Arriving & Leaving: Prefixed Motion
One verb — ići — plus a handful of prefixes gives you the entire traffic of daily life: arriving, leaving, entering, exiting, passing. And because the prefixes create perfectives, this lesson is also aspect in its natural habitat.
The Core Five
| Verb | English | Past (m/f) |
|---|---|---|
| doći | to come / arrive | došao / došla |
| otići | to leave | otišao / otišla |
| ući | to enter | ušao / ušla |
| izaći | to exit / go out | izašao / izašla |
| proći | to pass | prošao / prošla |
Došao sam doma u pet.
I came home at five.
Note: Perfective past — arrived, done, slippers on.
The Present Shapes
The family's present tense wears the đ badge:
| Infinitive | Present |
|---|---|
| doći | dođem |
| otići | odem |
| ući | uđem |
| izaći | izađem |
Remember the hidden-future rule: these presents live in kad/ako clauses — Kad dođem, javit ću ti se.
The Habitual Partners
Each perfective has an imperfective twin for routines — aspect made visible in motion:
| Perfective (once) | Imperfective (habit) |
|---|---|
| doći — Došla je u osam. | dolaziti — Dolazi svaki dan u osam. |
| otići — Otišao je rano. | odlaziti — Odlazi uvijek rano. |
| izaći — Izašli smo u grad. | izlaziti — Izlazimo petkom. |
Dropping By
svratiti — to pop in — is the social glue verb, usually with kod + genitive:
Svratit ću kod bake poslije posla.
I'll drop by grandma's after work.
Note: svratiti + kod bake — a visit measured in cake.
💬 Comings and goings
Tko je došao?
Who came?
Ivan je došao, a Petra je već otišla.
Ivan came, and Petra already left.
Opet? Ona uvijek odlazi rano.
Again? She always leaves early.
Kad dođe sljedeći put, zaključat ću vrata.
Next time she comes, I'm locking the door.