Aspect Pairs Formed With a Prefix

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Add a prefix to an imperfective verb and you often get its perfective partner: пиша (I write, I am writing) becomes напиша (write it all, finish writing).

How It Works

1. Common pairs (imperfective — perfective).

  • на-: пиша — напиша (write), правя — направя (do, make), уча — науча (learn), рисувам — нарисувам (draw)
  • про-: чета — прочета (read)
  • из-: пия — изпия (drink), ям — изям (eat), мия — измия (wash), пека — изпека (bake)
  • по-: питам — попитам (ask), звъня — позвъня (call, ring), строя — построя (build)
  • с-: готвя — сготвя (cook)

2. Process versus result. The imperfective answers "what were you doing?"; the perfective answers "did you finish it?":

  • Вчера четох цял ден. (Yesterday I read all day.) The reading went on.
  • Вчера прочетох книгата. (Yesterday I read the book.) The whole book is done.

Both verbs in these pairs usually belong to the same conjugation: пиша, пишеш — напиша, напишеш.

3. Where the perfective goes. As with every perfective, the present forms appear after да or ще, not as the main verb for "now": Ще напиша писмото довечера (I will write the letter this evening).

4. A prefix can also change the meaning. Some prefixes create a new verb rather than a partner: пиша (write) gives препиша (copy, rewrite), подпиша (sign) and запиша (write down, enroll). These new perfectives form their own imperfectives with a suffix: преписвам, подписвам, записвам (see secondary imperfectives). Some по- verbs only mean "for a little while", as in почакам (wait a bit).

Examples (6)

  1. Пиша писмо на баба.

    I am writing a letter to my grandmother.

    Пиша is imperfective: the writing is in progress.

  2. Ще напиша писмото довечера.

    I will write the letter this evening.

    Напиша is perfective: the letter will be finished.

  3. Прочетох книгата за два дни.

    I read the book in two days.

    Прочетох shows that the whole book was read.

  4. Какво правиш?

    What are you doing?

    Правиш is imperfective because it asks about an ongoing activity.

  5. Направих салата за вечеря.

    I made a salad for dinner.

    Направих is perfective: the salad is ready.

  6. Може ли да те попитам нещо?

    May I ask you something?

    Попитам is the perfective partner of питам, used after да for one question.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the prefixed perfective for what is happening right now.

    Сега напиша писмо.
    Сега пиша писмо.

    An action in progress needs the imperfective. The perfective напиша appears after да, ще, ако or когато.

  • Using прочетох to describe an ongoing reading activity over цял ден.

    Вчера прочетох цял ден.
    Вчера четох цял ден.

    For the activity of reading throughout цял ден (all day), use imperfective четох; a duration does not prohibit every perfective verb. The perfective прочетох needs a finished object: Вчера прочетох книгата.

How It Connects

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Aspect Pairs Formed With a PrefixLevel 2

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Aspect pairs with a prefix need the idea of aspect.

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