pripremati (se) / pripremiti (se) (to prepare) | Croatian Grammar

Pripremiti ("to prepare") is a workhorse you need from the moment you start cooking meals, sitting exams, or getting ready for anything. Its aspect pair is regular and predictable — imperfective pripremati, perfective pripremiti — but the verb earns its keep through two distinct constructions: the transitive "prepare something" (a meal, a presentation, a document) and the reflexive pripremiti se za "get ready for something". The reflexive is where English speakers stumble, because "prepare for" in Croatian is pripremiti se za + accusative, with the se obligatory. The verb also collides usefully with spremiti ("to tidy, to put away, to save"), and knowing where they diverge is half the battle.

Aspect

A clean aspect pair: imperfective pripremati (the ongoing process of preparing) and perfective pripremiti (preparation completed). Both have a parallel reflexive — pripremati se / pripremiti se — for getting yourself ready.

Verb	Aspect	Present 1sg	Typical use
pripremati	imperfective	pripremam	the ongoing process of preparing; habitual
pripremiti	perfective	pripremim	one completed act of preparation

The split is the standard one. Pripremam ručak = "I'm preparing lunch" (in progress); pripremio sam ručak = "I've prepared lunch / lunch is ready" (done). See aspect: the overview.

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Both members share the prefix pri- and the root -prem-. The imperfective adds the -a- theme (pripremati / pripremam); the perfective is an -iti verb (pripremiti / pripremim). Don't blend them into *pripremavati — that form doesn't exist.

Present tense

The perfective pripremiti is a regular -iti verb; the imperfective pripremati uses the -am present.

Person	pripremiti (pf)	pripremati (impf)
ja	pripremim	pripremam
ti	pripremiš	pripremaš
on/ona/ono	pripremi	priprema
mi	pripremimo	pripremamo
vi	pripremite	pripremate
oni/one/ona	pripreme	pripremaju

The perfective present pripremim is not a "now" tense: Čim pripremim sve, javim ti ("As soon as I get everything ready, I'll let you know"). For the act in progress you need pripremam.

Upravo pripremam prezentaciju za sutrašnji sastanak.

I'm preparing a presentation for tomorrow's meeting right now. — imperfective, in progress.

Pripremimo li se na vrijeme, nećemo paničariti.

If we get ready in time, we won't panic. — perfective present, conditional reading, reflexive.

The l-participle

The perfective pripremiti gives pripremio (vocalised -l); the imperfective pripremati gives pripremao.

Gender / number	pripremiti (pf)	pripremati (impf)
masculine singular	pripremio	pripremao
feminine singular	pripremila	pripremala
neuter singular	pripremilo	pripremalo
masculine plural	pripremili	pripremali
feminine plural	pripremile	pripremale
neuter plural	pripremila	pripremala

Perfect tense (perfekt)

Clitic biti + l-participle. The everyday "I prepared / got ready" is the perfective; the imperfective marks an ongoing or repeated preparing.

Person	Masculine subject	Feminine subject
ja	pripremio sam	pripremila sam
ti	pripremio si	pripremila si
on / ona	pripremio je	pripremila je
mi	pripremili smo	pripremile smo
vi	pripremili ste	pripremile ste
oni / one	pripremili su	pripremile su

Pripremila sam ti sendviče za put, u torbi su.

I've made you sandwiches for the road, they're in the bag. — perfective + dative beneficiary 'ti'.

Tjednima smo se pripremali za ovo natjecanje.

We spent weeks preparing for this competition. — imperfective reflexive, drawn-out process.

Future I (futur prvi)

The infinitive ends in -ti, so it drops its final -i before the clitic: pripremit ću (never pripremiti ću).

Person	pripremiti (pf)	pripremati (impf)
ja	pripremit ću	pripremat ću
ti	pripremit ćeš	pripremat ćeš
on/ona/ono	pripremit će	pripremat će
mi	pripremit ćemo	pripremat ćemo
vi	pripremit ćete	pripremat ćete
oni/one/ona	pripremit će	pripremat će

Pripremit ću večeru, a ti postavi stol.

I'll make dinner, and you set the table. — perfective future + accusative 'večeru'.

Imperative

The perfective pripremi! asks for a specific preparation done; the reflexive pripremi se! means "get ready!".

Person	pripremiti (pf)	pripremati (impf)
ti	pripremi	pripremaj
mi	pripremimo	pripremajmo
vi	pripremite	pripremajte

Pripremi se, krećemo za pet minuta!

Get ready, we're leaving in five minutes! — reflexive imperative.

Negative: Nemoj pripremati previše hrane ("Don't make too much food").

Conditional I (kondicional prvi)

bih-clitics + l-participle — for polite offers and hypotheticals.

Person	pripremiti (masc.)
ja	pripremio bih
ti	pripremio bi
on/ona/ono	pripremio/pripremila/pripremilo bi
mi	pripremili bismo
vi	pripremili biste
oni/one/ona	pripremili bi

Rado bih ti pripremila nešto, ali frižider je prazan.

