Spremati / spremiti is one of the busiest verbs in the Croatian home. A single pair covers three jobs that English splits across separate verbs: tidy (spremati sobu — tidy the room), prepare / make (spremiti ručak — make lunch), and put away / save / store (spremiti novac, spremiti datoteku — save money, save a file). On top of that, the reflexive spremati se / spremiti se za means "get ready (for)". The thread tying these together is the idea of putting things into order or into place — once you see that, the three senses stop feeling unrelated.
Aspect
A clean prefix-free aspect pair built on the same root: imperfective spremati (a-class, spremam) versus perfective spremiti (i-class, spremim). The imperfective is the activity (tidying, getting things ready over time); the perfective is the completed result (the room is tidy, the meal is made, the file is saved). This pair is formed by stem alternation, the kind of pairing surveyed at forming aspect pairs.
| Verb | Aspect | Present 1sg | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| spremati | imperfective | spremam | the activity: tidying, preparing, getting ready |
| spremiti | perfective | spremim | the finished result: tidied / made / put away |
Present tense
| Person | spremati (impf) | spremiti (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| ja | spremam | spremim |
| ti | spremaš | spremiš |
| on/ona/ono | sprema | spremi |
| mi | spremamo | spremimo |
| vi | spremate | spremite |
| oni/one/ona | spremaju | spreme |
As always, the perfective present spremim is not a "now" tense: Čim spremim kuhinju, dolazim ("As soon as I tidy the kitchen, I'm coming"). For the activity in progress you need the imperfective spremam.
Spremam sobu, za pet minuta sam gotova.
I'm tidying the room, I'll be done in five minutes. — activity in progress, imperfective.
Spremi igračke prije večere, molim te.
Put the toys away before dinner, please. — perfective, one completed act.
The l-participle
Regular for both stems: masculine spremao (impf), spremio (pf).
| Gender / number | spremati | spremiti |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | spremao | spremio |
| feminine singular | spremala | spremila |
| neuter singular | spremalo | spremilo |
| masculine plural | spremali | spremili |
| feminine plural | spremale | spremile |
| neuter plural | spremala | spremila |
Perfect tense (perfekt)
Clitic biti + l-participle. