pjevati / otpjevati (to sing) | Croatian Grammar

Pjevati ("to sing") is a friendly, fully regular verb whose interest lies in its prefixes. The imperfective pjevati ("sing, be singing") pairs with the perfective otpjevati ("sing [a song] right through to the end"), and a second prefix gives zapjevati — the inceptive "burst into song / strike up a tune". Same base verb, two different "edges" of the action: ot- closes it, za- opens it. Croatian loves singing — at weddings, in church, at the table, and above all in klapa, the Dalmatian a cappella tradition — so this is a verb you will hear and use often.

Aspect

Verb	Aspect	Present 1sg	Typical use
pjevati	imperfective	pjevam	sing, be singing; habit
otpjevati	perfective	otpjevam	sing one song through to the end
zapjevati	perfective (inceptive)	zapjevam	burst into song, strike up a tune

Pjevati is the activity; otpjevati takes one song to completion (ot- "finish it off"); zapjevati captures the onset (za- "start to / break into"). The aspect partner proper is pjevati / otpjevati — a prefixal pair, see forming aspect pairs by prefixation and aspect overview. Zapjevati is a separate perfective derivative that highlights the beginning rather than the end.

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Two prefixes, two ends of the same action: ot-pjevati = sing it to the finish; za-pjevati = start singing, burst out into song. Otpjevala je pjesmu "she sang the song [all the way through]" vs Zapjevala je "she broke into song". The za- inceptive does the same job in zaplakati "burst into tears", zasvirati "strike up (playing)".

A note on spelling: the stem is pjev- throughout — pjevam, pjevao, otpjevan. There is no ije/je alternation here (unlike, say, vidjeti / viđen or roots with a "long jat"); the je stays put in every form. So you never write pijevati or pjevjeti — just the steady pjev-.

Present tense

All three are regular a-class verbs (stem pjeva- / otpjeva- / zapjeva-, endings -m, -š, -∅, -mo, -te, -ju).

Person	pjevati (impf)	otpjevati (pf)
ja	pjevam	otpjevam
ti	pjevaš	otpjevaš
on/ona/ono	pjeva	otpjeva
mi	pjevamo	otpjevamo
vi	pjevate	otpjevate
oni/one/ona	pjevaju	otpjevaju

The perfective present otpjevam is not a "now" tense — it reads as future/subordinate: Kad otpjevam ovu, idem ("Once I've sung this one, I'm off"). For the singing in progress you need pjevam.

Pjevam pod tušem svako jutro, susjedi to obožavaju.

I sing in the shower every morning, the neighbours just love it. — habit, imperfective.

Hajde, otpjevaj nam onu staru, znaš koju.

Come on, sing us that old one, you know which. — perfective, sing one song through.

The l-participle

Regular -ati verbs: masculine pjevao (vocalised -l), otpjevao, zapjevao.

Gender / number	pjevati	otpjevati
masculine singular	pjevao	otpjevao
feminine singular	pjevala	otpjevala
neuter singular	pjevalo	otpjevalo
masculine plural	pjevali	otpjevali
feminine plural	pjevale	otpjevale
neuter plural	pjevala	otpjevala

Perfect tense (perfekt)

Clitic biti + l-participle. Pjevao sam = "I sang / used to sing"; otpjevao sam = "I sang [it] through". Zapjevao sam = "I burst into song".

Person	pjevati (masc.)	otpjevati (masc.)
ja	pjevao sam	otpjevao sam
ti	pjevao si	otpjevao si
on / ona	pjevao / pjevala je	otpjevao / otpjevala je
mi	pjevali smo	otpjevali smo
vi	pjevali ste	otpjevali ste
oni / one	pjevali su	otpjevali su

Cijelu noć smo pjevali uz gitaru oko vatre.

We sang all night to the guitar around the fire. — imperfective: the ongoing singing.

Otpjevala je himnu bez greške, cijeli stadion je ustao.

She sang the anthem flawlessly, the whole stadium stood up. — perfective: sung right through.

Future I (futur prvi)

Pjevati → pjevat ću (drops -i); otpjevati → otpjevat ću. Never write pjevati ću.

Person	pjevati	otpjevati
ja	pjevat ću	otpjevat ću
ti	pjevat ćeš	otpjevat ćeš
on/ona/ono	pjevat će	otpjevat će
mi	pjevat ćemo	otpjevat ćemo
vi	pjevat ćete	otpjevat ćete
oni/one/ona	pjevat će	otpjevat će

Na proslavi će klapa pjevati cijelu večer.

