EasyCroatian_r47.an

Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / 37 Complete Reading: Perfecve Verbs 217 / 600
There’s another very rough rule: impf. verbs often correspond to English continuous
tenses (I was reading) while perf. verbs often correspond to simple tenses or perfect
tenses (I read, I’ve read). For example:
I was getting hungry. → impf. in Croatian
I got hungry. → perf. in Croatian
A major exception to this rule is that states, usually represented with noncontinuous
tenses in English (I am, I live, I love, I sleep), in Croatian always use impf.
verbs.
Also, although there are perfective counterparts of gledati watch and slušati listen –
for example, you just prefix po- to gledati – they are much rarer than you would
expect. Normally only impf. verbs are used to say or ask if someone watched or
listened to something.
When you use verbs with negation, the negated perf. verbs state that the action was
not complete, but it might be ongoing:
Nisam čitao knjigu A . I haven’t read the book (at all).
Nisam pročitao knjigu A . I haven’t read the book (completed it).
While the first sentence means you haven’t read the book at all, the second only
says you haven’t read the book in its entirety, haven’t completed it. It’s not stated if
you have read any part of it or not. So, both answers are possible:
Jesi li pročitao knjigu A ? Have you read the book (completed it)?
— Nisam, još je A čitam. No, I’m still reading it.
3f A
— Nisam ni počeo. I haven’t even started.
The verb početi (počne) is a perf. verb meaning start; it will be explained in the
following chapters. The word ni emphasizes the negation; it will be explained in 67
Only, Except, Too: Inclusion and Exclusion.
If you use the present tense for a future action, e.g. I’m leaving tomorrow, this is
(like in English) understood as an extension of the present moment, and
consequently, impf. verbs must be used. Again, English continuous tenses
correspond to Croatian impf. verbs.
There are a couple of impf. verbs that show some characteristics of perf. verbs;
important ones are:
čuti (čuje) hear
razumjeti (razumije,...) understand
vidjeti (vidi,...) see
perf-like
verbs
These verbs are ‘really’ perf. verbs, but are used as imperfective in most situations.
However, you cannot tell how long with these verbs (except in a specific
construction which will be shown later). You can use them in the present tense (and
they’re frequently used) but even English translation changes a bit in the present