Aorist in Set Phrases

Level 5

The aorist is mostly a written tense, but a few forms are still alive in speech.

How It Works

Everyday Bosnian uses the perfect for the past. The aorist is an old tense for quick, finished events, and it is now mostly found in stories and writing. A few forms stay in everyday talk, usually for humour or emphasis.

PhraseMeaning
Odoh!I am off!
Rekoh ti!I told you!
Šta reče?What did he say?
Dobro reče.He said it well.

The first person ends in -oh after a consonant stem (rekoh, odoh), and the third person is often a short -e (reče, dođe). The forms sound a little playful or old-fashioned in conversation, and people use them mainly with a few common verbs.

Examples (5)

  1. Odoh, vidimo se sutra!

    I am off, see you tomorrow!

    A playful goodbye.

  2. Rekoh ti da će padati kiša.

    I told you it would rain.

    Rekoh adds a little triumph.

  3. Šta reče Amir?

    What did Amir say?

    Reče is a third person aorist.

  4. Dobro reče, Emina.

    Well said, Emina.

    A fixed way to agree.

  5. Eto, rekoh!

    See, I said so!

    Short and emphatic.

How It Connects

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Aorist in Set PhrasesLevel 5

Learn This First

Aorist survives in fixed phrases.

Words in This Pattern

reći