kretati / krenuti (to set off / move) | Croatian Grammar

Krenuti is the verb of setting off — the moment motion begins. Where ići describes the journey and stići the arrival, krenuti names the departure: the train pulling away, you finally leaving the house, a project getting underway. Its aspect partner kretati (se) covers movement as a process. The pair is worth knowing in full because the two members sit on visibly different present stems: the perfective krenem (clean -n- present) versus the imperfective krećem (with the t → ć softening). Once you see that split, the whole paradigm falls into place.

Aspect

Verb	Aspect	Present 1sg	Typical use
krenuti	perfective	krenem	one departure / one start: "set off", "get going"
kretati (se)	imperfective	krećem (se)	moving (in progress); repeated departures; "be in motion"

The perfective krenuti marks the single moment of starting to move — leaving, departing, kicking something off. The imperfective kretati se describes motion as an ongoing process ("to be moving, to be in motion"), and is very often reflexive (kretati se) in that sense: teško se kreće ("he moves with difficulty"). In the "the train departs at three" sense, the imperfective kreće (without se) is used for scheduled/habitual departures. See the aspect overview.

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Drill the stem split: perfective krenem (clean -n-) vs imperfective krećem (with t → ć). Krenem sutra "I'll set off tomorrow" (one departure); krećem se sporo "I move slowly" (ongoing). They look related but conjugate on different stems.

Present tense

Person	krenuti (pf)	kretati (se) (impf)
ja	krenem	krećem (se)
ti	kreneš	krećeš (se)
on/ona/ono	krene	kreće (se)
mi	krenemo	krećemo (se)
vi	krenete	krećete (se)
oni/one/ona	krenu	kreću (se)

The perfective present krenem is not a "now" tense — it carries the usual future/conditional flavour: čim krenem, javim ti ("as soon as I set off, I'll let you know"). For scheduled departures and motion in progress, use the imperfective kreće / krećem.

Vlak kreće u tri, nemoj zakasniti.

The train leaves at three, don't be late. — imperfective 'kreće' for a scheduled departure.

Krenem za pola sata čim se spakiram.

I'll set off in half an hour as soon as I pack. — perfective 'krenem', future flavour.

The l-participle

Krenuti is an -nuti verb: masculine krenuo, feminine krenula. Kretati gives kretao, kretala.

Gender / number	krenuti	kretati
masculine singular	krenuo	kretao
feminine singular	krenula	kretala
neuter singular	krenulo	kretalo
masculine plural	krenuli	kretali
feminine plural	krenule	kretale
neuter plural	krenula	kretala

Perfect tense (perfekt)

Clitic biti + l-participle. The everyday past "I set off / we left" is the perfective krenuo sam / krenula sam.

Person	Masculine subject	Feminine subject
ja	krenuo sam	krenula sam
ti	krenuo si	krenula si
on / ona	krenuo je	krenula je
mi	krenuli smo	krenule smo
vi	krenuli ste	krenule ste
oni / one	krenuli su	krenule su

Krenuli smo u zoru da izbjegnemo gužvu.

We set off at dawn to avoid the crowds. — completed departure.

Krenula je s faksom tek u dvadesetoj.

She started university only at twenty. — 'krenuti' = get started, here with study.

Future I (futur prvi)

The infinitive krenuti drops its final -i before the clitic: krenut ću (never krenuti ću). Kretati → kretat ću.

Person	krenuti	kretati
ja	krenut ću	kretat ću
ti	krenut ćeš	kretat ćeš
on/ona/ono	krenut će	kretat će
mi	krenut ćemo	kretat ćemo
vi	krenut ćete	kretat ćete
oni/one/ona	krenut će	kretat će

Krenut ćemo čim svi budu spremni.

We'll set off as soon as everyone's ready.

Imperative

Built on the perfective present stem: kreni! ("get going! / off you go!") — extremely common as an encouragement to start moving or to start a task.

Person	krenuti (pf)	kretati (impf)
ti	kreni	kreći (se)
mi	krenimo	krećimo (se)
vi	krenite	krećite (se)

Kreni već jednom, čekamo te pola sata!

