C1 M2 L2 Grammar
1 | Modul 2: Gramatika
Biti ili ne biti
1 | 2 | Lekcija 2: Osobine
| Verb 'biti' – Question and Negation
The verb ‘biti’ is exceptional because it has two forms in the Present Tense, a stressed and an unstressed form:
| Unstressed form
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ||||
ja sam | (I am) | mi smo | (we are) | ||
ti si | (you are) | vi ste | (you [all] are) | ||
on je | (he is) | oni su | (they are) / m | ||
ona je | (she is) | one su | (they are) / f | ||
ono je | (it is) | ona su | (they are) / n | ||
| Stressed form
Used for questions and short answers, or when expressing a short statement
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ||||
ja jesam | (I am) | mi jesmo | (we are) | ||
ti jesi | (you are) | vi jeste | (you [all] are) | ||
on jest | (he is) | oni jesu | (they are) / m | ||
ona jest | (she is) | one jesu | (they are) / f | ||
ono jest | (it is) | ona jesu | (they are) / n | ||
| The stressed (long) form of the verb ‘biti’ is used when we:
want to ask a question, such as: | ||
a | Jesi li student? | Are you [a student]? |
b | Jesu li studenti? | Are they [students]? |
give a short answer, such as: | ||
a | Jesam. | I am. |
b | Jesu. | They are. |
An exception to these rules is the third person singular. The stressed (long) form NEVER appears in a question form:
third person singular | ||
a | Je li on student? | Is he a student? |
b | Je li ona studentica? | Is she a student? |
| Question form
The interrogative (question form) of ‘biti’ is usually formed in the following way: by inserting the particle li after the verb and placing the verb at the beginning of the sentence. In other words, to form a question, Croatian uses:
the verb biti (stressed form) | LI | subject |
Jesi | li | student? |
Here is an example for each form.
ja | Jesam li ja učenik? | mi | Jesmo li mi studenti? |
ti | Jesi li ti student? | vi | Jeste li vi student? |
on | Je li on student? | oni | Jesu li oni studenti? |
ona | Je li ona studentica? | one | Jesu li one studentice? |
ono | Je li ono dijete tvoje? | ona | Jesu li ona djeca tvoja? |
Remember! – Only the third person singular forms questions with the unstressed form of the verb ‘biti’.
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ||||
jesam li | (Am I) | jesmo li | (Are we) | ||
jesi li | (Are you) | jeste li | (Are you [all]) | ||
je li | (Is he) | jesu li | (Are they) / m | ||
je li | (Is she) | jesu li | (Are they) / f | ||
je li | (Is it) | jesu li | (Are they) / n | ||
| Negative form
The negative form of ‘biti’ is exceptional. The negative particle used is ni- instead of the usual ne and it is prefixed to the unstressed (short) form as one word. The pronoun is usually omitted with the negative form, as in the examples below. Look at the following chart for a complete overview.
SINGULAR | PLURAL | ||||
nisam | (I am not) | nismo | (we are not) | ||
nisi | (you are not) | niste | (you all are not) | ||
nije | (he is not) | nisu | (they are not) / m | ||
nije | (she is not) | nisu | (they are not) / f | ||
nije | (it is not) | nisu | (they are not) / n | ||
1.2 Zadatak 3. Tko je?
Complete the dialogues with the appropriate form of the verb biti. Be sure to notice whether the sentence is a question or a statement.
