The Croatian language has seven tenses in total, but you only need three to start speaking and understanding everyday conversations. That’s the thing about Croatian grammar – it always seems more overwhelming at first glance than it actually is!
In this post, we’ll focus on those three key tenses to help you get started. By the end, you’ll have a much better idea about how Croatian tenses work. Let’s dive in!
Table Of Contents
Croatian Tenses
Croatian has three tenses: past, present, and future. There is only one present tense, but the past and future tenses also have different forms, making it seven tenses altogether.
If you’re a beginner, the three main ones are all you need right now, and this post will focus only on them to help you get started. Here’s a step-by-step lesson on how you should go about learning Croatian tenses:
Step 1 – Present Tense
You should always start with learning the present tense. We use it to describe things that are happening right now or things that we do every day. Unlike English, which has present simple and present continuous, Croatian only has one present tense form. In Croatian, it’s called prezent. Here are some simple examples:
| English | Croatian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I eat | Ja jedem | |
| You sing | Ti pjevaš | |
| He sleeps | On spava |
How To Conjugate Verbs In The Present Tense
In Croatian, verbs change depending on who is doing the action (I, you, we, etc.). These changes happen by adding specific endings to the base of the verb. Let’s break it down!
Each verb has a ”base”. As a beginner, you don’t need to figure out the verb’s base for now. It will come naturally to you as you learn.
In the example below, I’ve used the verb govoriti (to speak). Imagine the word govor as the base of the verb. Here are the endings you’ll be needing:
| Subject | Ending | English | Croatian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | -im | I speak | Ja govorim | |
| You | -iš | You speak | Ti govoriš | |
| He/She | -i | He/She speaks | On/Ona govori | |
| We | -imo | We speak | Mi govorimo | |
| You (pl) | -ite | You all speak | Vi govorite | |
| They | -e | They speak | Oni/One govore |
Most verbs follow this easy pattern of endings. However, some verbs are exceptions to this rule. For example, the verb jesti (to eat) becomes jedem (I eat). This is just to let you know that there are some irregularities, but don’t worry about this for now. Start with the common verbs and their patterns, and the rest will get easier as you go.
Things To Watch Out For
Have a look at this table with the verb pisati (to write).
| Subject | Ending | English | Croatian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | -em | I write | Ja pišem | |
| You | -eš | You write | Ti pišeš | |
| He/She | -e | He/She writes | On/Ona piše | |
| We | -emo | We write | Mi pišemo | |
| You (pl) | -ete | You all write | Vi pišete | |
| They | -u | They write | Oni/One pišu |
You might be wondering why, in the verb pisati (to write), the s changed to š in pišem. This change happens to follow natural Croatian pronunciation rules, so the words sound smoother. If the letter š is new to you, taking a moment to learn the Croatian alphabet will make things much clearer!
Important: Keep in mind that in natural Croatian conversations, the subject is clear for the context, so there’s no need to use the pronoun every time.
Here are a few more everyday Croatian verbs in the present tense. Try and notice which change a lot and which don’t:
- Ići (to go) – Idem (I go)
- Spavati (to sleep) – Spavam (I sleep)
- Jesti (to eat) – Jedem (I eat)
- Piti (to drink) – Pijem (I drink)
- Čitati (to read) – Čitam (I read)
- Pjevati (to sing) – Pjevam (I sing)
Step 2 – Past Tense
Croatian has four past tenses in total, but for now, let’s focus on the simple past tense. This is the only past tense form used in everyday speech. In Croatian, it’s called perfekt.
Every past tense verb in Croatian is made up of two parts: the present tense of the verb “to be” (biti) and the past participle, which comes from the verb you want to use. Let’s first look at how to conjugate the auxiliary verb biti (to be):
| English | Croatian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I am | Ja sam | |
| You are (sg.) | Ti si | |
| He/She is | On/Ona je | |
| We are | Mi smo | |
| You are (pl.) | Vi ste | |
| They are | Oni/One su |
Now, let’s try and build some simple sentences with the verb to be and past participles to build sentences that describe things that happened in the past.
How To Make The Past Participle?
As mentioned above, the present tense can have some tricky details, like sound changes in certain verbs (pisati – pišem). But the good news is that the past tense is much simpler! You don’t need to worry about these kinds of changes. Just remove the -ti from the infinitive and add the right ending to make the past participle.
