03.01.2020 Views

EasyCroatian_r47.an

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / A3 Verbs 507 / 600

Only a limited number of verbs belong to the a/i-verbs. Some of them have general,

quite basic meanings:

bježati run away

bojati paint (wall, fence) *

bojati se² be afraid

brojati count *

čučati squat

držati hold

ležati lay

klečati kneel

trčati run

spati sleep

stajati (stoji) stand

-stojati

strujati stream *

(Only infinitives are listed, pres-3 forms end in -i!) The verb stajati (stoji) stand is

irregular. This does not apply to verb derived from it, which have regular forms from

-stojati. The verb spati (spi) sleep is quite archaic, but still used in some regions

(however, verbs derived from it are common). Besides it, all a/i-verb feature

Croatian-specific consonants.

The rest of a/i-verbs in common use stand for various sounds (again, I list only

infinitives):

bečati cry (baby)

blejati bleat

brujati hum

cvrčati chirr

hučati boom

ječati cry, shrill

pištati squeak, beep

pljuštati rain heavily, shower

režati growl

šuštati rustle, murmur

vrištati scream

zujati buzz *

zvečati twang

zviždati whistle

zvučati sound

All a/i-verbs listed here are imperfective, and verbs derived from by prefixing are

also a/i-verbs, but perfective, e.g. dotrčati (dotrči), zaspati (zaspi)...

As a rule, a/i-verbs have the stress fixed on the first syllable in the present tense, i.e.

the stress doesn't shift to negation in the standard stress scheme:

bježati (bježi) run away

. . .

vrištati (vrišti) scream

. . .

The only exception is the verb spati (spi) sleep.

Four a/i-verbs above are marked with an asterisk (*). They also exist as plain i-verbs,

in fact, Standard Croatian insists on them being just plain i-verbs, although a/i

versions prevail in use:

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!