |
| Rekavši to, starica je nestala. | Kad je to rekla, starica je nestala. |
The adverb usually opens the sentence and is followed by a comma, which is exactly how you spot it in a text: one word in -vši at the start, then the story moves on.
Check what you read
6 of the 15 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
(videti) zmaja, princeza je pobegla u dvorac.
(uzeti) zlatnu jabuku, carević je krenuo kući.
(čuti) pesmu, vila je izašla iz reke.
___, princeza je pogledala kroz prozor.
___ zmaja, junak se vratio kući.
Which sentence says the tsar got angry AFTER he had finished reading the letter?
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Pročitavši bajku, zaspao je.
Having read the fairy tale, he fell asleep.
Rekavši to, starica je nestala.
Having said that, the old woman vanished.
Rešivši zagonetku, dobićeš pola carstva.
Having solved the riddle, you will get half the kingdom.
Prošavši kroz šumu, ugledao je dvorac.
Having passed through the forest, he caught sight of a castle.
Završivši priču, deda je zatvorio knjigu.
Having finished the story, grandpa closed the book.
Saznavši istinu, car je oslobodio siromaha.
Having learned the truth, the tsar set the poor man free.
Ispekavši hleb, baba ga je dala siromahu.
Having baked the bread, the old woman gave it to the poor man.
Čuvši vuka, pastir je pobegao u selo.
Having heard the wolf, the shepherd ran away to the village.
Uzevši mač, mladić je krenuo u planinu.
Having taken the sword, the young man set off into the mountains.
Ušavši u pećinu, junak je ugledao zmaja.
Having entered the cave, the hero caught sight of the dragon.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 22
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
Having read the fairy tale, he fell asleep.