Present Tense in a Past Story

Level 5Sounds Like istorisko segašno vreme

Just like in English, you can tell a past story in the present to make it lively: Вчера одам по улицата и одеднаш го гледам Марко. (Yesterday I'm walking down the street, and suddenly I see Marko.)

How It Works

Why use it. The present pulls the listener into the scene, as if it were happening now. A speaker usually starts with a past time word, such as вчера (yesterday), and then continues in the present:

  • Вчера одам по улицата и одеднаш го гледам Марко.
  • Му велам: „Каде беше?“, а тој само се смее. (I say to him, "Where were you?", and he just laughs.)

The exclamation и што да видам! (and what do I see!) often introduces the surprise.

Imperfective verbs only. A perfective verb in the present cannot stand on its own; it needs да, ќе, ако or a similar word (see perfective verbs after да, ќе and ако). So in a present-tense story, even a single, finished event uses the imperfective partner (see aspect pairs with suffixes): влезе → влегувам, стигне → стигнуваме, рече → велам.

In history and summaries. Textbooks, timelines and film or book summaries also use the present for past events: Во 1903 година избувнува Илинденското востание. (In 1903 the Ilinden Uprising breaks out.)

Keep it easy to follow. You can move between past and present from one part of a story to the next. A story is easiest to follow when one short scene stays in one tense. For ordinary storytelling in the past, see aorist and imperfect in a story.

Examples (5)

  1. Вчера одам по улицата и одеднаш го гледам Марко.

    Yesterday I am walking down the street, and suddenly I see Marko.

    Word by Word: Yesterday I-go along street-the and suddenly him I-see Marko.

  2. Влегувам во собата, а таму нема никој.

    I walk into the room, and there is nobody there.

    Word by Word: I-enter into room-the, and there not-has nobody.

    Влегувам is imperfective, even though entering happens once.

  3. Му велам: „Каде беше?“, а тој само се смее.

    I say to him, "Where were you?", and he just laughs.

    Word by Word: To-him I-say: "Where were-you?", and he only self laughs.

  4. Стигнуваме на станицата, а возот веќе го нема.

    We get to the station, and the train is already gone.

    Word by Word: We-arrive at station-the, and train-the already it not-has.

  5. Во 1903 година избувнува Илинденското востание.

    In 1903 the Ilinden Uprising breaks out.

    Word by Word: In 1903 year breaks-out Ilinden-the uprising.

    History writing often uses the present for past events.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective verb in the present to tell a single event.

    Вчера влезам во продавницата и што гледам?
    Вчера влегувам во продавницата и што гледам?

    Влезам is perfective, and a perfective present cannot stand alone. Use the imperfective partner влегувам.

How It Connects

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

Present Tense in a Past StoryLevel 5

Learn This First

The historical present follows story tenses.