pisati / napisati

A Common Aspect Pair

Level 4

Pisati presents writing as an activity, while napisati presents a bounded result.

How It Works

Pisati presents writing as an activity, while napisati presents a bounded result. A perfective present can refer to a future or habitual completed event, depending on the context.

Compare Pišem pismo, which presents the activity, with Napisal sem pismo, which asserts a completed letter-writing event. Do not assume every prefix simply makes a perfective synonym: many prefixes also change lexical meaning.

Examples (3)

  1. Pišem pismo.

    I am writing a letter.

  2. Napisal sem pismo.

    I wrote a letter.

  3. Jutri napišem pismo.

    Tomorrow I will write a letter.

How It Connects

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

pisati / napisatiLevel 4A Common Aspect Pair

Learn This First

Apply the ongoing/bounded contrast to an attested aspect pair.

Words in This Pattern

pisatinapisati