узмем / дам

Present Stems of Take and Give

Level 3Sounds Like uzeti: uzmem; dati: dam

The core verbs узети (to take) and дати (to give) have unexpected present tense stems: узмем (not узем) and дам (3rd plural дају). Because both verbs are perfective, their present forms cannot describe an ongoing activity happening right now; instead, they appear in subordinate clauses (especially after да, ако, or чим) and fixed expressions.

How It Works

Both узети and дати belong to the absolute core of the Serbian lexicon. Their present tense conjugations deviate from basic predictable patterns and require focused attention.

The Present Stem of узети (узмем, узмеш...)
The verb узети exhibits an irregular relationship between its infinitive stem (узе-) and its present stem. In morphological terms, it belongs to the -е- conjugation with the consonantal stem узм-, taking standard present endings:

  • ја узмем (-ем)
  • ти узмеш (-еш)
  • он / она / оно узме (-е)
  • ми узмемо (-емо)
  • ви узмете (-ете)
  • они / оне / она узму (-у)

All prefixed derivatives share this present stem formation: преузети → преузмем, одузети → одузмем, заузети → заузмем.

The Present Stem of дати (дам, даш... дају)
The verb дати preserves an archaic athematic pattern in its singular and first/second plural forms (дам, даш, да, дамо, дате). The standard neutral paradigm in modern Serbian is:

  • ја дам
  • ти даш
  • он / она / оно да
  • ми дамо
  • ви дате
  • они / оне / она дају

Notice that only the 3rd-person plural дају coincides with the 3rd-person plural of the imperfective verb давати (они дају). The rest of the present paradigm is entirely different (perfective дам, даш, да, дамо, дате versus imperfective дајем, дајеш, даје, дајемо, дајете). In literary works, expressive speech, and traditional folk style, standard reference works also recognize the variants дадем, дадеш... даду and даднем, даднеш... дадну as legitimate stylistic alternatives, though дам, даш... дају remains the primary everyday choice.

Prefixed derivatives conjugate identically to дати: продати → продам (они продају), предати → предам, додати → додам.

Where is the Perfective Present Used?
In standard Serbian, a perfective present cannot denote an ongoing progressive action happening right now (*"Шта радиш? — Дам новац" is ungrammatical; ongoing action requires imperfective Дајем новац). Instead, it is used in:

  • Modal and intention clauses with хтети + да or морати + да: Хоћу да узмем кључ ("I want to take the key"); Мораш да му даш одговор ("You must give him an answer").
  • Temporal and conditional clauses pointing to future completion with чим or ако: Чим узмем торбу, идемо ("As soon as I take the bag, we're off"); Ако му дају дозволу, путоваће ("If they give him permission, he will travel").
  • Independent clauses for modal refusal and idioms: The perfective present occurs independently in set expressions of refusal such as Не дам! ("I won't give it! / No way!"), as well as in proverbs: Ко брзо да, двоструко да ("He who gives quickly gives twice").

Examples (5)

  1. Морам да узмем такси јер већ касним на посао.

    I have to take a taxi because I am already late for work.

    Word by Word: Must-I that take-I taxi because already am-late-I on work.

    Demonstrates the 1st person singular 'узмем' in a subordinate clause after 'морам да'.

  2. Чим му дам кључеве, крећемо према станици.

    As soon as I give him the keys, we are setting off toward the station.

    Word by Word: As-soon-as him give-I keys, set-off-we toward station.

    Shows 'дам' used with the conjunction 'чим' to refer to a completed action in the immediate future.

  3. Хоћеш ли да узмеш овај часопис са стола?

    Do you want to take this magazine from the table?

    Word by Word: Want-you whether that take-you this magazine from table?

    Demonstrates the 2nd person singular 'узмеш' in a question with 'хтети + да'.

  4. То је моја књига и не дам је ником!

    That is my book and I won't give it to anyone!

    Word by Word: That is my book and not give-I it to-anyone!

    Demonstrates the standalone modal refusal idiom 'не дам' expressing strong refusal or determination.

  5. Ако му родитељи дају дозволу, путоваће с нама на море.

    If his parents give him permission, he will travel with us to the seaside.

    Word by Word: If to-him parents give permission, will-travel-he with us on sea.

    Illustrates the 3rd person plural perfective form 'дају' functioning in a conditional clause referring to a future event.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'узмем' or 'дам' to describe an ongoing action happening right now.

    Шта радиш сада? — Узмем књигу.
    Шта радиш сада? — Узимам књигу.

    'Узети' and 'дати' are perfective verbs; their present forms cannot describe an ongoing progressive process. For 'I am taking right now', use the imperfective counterpart 'узимам'.

  • Building the present stem directly from the infinitive vowel without the divergent stem 'узм-' (e.g. *узем).

    Желим да узем овај сендвич.
    Желим да узмем овај сендвич.

    The verb 'узети' displays an irregular relationship between its infinitive and present stems: the present stem is 'узм-' ('узмем', 'узмеш', 'узме', 'узмемо', 'узмете', 'узму'). Forms like *узем do not exist in standard Serbian.

  • Forming the 3rd person plural of 'узети' with -еју or -ују instead of -у.

    Они желе да узмеју одмор.
    Они желе да узму одмор.

    Verbs in the -e- class take the ending -у for the 3rd person plural (они). The correct form is 'они узму', not *узмеју.

How It Connects

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узмем / дамLevel 3Present Stems of Take and Give

Learn This First

To correctly form and use the irregular present stems of 'узети' (узмем) and 'дати' (дам), you need a solid grasp of standard present tense endings and how perfective verbs function in the present tense.

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узетидати