Irregular verbs + aorist [split]

[Shad]

Zdravo Bolek! Would you happen to have a list of irregular verbs? The most important of them.
Oh, and could you please explain the Aorist mood?

[kibo]

Hi, Shadad

Sorry that I had to split your post into a new topic, the old one needs heavy reorganization, so it's better to make a fresh start with your questions

Your first question is a bit difficult to answer because there isn't a true consensus regarding the conjugation of verbs. Shortly, the most common type of verbal classification is the Belic-Stevanovic type, which is ok, but it leaves a lot of space for irregular verbs. (and I only wrote about the first two groups - I will put it on my TO-DO list) On the other hand you can use Ivan Klajn's typology which doesn't leave many irregularities, but the system is, well, too complicated.

In any case you should know two things
1) In order to classify any verb in BCS, you need to know both the infinitive and the present tense forms. A good dictionary should provide both
2) Many linguists think that there aren't any irregular verbs, just verbs with irregular forms in certain tenses and moods.

There are some interesting details when it comes to irregularities. Irregular verbs include
- the verb biti 'to be' has two present tense forms: (je)sam, (je)si, etc. and budem, budeš, etc.
- only two verbs have the 1st person singular of the present tense in -u instead of -m: hteti - hoću and moći - mogu
- the verb ići not only does it have an irregular present tense (idem, ideš, ide, etc), but also all the other verbs derived from it have the present forms in -đem, -đeš, -đe (like naići - naiđem)

As for aorist tense, it's the simple past tense usually formed out of perfective verbs, though today imperfective verbs can have it too. It's a literary tense so you can encounter it if you are a literature fan. In every day speech it's not so common.

Formation:
- for the verbs in just -ti it's easy, just remove the -ti and add -h, /, /, -smo, -ste, -še (/ means that there is no ending for that person)

For example the verb napisati:
Ja napisah Mi napisasmo
Ti napisa Vi napisaste
On napisa Oni napisaše

- the verbs in -ći and -sti form the aorist tense by removing the -(n)u ending from the 3rd person plural of the present tense and then applying the following endings: -oh, -e, -e, -osmo, -oste, -oše

pasti - oni padnu - so the stem is pad-

Ja padoh Mi padosmo
Ti pade Vi padoste
On pade Oni padoše

If the stem ends in -k, -g or -h, then you have to palatalize it (i.e. replace it with -č, -ž, -š) in front of -e

ispeći - oni ispeku - stem: ispek-

Ja ispekoh Mi ispekosmo
Ti ispeče Vi ispekoste
On ispeče Oni ispekoše

I hope that was helpful

[voron]

the verb biti 'to be' has two present tense forms: (je)sam, (je)si, etc. and budem, budeš, etc.

If you consider perfective and imperfective forms to be different verbs, then 'budem' is a different verb (perfective form of 'biti') for which the infinitive does not exist. Right?

[Shad]

Bravo Bolek, ¡qué explicación tan buena!
Hvala! The Serbian language is much more complicated than I thought

[kibo]

the verb biti 'to be' has two present tense forms: (je)sam, (je)si, etc. and budem, budeš, etc.

If you consider perfective and imperfective forms to be different verbs, then 'budem' is a different verb (perfective form of 'biti') for which the infinitive does not exist. Right?

Not really. The verb biti is kinda special (nothing unusual for IE languages), due to its special functions (auxiliary, copulative, existential), it's not classified as imperfective or perfective. In some grammar books jesam is marked as a separate verb which only has the present tense, but most linguists consider it to be just the suppletive present form of biti (while budem is non-suppletive, i.e. systemic)

[Psi-Lord]

Shortly, the most common type of verbal classification is the Belic-Stevanovic type, which is ok, but it leaves a lot of space for irregular verbs. […] On the other hand you can use Ivan Klajn's typology which doesn't leave many irregularities, but the system is, well, too complicated.

[summary of aorist formation]

Thanks a lot, Bolek! I’d been looking for information on the Serbian aorist for a couple of days now, but could find absolutely nothing. I should’ve guessed earlier that the topic might’ve been discussed on UniLang after all.

Now I just need to find info on the imperfect. By the way, do you still plan to finish the UniLang Wiki page on Mihajlo Stevanović’s system?

[kibo]

By the way, do you still plan to finish the UniLang Wiki page on Mihajlo Stevanović’s system?

You ask me this every time we talk about Serbian verbs.

Some day I might.

[Psi-Lord]

By the way, do you still plan to finish the UniLang Wiki page on Mihajlo Stevanović’s system?

You ask me this every time we talk about Serbian verbs.

Bad, bad, BAD memory – I can never stress that enough.