Verb Aspect

Level 3

Aspect shows how an event is viewed.

How It Works

Aspect belongs to the verb, not just to its tense ending. Pisati and napisati can both refer to past events, but they frame the writing differently.

An imperfective statement such as pisala je pismo does not by itself tell you that the letter was unfinished. It simply does not assert the completed whole in the way napisala je pismo normally does.

Perfective is not another word for past, and imperfective is not another word for present. Some verbs can have either aspectual reading in context.

Examples (3)

  1. Ana sada piše pismo.

    Ana is writing a letter now.

    The ongoing current action uses imperfective pisati.

  2. Ana je napisala pismo.

    Ana wrote a letter.

    The perfective verb presents the letter-writing as a completed whole.

  3. Svake večeri čitam.

    I read every evening.

    The imperfective verb describes a recurring activity.

How It Connects

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

Verb AspectLevel 3

Learn This First

An ordinary imperfective present gives a first reference point for lexical aspect contrasts.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.