имав + -но

The Past Have-Perfect

Level 4Sounds Like imav + -no

Имав + the -но form says a result was already there at a past moment: Кога стигна, веќе имав зготвено вечера. (When you arrived, I had already made dinner.)

How It Works

This form is the past of the have-perfect (see има-перфект: имам; немам + -но; -то). Just as имам прочитано means I have read, имав прочитано means I had read.

Form: the past of има (see имав; немав) plus the neuter verbal adjective (see глаголска придавка: -н; -т):

  • јас имав зготвено · ти имаше зготвено · тој, таа имаше зготвено
  • ние имавме зготвено · вие имавте зготвено · тие имаа зготвено

The -но or -то form never changes, whoever the subject is and whatever the object is: Таа имаше завршено факултет. · Имавме купено билети. The negative uses немав: Немав јадено цел ден. (I had not eaten all day.)

Use: it describes the state of things at a past moment: something was already done, and its result counted then.

  • Кога стигна, веќе имав зготвено вечера. — When you arrived, I had already made dinner.
  • Никогаш немав видено такво нешто. — I had never seen anything like it.

Compared with бев + l-form: both look back from a past moment (see предминато време: бев + л-форма). Бев + l-form puts one event before another, while имав + -но stresses the result or experience already there. Тој ми ја покажа, но јас веќе ја бев видел means I spotted her just before he pointed her out; ...но јас веќе ја имав видено means I had seen her on some earlier occasion.

A statement you vouch for: used plainly, имав + -но is your own statement. For a reported result, Macedonian uses имал instead (see имал + -но). For the future, see ќе имам + -но.

Examples (6)

  1. Кога стигна, веќе имав зготвено вечера.

    When you arrived, I had already made dinner.

    Word by Word: When you-arrived, already I-had cooked dinner.

  2. Дотогаш веќе имавме купено билети.

    By then we had already bought tickets.

    Word by Word: By-then already we-had bought tickets.

    Купено does not change even though билети is plural.

  3. Таа имаше завршено факултет пред да дојде во Скопје.

    She had finished university before she came to Skopje.

    Word by Word: She had finished faculty before to come to Skopje.

  4. Никогаш немав видено такво нешто.

    I had never seen anything like it.

    Word by Word: Never I-not-had seen such thing.

  5. Кога го запознав, тој имаше патувано низ цела Европа.

    When I met him, he had travelled all over Europe.

    Word by Word: When him I-met, he had travelled through whole Europe.

  6. Немав јадено цел ден, па бев многу гладен.

    I had not eaten all day, so I was very hungry.

    Word by Word: I-not-had eaten whole day, so I-was very hungry.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the l-form instead of the -но form after имав.

    Кога стигна, веќе имав зготвил вечера.
    Кога стигна, веќе имав зготвено вечера.

    After имав comes the neuter verbal adjective in -но or -то, not the l-form in -л.

  • Making the -но form agree with a female subject.

    Таа веќе имаше јадена.
    Таа веќе имаше јадено.

    The -но form stays neuter whoever the subject is. Only имав changes.

  • Using the singular имаше with a plural subject.

    Тие веќе имаше заминато.
    Тие веќе имаа заминато.

    Имав changes for person like a normal past verb: тие takes имаа.

How It Connects

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имав + -ноLevel 4The Past Have-Perfect

Learn This First

The past have-perfect combines the have-perfect and имав.

Words in This Pattern