Aspect Pairs With Prefixes

Level 3Sounds Like vidski parovi so prefiks

Add a prefix to an imperfective verb and you often get its perfective partner: чита (reads, is reading) → прочита (reads through, finishes reading).

How It Works

Common pairs.

  • чита → прочита (read)
  • прави → направи (do, make)
  • учи → научи (learn)
  • црта → нацрта (draw)
  • пие → испие (drink up)
  • јаде → изеде (eat up)
  • мие → измие (wash)
  • пече → испече (bake)
  • гради → изгради (build)
  • кани → покани (invite)

Spelling. Из- is written ис- before a voiceless sound such as п: испие, испече. With јаде the ј drops and the vowel changes: изеде.

What the prefix adds. Compare:

  • Читав книга. — I was reading a book. · Ја прочитав книгата. — I read the book (to the end).
  • Учам македонски. — I'm studying Macedonian. · Сакам да научам македонски. — I want to learn Macedonian.

The perfective is the verb you use for one finished event in the aorist and after да, ќе and ако; see глаголски вид: свршен и несвршен and свршен глагол по да; ќе; ако. A perfective present cannot describe what is happening right now.

Prefixes that add meaning. Some prefixes change the meaning as well as the aspect: препише (copy out), допише (finish writing). These are covered in префикси и значење: пре-; раз-; до-; из-, and they make new imperfectives with -ува, as in препишува; запишува. Other pairs use a suffix (видски парови со -ува; -а) or two different stems (видски парови со различна основа).

Examples (6)

  1. Вчера ја прочитав целата книга.

    Yesterday I read the whole book.

    Word by Word: Yesterday it I-read-through whole-the book.

  2. Ќе го направам тоа утре.

    I'll do that tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Will it I-do that tomorrow.

  3. Сакам да научам македонски.

    I want to learn Macedonian.

    Word by Word: I-want that I-learn Macedonian.

  4. Детето го испи млекото.

    The child drank up the milk.

    Word by Word: Child-the it drank-up milk-the.

  5. Кој ја изеде мојата чоколада?

    Who ate my chocolate?

    Word by Word: Who it ate-up my-the chocolate?

  6. Ги поканивме сите пријатели.

    We invited all our friends.

    Word by Word: Them we-invited all friends.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective present for something happening now.

    Сега прочитам книга.
    Сега читам книга.

    A perfective present cannot describe an action in progress. For what is happening now, use the imperfective.

  • Guessing the prefix.

    Го пројадов колачот.
    Го изедов колачот.

    Each verb has its own perfective prefix, and the perfective of јаде is изеде. Learn each pair together.

How It Connects

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

Aspect Pairs With PrefixesLevel 3

Learn This First

Prefix pairs build on aspect.

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Patterns that build on this one.