пре- for Redoing or Overdoing

Redoing and Overdoing with Пре-

Level 5Sounds Like predstavka pre

препиша (copy out, rewrite), преям (overeat), преплувам (swim across).

How It Works

1. Again, in a new way. пиша → препиша (copy out, rewrite), работя → преработя (rework), подредя → преподредя (rearrange), разгледам → преразгледам (reconsider). At school, преписвам also means to copy someone else's answers.

2. Too much. ям → преям (overeat), варя → преваря (overcook), уморя се → преуморя се (overtire yourself). With adjectives and adverbs, пре- means very: предобър (extremely kind), преспокойно (perfectly calmly).

3. Across, over. Преплувах реката (I swam across the river), прескоча (jump over), пресека (cross a street), преведа (lead across; also translate). See prefixed verbs of motion.

4. Spending time. Пренощувахме в хижата (We spent the night at the hut), презимувам (spend the winter). These two verbs can be used as either perfective or imperfective.

5. Aspect. Most prefixed verbs are perfective: Преписах домашното (I copied out the homework). For habits and ongoing actions, use the imperfective: Той често преяжда (He often overeats). See secondary imperfectives. Преям conjugates like ям: преядох (I overate).

6. Пре- or при-? The two prefixes sound alike but change the meaning: препиша (copy out) but припиша (add in writing; attribute), пренеса (carry across, move) but принеса (bring).

Examples (6)

  1. Преписах текста в тетрадката си.

    I copied the text into my notebook.

  2. Трябва да преработим този план.

    We need to rework this plan.

  3. На сватбата преядох и после не можех да танцувам.

    I overate at the wedding and then couldn't dance.

  4. Той преплува езерото за половин час.

    He swam across the lake in half an hour.

  5. Пренощувахме в малка хижа в планината.

    We spent the night in a small hut in the mountains.

  6. Внимавай да не превариш макароните.

    Be careful not to overcook the pasta.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the perfective verb for a habit.

    Всеки ден преям на вечеря.
    Всеки ден преяждам на вечеря.

    A repeated action needs the imperfective partner преяждам. Преям is perfective.

  • Confusing пре- with при- (intended meaning: make a clean copy of the essay).

    Трябва да припиша есето на чисто.
    Трябва да препиша есето на чисто.

    Припиша means to add in writing or to attribute. To copy out or rewrite, use препиша.

How It Connects

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

пре- for Redoing or OverdoingLevel 5Redoing and Overdoing with Пре-

Learn This First

Пре- builds on secondary imperfectives.

Words in This Pattern

пре-