The meanings of verbal prefixes
In short
| Prefix | Adds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pre- | over; again; too much | preskočiti, preseliti se, presoliti |
| do- | to the end; adding; arriving | dočitati, dopisati, dotrčati |
| raz- (ras-) | apart; undoing | razbiti, rasuti, razvezati |
| iz- (is-) | out; all the way | istrčati, izgoreti |
| na- | onto; a lot / one's fill | nalepiti, nakupiti se, najesti se |
| po- | a little, a while; become | poigrati se, popričati, pozeleneti |
| za- | start; one burst | zaplakati, zalajati |
| s- (z-, sa-) | down, off; together | sići, skinuti, sakupiti |
Every prefix also makes the verb perfective.
B2 · Lesson 37 · Značenje glagolskih prefiksa
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
You already know that a prefix makes a verb perfective (pisati → napisati), and that on verbs of motion a prefix says where the movement goes (ući, izaći, prići). This lesson puts the two together: the same handful of prefixes add the same kind of meaning to almost any verb, not just to verbs of motion. Once you know what a prefix usually does, you can often guess an unfamiliar verb from its two parts.
Eight prefixes and what they add
| Prefix | Usual meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| pre- | across, over; again / differently; too much | skočiti → preskočiti (jump over), seliti → preseliti se (move house), soliti → presoliti (oversalt) |
| do- | up to the end; adding something; arriving | čitati → dočitati (finish reading), pisati → dopisati (add in writing), trčati → dotrčati (run up to) |
| raz- | apart, in all directions; undoing | biti → razbiti (smash), ići → razići se (disperse), vezati → razvezati (untie) |
| iz- | out of; all the way, to the end | trčati → istrčati (run out), goreti → izgoreti (burn out) |
| na- | onto; a lot of, to one's fill | lepiti → nalepiti (stick onto), kupiti → nakupiti se (pile up), jesti → najesti se (eat one's fill) |
| po- | a little, for a while; becoming (from colour words) | igrati se → poigrati se (play for a while), pričati → popričati (have a chat), zelen → pozeleneti (turn green) |
| za- | starting; a single burst | plakati → zaplakati (burst into tears), lajati → zalajati (start barking), zvoniti → zazvoniti (ring out) |
| s- | down, off; together | ići → sići (go down), skinuti (take off), kupiti → sakupiti (gather together) |
Read the examples aloud and you will hear the pattern in each one:
- Mačka je preskočila ogradu — the cat went over the fence.
- Dočitaću knjigu večeras — I will read it to the end.
- Komadi su se rasuli po podu — the pieces went in all directions.
- Dečaci su istrčali iz škole — the boys ran out.
- Najeli smo se kod bake — we ate our fill.
- Posle kiše je trava pozelenela — the grass became green.
- Kad je čula vest, zaplakala je — she started crying.
- Sišli smo s planine — we came down.
The spelling of the prefix can change
You learned that consonants next to each other agree in voicing. Prefixes follow that rule, and the spelling shows it:
- raz- becomes ras- before a voiceless consonant: rasuti (scatter), rasporediti.
- iz- becomes is- before a voiceless consonant: istrčati, ispeći.
- s- becomes z- before a voiced consonant (zgaziti), and sa- before s, z, š, ž or where it would be hard to say: sakupiti, sastaviti.
So when you meet rasuli or istrčali, look for raz- and iz- underneath.
Using the meanings to guess
- Split the verb: prefix + a verb you know (raz + vezati).
- Take the usual meaning of the prefix (apart, undoing).
- Put them together: razvezati = untie, undo a knot.
Not every prefix keeps its meaning. Sometimes a prefix only makes the verb perfective (pisati → napisati, kuvati → skuvati add nothing else), and some verbs have drifted away from their parts (zaboraviti — forget). Use the table to make a good guess, then check it against the sentence. And remember that one prefix can have more than one meaning: pre- is "over" in preskočiti but "too much" in presoliti.
po- and za- are the easiest to mix up. Po- limits an action (a little, for a while): popričali smo — we had a short chat. Za- only marks its start: zapričali smo se — we got talking. If the sentence says how long it lasted, you usually want po-; if it says what set it off, za-.
Check what you read
3 of the 16 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Lisica je ___ zid i pobegla. (jumped over)
What does pre- add in "presoliti"?
Ostale su mi još dve strane, sutra ću ___ članak. (read to the end)
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Skini kaput, ovde je toplo.
Take off your coat, it's warm in here.
Sišli smo s planine pre mraka.
We came down the mountain before dark.
Nakupilo se mnogo prašine iza ormara.
A lot of dust has piled up behind the wardrobe.
Kad je čula vest, zaplakala je.
When she heard the news, she burst into tears.
Posle kiše je trava ponovo pozelenela.
After the rain the grass turned green again.
Mačka je preskočila ogradu i nestala.
The cat jumped over the fence and disappeared.
Razvezala je čvor i otvorila paket.
She untied the knot and opened the parcel.
Dopiši svoje ime na kraj spiska.
Add your name at the end of the list.
Izbacio je stare stvari iz podruma.
He threw the old things out of the basement.
Nalepila je fotografiju na vrata frižidera.
She stuck a photo onto the fridge door.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 29
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
She untied the knot and opened the parcel.