пијем / пијеш

Drinking in the Present

Level 1Sounds Like piti: piǰem; piǰeš

The verb пити (to drink) inserts a -ј- in the present tense to form the stem пиј-: ја пијем (I drink), ти пијеш (you drink).

How It Works

The verb пити is an imperfective verb meaning 'to drink'. It describes actions happening right now, recurring habits, or general truths.

1. Present Tense Conjugation
To conjugate пити, take the present stem пиј- and attach the e-conjugation endings:

  • ја пијем — I drink / I am drinking
  • ти пијеш — you drink (informal singular)
  • он / она / оно пије — he / she / it drinks
  • ми пијемо — we drink
  • ви пијете — you drink (plural or formal)
  • они / оне / она пију — they drink

2. Important Distinctions

  • Do not omit the -ј-: Writing or pronouncing *пием or *пиеш is incorrect; the consonant ј is always pronounced and written.
  • Third-person plural ends in -у: Unlike i-verbs that end in -е (e.g., раде), the 3rd person plural here is пију.
  • Intransitive use: When used without a specific drink named, пити often means 'to drink alcohol' (e.g., Он много пије = 'He drinks a lot').

Examples (5)

  1. Шта пијеш?

    What are you drinking?

    Word by Word: What drink-you?

    A standard informal question using the 2nd person singular form 'пијеш'.

  2. Свако јутро пијем кафу.

    Every morning I drink coffee.

    Word by Word: Every morning drink-I coffee.

    Shows a habitual daily action using the 1st person singular 'пијем' with a direct object in the accusative case.

  3. Он не пије алкохол.

    He does not drink alcohol.

    Word by Word: He not drinks alcohol.

    Shows regular verb negation by placing 'не' directly before the 3rd person singular form 'пије'.

  4. Шта пијете, чај или сок?

    What are you drinking, tea or juice?

    Word by Word: What drink-you, tea or juice?

    Uses the polite or plural 2nd person form 'пијете'.

  5. Деца пију топло млеко.

    The children are drinking warm milk.

    Word by Word: Children drink warm milk.

    Demonstrates the 3rd person plural form 'пију'.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating 'пити' as a regular -ити verb (*питим, *питиш).

    Ја питим хладну воду.
    Ја пијем хладну воду.

    Verbs with a single-syllable open stem like 'пити' take an inserted -ј- stem (пиј-) and e-group endings, never the standard -им/-иш endings.

  • Omitting the glide letter 'ј' in writing or pronunciation.

    Шта пиеш сада?
    Шта пијеш сада?

    In Serbian spelling and pronunciation, the intervocalic 'ј' must always be included: 'пијеш', not '*пиеш'.

  • Using the wrong ending for the 3rd person plural (*пије or *пијеју).

    Они пије чај.
    Они пију чај.

    The third-person plural suffix for verbs in the e-conjugation attaches directly to the present stem: пиј- + -у = пију.

How It Connects

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

пијем / пијешLevel 1Drinking in the Present

Learn This First

Conjugating 'пити' requires familiarity with standard Serbian present tense endings, which are then applied to the modified stem 'пиј-'.

Words in This Pattern

пити