The best way to truly feel the present tense is to fill it in yourself - each gap is a tiny decision about which ending fits, and making that decision, even hesitantly, is worth more than reading ten conjugation tables. This exercise is tidier than it looks, and at least one sentence will surprise you. Ready? Let us go.

What is this gap-fill about?

You will see fifteen sentences with a verb in brackets. Your job is to put that verb into the correct present-tense form to match the subject. The sentences are grouped by verb pattern - -im, -am, and -ujem - so you can see each group working in action before you move to the next one.

Group 1: the -im pattern

Verbs in this group take the endings -im, -is, -i, -imo, -ite, -e in the present tense. Fill in the blank using the verb shown in brackets:

  1. Svako jutro se ______ (BUDITI) u 8.
  2. Da li ti ______ (MISLITI) da su jedan plus jedan dva?
  3. Da li Vi ______ (MISLITI) da u zivotu jedan i jedan nisu uvek dva?
  4. Dragan se ______ (OBLACITI) bar pola sata!
  5. Kada ______ (OTVARATI) prodavnicu?

Group 2: the -am pattern

Verbs here take -am, -as, -a, -amo, -ate, -aju. Same idea - drop the infinitive ending and add the correct present suffix:

  1. Svaki dan te ______ (CEKATI) bar deset minuta!
  2. Moja deca ______ (CRTATI) knjige - a tvoja?
  3. Vetar bas ______ (DUVATI).
  4. Koliko cesto ______ (GLEDATI) tv?
  5. Ana i Sofija se ______ (IGRATI).

Group 3: the -ujem pattern

These verbs have an infinitive stem ending in -ovati or -ivati, which transforms into -ujem, -ujes, -uje and so on in the present. Watch how the stem shifts:

  1. Svaki dan se ______ (DOPISIVATI) sa drugaricom iz Engleske.
  2. Kada ti ______ (DORUCKOVATI)?
  3. Sta najcesce ______ (PITI) tokom dana?
  4. Oni ______ (PISATI) e-mailove svaki dan.
  5. Kada mi ______ (POCINJATI) sa ucenjem srpskog?

How to send your answers

You can email your completed homework to learnserbian@gmail.com - I read every message and I will write back with feedback. I am also hoping to launch a full interactive site with exercises just like these very soon, so watch this space! And please do not worry if some answers are wrong: a wrong answer that you thought about carefully is already progress, and it gives us something concrete to work on together.

A tip for tenses

When you fill in the same verb across several persons - ja, ti, on, mi, vi, oni - the ending pattern locks into muscle memory far faster than staring at a chart ever could. Give yourself permission to say each completed sentence out loud as you go: the ear reinforces what the eye reads, and together they reinforce what the hand writes.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How do I know which ending to use if I cannot tell which group the verb belongs to?
The infinitive is your best clue. Verbs ending in -iti usually follow the -im pattern; verbs ending in -ati (with an -a- stem) usually follow -am; and verbs ending in -ovati or -ivati almost always produce the -ujem present. It is not a perfect rule, but it works for the vast majority of everyday verbs - including all fifteen here.
Q: Do I need to memorise every verb group before I can have a conversation?
Absolutely not. You need maybe a dozen high-frequency verbs in the present tense to hold a simple conversation, and you will absorb the pattern naturally as you use them. The groups are there to explain what you already half-know, not to be memorised as an exam topic.
Q: Is it really okay to send answers by email rather than posting in the comments?
Completely fine! Some learners prefer a little privacy when they are still finding their footing, and I completely understand that. Email is just as good, and I genuinely enjoy the back-and-forth. Either way, you will hear from me.

I am Marina Petrovic, and I have been teaching Serbian to international learners for several years - through classes, private lessons, and now this blog. Every exercise here was refined through real sessions with real students who asked exactly the questions you are probably asking right now. You are in good hands, and you are further along than you feel.

Fill in those gaps and email them over - I am looking forward to it!

More conjugation practice: browse the Serbian Conjugations category.