Get going already, we've been waiting half an hour! — imperative 'kreni'.

Conditional I (kondicional prvi)

bih-clitics + l-participle — for suggestions and hypotheticals.

Person	Form (masc.)
ja	krenuo bih
ti	krenuo bi
on/ona/ono	krenuo/krenula/krenulo bi
mi	krenuli bismo
vi	krenuli biste
oni/one/ona	krenuli bi

Krenuo bih ranije, ali moram čekati dostavu.

I'd set off earlier, but I have to wait for a delivery.

Other forms

Verbal adverb: imperfective krećući (se) ("[while] moving"). The perfective has no present adverb.
No passive participle in the motion sense — krenuti is intransitive (you set off; nothing is "set off"). The collocational object in krenuti s poslom is governed by a preposition, not as a direct object.

Key uses and government

1. Set off / depart: intransitive, with direction in u / na + accusative

In the core "set off, leave" sense krenuti is intransitive — it has no direct object. To add a destination, use the motion prepositions u / na + the accusative, exactly as with ići.

Sutra ujutro krećemo na more.

Tomorrow morning we set off for the seaside. — 'na' + accusative direction.

Kad kreneš u grad, javi mi.

When you set off for town, let me know. — 'u' + accusative.

2. Start moving / start something: krenuti s + instrumental

In the "get started with" sense, the thing you start is introduced by s(a) + the instrumental — literally "set off with the work". This is the natural way to say you've begun a task, project, or activity.

Vrijeme je da krenemo s poslom.

It's time we got started with the work. — 's' + instrumental 'poslom'.

Krenuli su s gradnjom kuće na proljeće.

They started building the house in the spring. — 's' + instrumental 'gradnjom'.

See the instrumental forms for how posao → poslom, gradnja → gradnjom are built. Note that krenuti in this sense competes with početi ("to begin") — krenuti s poslom feels more like "get under way" and is slightly more colloquial.

3. Move / be in motion: kretati se (reflexive)

For movement as a state or manner — how something moves, how fast, in what direction — the imperfective reflexive kretati se is the standard verb. It is also the verb of physics and exercise ("bodies in motion", "you should move more").

Lijepo je vidjeti da se opet normalno kreće.

It's good to see he's moving normally again. — reflexive 'kreće se', manner of motion.

Cijene se kreću između sto i dvjesto eura.

The prices range between one and two hundred euros. — figurative 'kreću se', 'move within a range'.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ja krećem sutra na put.

Stem mismatch for a single future departure — the perfective is 'krenem': 'krenem sutra' / 'krenut ću sutra'. 'Krećem' is the imperfective (in-progress/scheduled).

✅ Krenut ću sutra na put.

I'll set off on the trip tomorrow.

❌ Krenuti ću u sedam.

The future drops the infinitive's final -i before the clitic: 'krenut ću u sedam'.

✅ Krenut ću u sedam.

I'll set off at seven.

❌ Krenimo posao.

Wrong government — 'get started with work' takes 's' + instrumental: 'krenimo s poslom'.

✅ Krenimo s poslom.

Let's get started with the work.

❌ Vlak kreni u tri.

Wrong form/aspect — a scheduled departure is the imperfective 'kreće', and 'kreni' is an imperative for a person.

✅ Vlak kreće u tri.

The train leaves at three.

❌ On se krene polako prema vratima.

Aspect — for ongoing manner of motion use the imperfective reflexive 'kreće se'; the perfective 'krene' marks a single start.

✅ On se kreće polako prema vratima.

He's moving slowly toward the door.

Key Takeaways

krenuti (pf, krenem, krenuo/krenula) = one departure / one start; kretati (se) (impf, krećem, kretao) = movement as a process.
Mind the stem split: perfective krenem (clean -n-) vs imperfective krećem (t → ć).
"Set off" is intransitive; add direction with u / na + accusative. "Get started with" takes s + instrumental (krenuti s poslom).
"Move / be in motion" is the reflexive kretati se — also used figuratively for prices/values "ranging".
Future drops -i: krenut ću (never krenuti ću). Imperative kreni! = "get going!".

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