Imperfectives From Prefixed Verbs

Level 4

Adding a meaning prefix to an imperfective verb gives a perfective verb with a new meaning: písať → prepísať (rewrite). A suffix then gives the matching imperfective: prepísať → prepisovať.

How It Works

Three verbs in one family. Start with a simple imperfective verb such as písať (to write). Its plain perfective is napísať, which only makes the action complete. See aspect pairs with a prefix. Other prefixes add a new meaning, see verb prefixes and meaning:

  • písať (write, imperfective) → prepísať (rewrite, perfective)

Now the new verb needs its own imperfective, for a process or a habit. Slovak makes it with a suffix: prepísať → prepisovať. This verb is called a secondary imperfective (druhotné nedokonavé sloveso).

The suffixes.

  • -ovať: prepísať / prepisovať (rewrite), zapísať / zapisovať (write down), podpísať / podpisovať (sign), vysvetliť / vysvetľovať (explain), zistiť / zisťovať (find out), vyhodiť / vyhadzovať (throw away)
  • -ávať: vyhrať / vyhrávať (win), dostať / dostávať (get, receive)
  • -ať, often with a stem change: vyrobiť / vyrábať (produce), zarobiť / zarábať (earn), preložiť / prekladať (translate), odložiť / odkladať (put off)

Sound changes. The stem often changes: the long vowel of písať becomes short (prepisovať), o becomes á or a (vyrobiť → vyrábať, vyhodiť → vyhadzovať) and ložiť becomes kladať. Learn each pair as a unit, the way a dictionary lists it.

How to use them. The choice works like any aspect pair, see imperfective and perfective aspect:

  • process: Práve prepisujem úlohu. (I am rewriting my homework right now.)
  • habit: Každý deň si zapisujem nové slovíčka. (I write down new words every day.)
  • one result: Zapísal som si jeho číslo. (I wrote down his number.)

Only the imperfective can describe what is happening now and form a future with budem: Budem prekladať celý týždeň. (I will be translating all week.) The perfective present already points to the future: Preložím to zajtra. (I will translate it tomorrow.)

Not the same as repeated verbs. Verbs such as robievať or chodievať come from verbs that are already imperfective and mean "used to do now and then". See verbs for repeated actions.

Examples (6)

  1. Každý deň si zapisujem nové slovíčka do zošita.

    Every day I write down new words in my notebook.

    Word by Word: Every day myself I-write-down new words into notebook.

    Zapisovať is the imperfective partner of zapísať, used here for a habit.

  2. Zapísal som si jeho telefónne číslo.

    I wrote down his phone number.

    Word by Word: I-wrote-down am myself his phone number.

    One finished result, so the perfective zapísať.

  3. Riaditeľ práve podpisuje zmluvy.

    The director is signing the contracts right now.

    Word by Word: Director just-now signs contracts.

  4. Náš tím vyhrával do poslednej minúty, ale napokon prehral.

    Our team was winning until the last minute, but lost in the end.

    Word by Word: Our team was-winning until last minute, but in-the-end lost.

    Vyhrávať describes the situation that was going on; vyhrať would mean the team actually won.

  5. Prekladám knihu z angličtiny do slovenčiny.

    I am translating a book from English into Slovak.

    Word by Word: I-translate book from English into Slovak.

    Preložiť gives the imperfective prekladať, with ložiť changing to kladať.

  6. Stále odkladá návštevu u zubára.

    He keeps putting off going to the dentist.

    Word by Word: Still he-puts-off visit at dentist.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the long vowel of the base verb in the -ovať form.

    Každý deň si zapísujem slovíčka.
    Každý deň si zapisujem slovíčka.

    The secondary imperfective of zapísať is zapisovať, with a short i: zapisujem, prepisujem, podpisujem.

  • Combining budem with a perfective verb.

    Zajtra budem podpísať zmluvu.
    Zajtra podpíšem zmluvu.

    Budem only goes with an imperfective infinitive. For one future signature, use the perfective present podpíšem. For a longer activity, say budem podpisovať.

  • Using the perfective for an action that is happening now.

    Nerušte ma, práve prepíšem úlohu.
    Nerušte ma, práve prepisujem úlohu.

    The intended meaning is "I am rewriting my homework right now". A perfective present such as prepíšem refers to the future, so an action in progress needs the imperfective prepisujem.

How It Connects

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

Imperfectives From Prefixed VerbsLevel 4

Learn This First

Before Imperfectives From Prefixed Verbs, learn Aspect Pairs With a Suffix. Secondary imperfectives are formed with suffixes such as -ovať and -ávať.

Words in This Pattern

-ovať