Understanding the Past Tense in Srpski (Latinica)
The past tense in Srpski (Latinica) is used to talk about things that have already happened. Just like in English, we use it when we want to tell someone about something that is finished.
Important Points
- In Srpski, verbs change their form to show past tense.
- The form of the verb changes depending on who did the action.
- We also need to know if the subject is singular or plural.
To form the past tense, we often add special endings to the verb. These endings show who did the action and if they are talking about one person or more.
Important Points
- For masculine singular, verbs often end in '-o'.
- For feminine singular, verbs often end in '-la'.
- For neuter singular, verbs often end in '-lo'.
- For plural, verbs often end in '-li'.
Examples
- On je jeo jabuku. (He ate an apple.)
- Ona je pisala pismo. (She wrote a letter.)
- Oni su trčali u parku. (They ran in the park.)
In these examples, you can see how the verb changes to match the person and number. 'Jeo' is for a boy or man, 'pisala' is for a girl or woman, and 'trčali' is for more than one person.
Using Past Tense in Sentences
When you use the past tense in a sentence, you also need to use the right form of the verb 'to be', which is 'je' for singular and 'su' for plural. This helps to show that the action is in the past.
Examples
- Mi smo gledali film. (We watched a movie.)
- Ona je učila za test. (She studied for the test.)
- Deca su igrala fudbal. (The children played soccer.)