At the celebration the klapa will sing all evening.

Imperative

a-class imperatives end in -aj, -ajmo, -ajte.

Person	pjevati (impf)	otpjevati (pf)
ti	pjevaj	otpjevaj
mi	pjevajmo	otpjevajmo
vi	pjevajte	otpjevajte

Pjevaj glasnije, ne čujemo te otraga!

Sing louder, we can't hear you at the back! — imperfective: keep singing.

Other forms

Passive participle: pjevan, pjevana, pjevano and perfective otpjevan, otpjevana, otpjevano ("sung"). Used in the passive: Pjesma je otpjevana uz pljesak "The song was sung to applause". Adjectivally otpjevan is rare; you will meet it most in reviews and reports.
Verbal adverb: imperfective pjevajući ("[while] singing"): Ušla je pjevajući "She came in singing". Perfectives have no present adverb; the past adverb otpjevavši is literary.
Related words: pjesma "song / poem", pjevač / pjevačica "singer", pjevanje "singing", zbor "choir", napjev "tune, melody".

Ova pjesma je najljepše otpjevana u njegovoj izvedbi.

This song is most beautifully sung in his rendition. — passive participle 'otpjevana'.

Key uses and government

1. The song sung: accusative

The basic object of pjevati / otpjevati is the accusative — the song, the anthem, the tune: pjevati pjesmu, himnu, uspavanku. See the accusative direct object. Used without an object, pjevati simply means "to sing (in general)".

Baka mi je svaku večer pjevala uspavanku.

Grandma sang me a lullaby every evening. — accusative 'uspavanku'.

2. zapjevati — the inceptive "burst into song"

When the point is the moment singing starts — someone suddenly breaks into song — use zapjevati. It often comes with no object: Odjednom je zapjevala "Suddenly she burst into song".

Kad je čuo svoju pjesmu, cijeli je bar zapjevao.

When he heard his song, the whole bar burst into song. — inceptive 'zapjevati'.

3. Cultural note: Živjeli! and klapa

Singing is woven into Croatian social life. The toast is Živjeli! ("Cheers! / To life!") — glasses raised, and very often a song follows. The most distinctive form is klapa: traditional Dalmatian a cappella singing in close male (and now also female) harmony, UNESCO-listed and heard everywhere on the coast. To say a group is "doing klapa singing" you would say pjevati u klapi ("sing in a klapa").

Podigli su čaše, viknuli Živjeli! i zapjevali klapsku pjesmu.

They raised their glasses, shouted 'Cheers!' and broke into a klapa song. — cultural setting.

Common Mistakes

❌ Pjevam pijesmu.

Spelling — the stem is steady 'pjev-', and the noun is 'pjesmu', not '*pijesmu'.

✅ Pjevam pjesmu.

I'm singing a song.

❌ Otpjevam sada na pozornici.

A perfective present can't mean 'right now'; the singing in progress is 'pjevam'.

✅ Pjevam sada na pozornici.

I'm singing on the stage right now.

❌ Sviram pjesmu pod tušem.

Using your voice is 'pjevati'; 'svirati' is for instruments. Use 'pjevam pjesmu'.

✅ Pjevam pjesmu pod tušem.

I'm singing a song in the shower.

❌ Pjesma je otpjevat lijepo.

Wrong form — the passive participle is 'otpjevana', not the infinitive stem.

✅ Pjesma je lijepo otpjevana.

The song was beautifully sung.

❌ Pjevati ću ti uspavanku.

The infinitive drops its -i before the clitic: 'pjevat ću', never 'pjevati ću'.

✅ Pjevat ću ti uspavanku.

I'll sing you a lullaby.

Key Takeaways

pjevati (impf, pjevam, pjevao) = sing / be singing; otpjevati (pf, ot-) = sing one song through; zapjevati (pf, za-) = burst into song.
Object = accusative: pjevati pjesmu, himnu. Without an object, just "to sing".
The stem is steady pjev- — no ije/je alternation: pjevam, pjevao, otpjevan. Don't write pijevati.
Passive participle otpjevan (Pjesma je otpjevana). Future drops -i: pjevat ću (never pjevati ću).
Cultural: the toast Živjeli! and klapa a cappella singing — pjevati u klapi.

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