Perfective and imperfective verbs / svršeni i nesvršeni glagoli

Perfective and imperfective verbs

In Montenegrin language the perfective aspect is used to convey the notion that something has happened (the activity is completed), while the imperfective is used for activities that are continous or repeated.

Imperfective is generally used in reference to activities occuring in the present, as well as in generalizations, while the perfective is used to refer to the actions that are plannated for the future or have been completed in the past.

Vowel/consonant changes

A large group of aspectual pair share the same stem (root), but differ in the final vowel preceding the infinitive ending -ti.

Perfective Imperfective

Primiti primati

Baciti bacati

Odgovoriti odgovarati

There are varations and exceptions to these rules, but verbs from the –iti group tend to be perfective, and those belonging to the –ati group tend to be imperfective. Sometimes the vowel change triggers a consonant change, and this may also occur in the stem:

Perfective Imperfective

Platiti plaćati

Zaboraviti Zaboravljati

Staviti stavljati

Desiti se dešavati se

Oprostiti opraštati

Forming the imperfective through infixes

A large group of verbs inserts a whole syllable (-iva, -ova, -ava) right after the stem to form the imperfective.

Perfective Imperfective

Završiti završavati

Potpisati potpisivati

Dati davati

Prodati prodavati

Kupiti kupovati

Although there are several other infixes, the group above is by far the largest.

Perfective Imperfective

Sresti sretati

Stati stajati

Pomoći pomagati

The infix –nu usually indicates a momentary one-time action and is therefore associated with the perfective:

Perfective Imperfective

Krenuti kretati

Maknuti micati

Forming the perfective through prefixes

The group of verbs that is easiesto to identify is the one that forms perfective through a prefix. The most common prefixes are listed below. Many of these prefixes have the same meaning as the preposition whose meaning they share.

Do uo to, as far as

Iz/is from, out of, all over

Na bringing an action to completion

Nad/nat above

o/ob around

od/ot away from, reversed action

po comprehensive completion of an action

pod/pot under

pre over

pred/pret before

pri to join to

pro through, past

raz/ras in various directions

s put together

u into

za to start the action

Imperfective perfective

Žuriti požuriti

Čitati pročitati

Kuvati skuvati

Kasniti zakasniti

Puniti napuniti

Učiti naučiti

Veseliti se razveseliti se

Putovati otputovati

Most verbs take only one prefix, but some may take several. Since each prefix has a specific meaning, the meaning of the verb itself also changes.

However, the imperfective pisati does not form an aspectual pair with potpisati or prepisati, since these verbs mean to sign and to copy, respectively. These prefixed verbs therefore have their own derived imperfectives, typically formed by inserting – iva, -ova and –ava infixes.

Imperfective perfective

Potpisivati potpisati to sign

Zapisivati zapisati to note down

Upisivati upisati to enroll, to enter data

Popisivati popisati to make a list

Dopisivati se _____ to correspond

Dopisivati dopisati to add to written text

Otpisivati otpisati to write off

Ispisivati ispisati to write all over

Prepisivati prepisati to copy

Pripisivati pripisati to attribute

Raspisivati raspisati to announce a competition

Opisivati opisati to describe

Propisivati propisati to regulate

Verbs of motion

A particularly important group in this category is the one formed around the verb ići to go, encompassing the majority od the so called motion verbs. You will notice that the second group of imperfectives listed below all have laz, which follows the prefix to form a new verb. This characteristic only of the group of verbs.

Imperfective imperfective perfective

Ići dolaziti doći to come, to arrive

Ulaziti ući to enter

Izlaziti izaći to exit

Odlaziti otići to leave

Prilaziti prići to approach

Obilaziti obići to circle

Prolaziti proći to pass

Polaziti poći to set off

Prelaziti preći to cross

Silaziti sići to step down

Nalaziti naći to find

Verbs of transportation

In the following table, there are three groups of transporation verbs formed around the imperfective verbs nositi (to carry), voditi (to lead) and voziti (to drive).

Imperfective perfective

Donositi donijeti to bring

Prenositi prenijeti to carry over, to transmit

Prevoditi prevesti to translate, to lead over

Dovoditi dovesti to bring someone

Odvoditi odvesti to take someone somewhere

Provoditi provesti to lead through, to spend time, to implement

Prevoziti prevesti to drive/transport over

Dovoziti dovesti to drive/transport to

Odvoziti odvesti to drive/transport away

Verbs of perception and expression

Several frequent used verbs have two pairs: one pair in which both verbs have the same stem, and a second pair with a verb that differs from the stem.

Imperfective perfective

Govoriti – to say progovoriti to begin to speak (same stem)

Reći to tell (different stem)

Kazati to tell (different stem)

Slušati to listen poslušati to listen for a while (same stem)

Čuti to hear (different stem)

Gledati to look pogledati to have a look, to see (same stem)

Vidjeti to see (different stem)

Exercises

I Choose the appropriate verbs and in cases where more than on eoption is possible, explain how the meaning differs.

Example: Idem piti/ popiti kafu.

Both: piti – stress on the process of driniking a cup of coffee

Popiti – stress on the accomplishment of the action

Ja sam pisao / napisao knjigu prošle godine.________________________________________
Da li ste sigurni da ga nijeste nigdje drugdje stavile/stavljale?______________________________________________________________
Pogledao / Gledao / Vidio sam film juče i mislim da je odličan. ____________________________________________________________________________
Kupila/ Kupovala sam hljeb jutros, ali opet ću da idem u prodavnicu. ____________________________________________________________________________
Hoćeš li nastaviti/ nastavljati da voziš moj auto? ____________________________________________________________________________

II Define the verb below, determine wheter it is perfective or imperfective and provide the other verb form in the verbal pair.