The ending depends on the gender and number of the subject. We’re going to use the verb spavati (to sleep) as an example. Here’s how it works:
| Gender and Number | Ending | English | Croatian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feminine singular | -la | She slept | Ona je spavala | |
| Masculine singular | -o | He slept | On je spavao | |
| Neuter singular | -lo | The child slept | Dijete je spavalo | |
| Feminine plural | -le | They slept | One su spavale | |
| Masculine plural | -li | They slept | Oni su spavali | |
| Neuter plural | -la | The children slept | Djeca su spavala |
Once you learn the pattern, these endings apply to most regular Croatian verbs! Just remember to remove the -ti from the infinitive and add the correct ending for the subject.
Step 3 – Future Tense
Croatian also has two future tenses, futur I and futur II. For now, you only need the first one, which is also is also the simplest tense to learn of all.
Much like the past tense, it is built from two verbs: the auxiliary (helper) verb and the main verb.
The main verb is always used in the infinitive. To learn futur I, you should only learn the form of the helper verb htjeti (to want).
| English | Croatian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I will | Ja ću | |
| You will (sg.) | Ti ćeš | |
| He/She will | On/Ona će | |
| We will | Mi ćemo | |
| You will (pl.) | Vi ćete | |
| They will | Oni/One će |
How To Form The Future Tense
To form the first future tense in Croatian, you will use the helper verb htjeti and the main verb in the infinitive form:
| English Infinitive | Croatian Infinitive | Pronunciation | English Future Sentence | Croatian Future Sentence | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To work | raditi | I will work | Ja ću raditi | ||
| To read | čitati | You will read | Ti ćeš čitati | ||
| To learn | učiti | He will learn | On će učiti | ||
| To write | pisati | We will write | Mi ćemo pisati | ||
| To play | igrati | You (pl.) will play | Vi ćete igrati | ||
| To travel | putovati | They (females) will travel | One će putovati |
Omitting The Subject
When speaking Croatian, the subject (like I, you, or she) is usually clear from the context, so it’s possible to simply not use it in a sentence and just focus on the verb. This is an example of Croatian sentence structure, where the subject can be dropped, and the meaning remains clear. When you leave out the subject in the future tense, the main verb goes before the helper verb:
- Ja ću učiti – Učiti ću. (I will learn)
- Mi ćemo raditi. – Raditi ćemo. (We will work)
- Ti ćeš pisati. – Pisati ćeš. (You will write)
- Oni će igrati. – Igrati će. (They will play)
Step 4 – More Challenging Tenses For Advanced Learners
There are additional past and future tenses found in the Croatian language. These are not super important for beginners, but if you’re looking to get fluent, then you might end up using them sometimes.
The pluperfect tense is a past tense that’s generally limited to Croatian writing. The aorist tense and imperfect past tenses are old-fashioned and not commonly used today. They sound more formal or old-style. The second future tense is not used for regular future events but only for things that might happen depending on other events or conditions.
Tips For Learning Croatian Tenses
Here are a few tips that’ll make it easier for you to learn Croatian tenses.
- Start by learning the most common words that you might end up using every day. These are verbs liki biti (to be), imati (to have), ići (to go), and vidjeti (to see).
- To form the present tense correctly, learn the irregular verbs and how different groups of Croatian verbs follow conjugation rules.
- Croatian verbs conjugate based on the subject, so practice saying them with pronouns (ja, ti, on/ona, mi, vi, oni/one), even though they’re usually omitted in natural conversation.
- Focus on one tense at a time to avoid confusion.
- Use flashcards to memorize verb endings.
- Write short sentences about your daily life using each tense.
- Repeat common phrases to build confidence.
- Always remember gender endings for the past tense (-o, -la, -lo).
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Many Tenses Are There In Croatian?
In Croatian, there are three main tenses: past, present, and future. There are four additional tenses that are not as frequently used, making it seven tenses in total.
2. What Are The Genders In Croatian Grammar?
In Croatian, there are three genders: feminine, masculine, and neuter. All nouns belong to one of these genders, and it affects how other words, like adjectives, change. This is important when using past or future tenses. For example, ‘slept’ in Croatian is spavala for a woman and spavao for a man.
3. Do Any Language Apps Teach Croatian?
A great Croatian beginner language app that you can use is the Ling app. It’s got easy-to-follow lessons in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. You can practice speaking with a chatbot and play mini-games to make learning enjoyable!
Tense-Free Croatian Learning
This guide walked you through the three essential Croatian tenses: present, past, and future. You learned the basics of conjugation, how to build each tense, and what verb endings to use.
You’ve already taken a huge step toward becoming confident in simple conversations. Don’t stress about the tricky details just yet. Starting simple and practicing regularly is key to any language journey.
Learn The Croatian Language
Now that you’ve got the basics of Croatian tenses down, it’s time to keep going! Take Croatian language lessons online with Ling, and discover an app that’ll help you master the language and tenses at your own pace. Start learning Croatian today.
