Listen to the song and decide which phrases you hear.


Finished/Completed (Perfective) - In progress or repetitive (Imperfective)
Sunce me probudi - Sunce me budi
Žurno se obučem - Žurno se oblačim
Popijem kafu = Pijem kafu
Oči protrljam = Oči trljam
Zaspao sam = Spavam
Gurnem vrata = Guram vrata
Pogledam ptice = Gledam ptice
Odem brzo = Odlazim brzo
Osvrnem se = Osvrćem se
Otplovim = Plovim

Vocabulary:
  1. probuditi = to wake up
  2. oblačiti = to get dressed
  3. piti = to drink
  4. nestajati = disappear
  5. trljati = to rub
  6. zaspati = to fall ato sleep
  7. gurati = push
  8. gledati = look  / watch
  9. odlaziti = to go away
  10. odzvanjati = to echo
  11. osvrtati = to look back
  12. kretati = to move
  13. puštati = pustiti = let go
  14. spavati = to sleep
  15. sanjariti = to daydream
  16. otploviti = to sail away
Try to fill in the gaps before listening to the song:
_____________  me sunce (to wake up)
Kroz prozore prljave, musave
_____________ se žurno (to to get dressed)
Kafu ______________, nestajem (to drink)

Trljam oči sanjive
Da mi ne bi ___________ (to fall ato sleep)
Vrata _____________ nervozno (to push)
Ptice _____________ slobodne (to watch)
[ Lyrics from: https://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/y/yu_grupa/odlazim.html ]
__________, dok još drugi spavaju (to leave)
Koraci, pločnikom odzvanjaju

Osvrćem se okolo
________________ puste ulice (to look/watch)
_____________ stazom poznatom (to go/leave for)
____________ misli slobodne (to let go)
__________, dok još drugi spavaju (to leave)
Koraci, pločnikom odzvanjaju

Na obali začaran ja _____________ (to daydream)
Kao ladje velike da _______________ (to sail away)

One sunrise, two ways to view an action

Perfective verbs present an action as a completed whole: popijem, pogledam, odem. Imperfective forms show process or repetition: pijem, gledam, odlazim.

Aspect is not simply past versus present. Both partners can occur in several tenses; the speaker chooses how to frame the action.

Five aspect pairs inside an ordinary morning

LatinicaЋирилицаEnglish
Svako jutro pijem kafu, a danas je brzo popijem.Свако јутро пијем кафу, а данас је брзо попијем.Every morning I drink coffee, and today I finish it quickly.
Dok oblačim kaput, telefon iznenada zazvoni.Док облачим капут, телефон изненада зазвони.While I am putting on my coat, the phone suddenly rings.
Često gledam ptice, ali jednu jutros pažljivo pogledam.Често гледам птице, али једну јутрос пажљиво погледам.I often watch birds, but this morning I take a careful look at one.
Polako guram vrata, pa ih konačno gurnem do kraja.Полако гурам врата, па их коначно гурнем до краја.I push the door slowly, then finally push it all the way open.
Obično odlazim kasno; danas odem pre svih.Обично одлазим касно; данас одем пре свих.I usually leave late; today I leave before everyone else.

Choose the camera: whole event or unfolding process

Draw a long line for process and a dot for completion. Mark each verb from the song before choosing the missing form.

  1. Perfective partner of piti?
  2. Imperfective partner of pogledati?
  3. Write odlazim in Cyrillic.
  4. Which aspect suits repetition?
  5. Complete: Kafu brzo ______. (finish drinking)

The song completes what it began

  1. popiti
  2. gledati
  3. одлазим
  4. imperfective
  5. popijem

Retell the morning twice: first as a routine, then as a chain of completed steps. The changed viewpoint is aspect.
Marina Petrović