I'd happily make you something, but the fridge is empty. — conditional + dative 'ti'.

Other forms

Passive participle (perfective): pripremljen, pripremljena, pripremljeno ("prepared"). Note the m → mlj jotation: an -iti verb with a labial stem (priprem-) inserts the epenthetic -lj-, exactly as kupiti → kupljen or snimiti → snimljen. Hugely common in Ručak je pripremljen ("Lunch is ready/prepared") and the se-passive. The imperfective pripremati gives pripreman.
Verbal noun: priprema ("preparation"), very frequent, especially plural pripreme ("preparations, training camp"): Sportaši su na pripremama ("The athletes are at training camp").
Verbal adverb: imperfective pripremajući ("[while] preparing").

Sve je već pripremljeno, možemo početi.

Everything is already prepared, we can begin. — passive participle 'pripremljeno' (m → mlj).

See the se-passive and impersonal.

Key uses and government

1. Transitive: prepare something (accusative)

The basic frame is pripremiti / pripremati + accusative — the thing you prepare: a meal, a document, a presentation, a room.

Možeš li pripremiti salatu dok ja pečem ribu?

Can you prepare the salad while I grill the fish? — accusative object 'salatu'.

Tajnica priprema sve dokumente za potpis.

The secretary is preparing all the documents for signing. — imperfective + accusative.

See the accusative as direct object.

2. The beneficiary: dative ("prepare for someone")

To say who you prepare something for, add the bare dative — no preposition — exactly like kupiti ("buy someone something"). Order: pripremiti + dative person + accusative thing.

Pripremili smo gostima sobu na katu.

We've prepared the upstairs room for the guests. — dative beneficiary 'gostima', accusative 'sobu'.

See verbs and adjectives that take the dative.

3. Reflexive: pripremiti se za + accusative ("get ready for")

This is the construction English speakers must drill. To "prepare for / get ready for" an event, Croatian uses the reflexive pripremiti se plus za + accusative. The se is obligatory — without it you are preparing some thing, not getting yourself ready — and the preposition is za (never na or a bare case).

Mjesec dana pripremala sam se za vozački ispit.

I spent a month preparing for my driving test. — reflexive 'pripremala sam se' + za + accusative 'ispit'.

Moraš se dobro pripremiti za razgovor za posao.

You have to prepare well for the job interview. — reflexive + za + accusative.

4. pripremiti vs spremiti — prepare for an event vs tidy/save

This pair traps everyone, because both share the root -prem- and both can loosely mean "get ready". The dividing line:

pripremiti (se) = to prepare — make ready by working on it in advance. Pripremiti ručak = cook the meal. Pripremiti se za ispit = study/train for the exam.
spremiti = to tidy up, put away, store, save. Spremiti sobu = tidy the room. Spremiti dokument = save the file. The reflexive spremiti se leans toward "get oneself ready to go out / pack up" rather than "train for".

So you pripremaš se za ispit (you study for the exam) but spremaš sobu (you tidy the room). Using spremiti se za ispit would suggest merely gathering your things, not actually studying.

Najprije ću spremiti kuhinju, a onda se pripremiti za sutrašnji nastup.

First I'll tidy the kitchen, and then prepare for tomorrow's performance. — 'spremiti' (tidy) vs 'pripremiti se za' (train for).

See spremiti for the full range of that verb.

Common Mistakes

❌ Pripremam za ispit.

Missing 'se' — getting yourself ready is reflexive: 'Pripremam se za ispit'.

✅ Pripremam se za ispit.

I'm preparing for the exam.

❌ Pripremam se na ispit.

Wrong preposition — it's 'za' + accusative, not 'na': 'pripremam se za ispit'.

✅ Pripremam se za ispit.

I'm preparing for the exam.

❌ Spremio sam se za ispit cijeli tjedan.

Wrong verb for studying — 'spremiti se' is 'get one's things together', not 'train'. Studying is 'pripremati se za': 'Pripremao sam se za ispit cijeli tjedan'.

✅ Pripremao sam se za ispit cijeli tjedan.

I studied for the exam all week.

❌ Ručak je pripremit.

Wrong form — the passive participle is 'pripremljen' (m → mlj), not the infinitive stem: 'Ručak je pripremljen'.

✅ Ručak je pripremljen.

Lunch is ready.

❌ Pripremiti ću prezentaciju.

The future drops the infinitive's final -i before the clitic: 'Pripremit ću'.

✅ Pripremit ću prezentaciju.

I'll prepare the presentation.

Key Takeaways

pripremati (impf, pripremam) / pripremiti (pf, pripremim) = "to prepare" — clean aspect pair.
Transitive: accusative object (pripremiti ručak); add a bare dative for the beneficiary (pripremiti gostima sobu).
Reflexive pripremiti se za + accusative = "get ready for / train for" — the se and the za are both obligatory.
Passive participle pripremljen (m → mlj jotation); the noun priprema / pripreme is everywhere.
Don't confuse with spremiti (tidy/put away/save): you pripremaš se za ispit (study), you spremaš sobu (tidy). Future drops -i: pripremit ću.

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