Present of biti

Level 1

The present of biti has six short forms, one for each person.

How It Works

Person	Form
ja	sam
ti	si
on, ona, ono	je
mi	smo
vi	ste
oni, one, ona	su

Bosnian often drops the pronoun, because the form already shows the person: Student sam. Add the pronoun for emphasis. These short forms usually stay in the second position of the clause.

There is also an emphatic set (jesam, jesi, jest, jesmo, jeste, jesu), used for answers such as Jesam! The negative has its own lesson. The questions use the same forms: Jesi li kod kuće? or Da li si kod kuće? Learn the six forms by heart, because they also help build the past and the future later.

Examples (5)

Ja sam student.
I am a student.
Sam goes with ja.
Ti si kod kuće.
You are at home.
Si goes with ti.
Emina je učiteljica.
Emina is a teacher.
Je for one person or thing.
Mi smo iz Tuzle.
We are from Tuzla.
Smo for we.
Oni su na poslu.
They are at work.
Su for they.

Common Mistakes

Using je for ja
Ja je student.
Ja sam student.
Each person needs its own form.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Present of bitiLevel 1

Learn This First

The verb biti works with personal pronouns.

Subject Pronouns
Learners match the forms of biti to ja, ti, on and the rest.
Level 1

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

bitijationonaonomivioni

Practice Present of biti in Bubblegum

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