по- for a While

Doing Something for a While

Level 5Sounds Like po- za kratko vreme

спие means "sleep", and поспие means "sleep a little, have a nap". The prefix по- often adds "for a short while".

How It Works

A little bit of an activity. With verbs of ongoing activity, по- limits the action to a short time or a small amount:

  • спие → поспие (sleep a little): Попладнето поспав малку.
  • седи → поседи (sit, stay for a while): Ќе поседам уште малку кај вас.
  • чека → почека (wait a bit): Почекај малку!
  • работи → поработи (work a bit): Ајде да поработиме уште половина час.
  • игра → поигра, разговара → поразговара (play, chat for a while).

Words like малку (a little) and уште (some more) often go with these verbs.

Perfective rules apply. These verbs are perfective, so they cannot stand alone in the present (see perfective verbs after да, ќе and ако). Say Ќе поседам малку or Ајде да поседиме (see let's), not a bare поседам. In the past they take the aorist: поспав, поседе, поиграа.

Not every по- means "a little". По- is also a common prefix for plain perfective pairs (покани invite, побара ask for), for starting a movement (потрча start running, полета take off) and for spreading over a surface (полее pour over). See aspect pairs with prefixes. The по- of comparison, as in подобар, is a different thing: see comparing things.

Examples (6)

  1. Почекај малку, веднаш доаѓам.

    Wait a moment, I am coming right away.

    Word by Word: Wait a-little, immediately I-come.

  2. Попладнето поспав малку.

    I had a short nap in the afternoon.

    Word by Word: Afternoon-the I-slept-a-little a-little.

  3. Ќе поседам уште малку кај вас.

    I will stay a little longer at your place.

    Word by Word: Will I-sit-a-while still a-little at you.

  4. Ајде да поработиме уште половина час.

    Let's work for another half hour.

    Word by Word: Come-on to work-a-bit still half hour.

  5. Децата поиграа во паркот и се вратија дома.

    The children played in the park for a while and came home.

    Word by Word: Children-the played-a-while in park-the and self returned home.

  6. Поразговаравме малку и тој си отиде.

    We chatted for a bit, and then he left.

    Word by Word: We-chatted-a-bit a-little and he self went.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a по- verb alone in the present tense.

    Сега поседам малку.
    Сега ќе поседам малку.

    Поседи is perfective, so its present needs ќе, да or a similar word. For an action going on right now, use the plain imperfective: Сега седам малку.

How It Connects

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

по- for a WhileLevel 5Doing Something for a While

Learn This First

Doing something for a while follows prefix meanings.

Words in This Pattern

по-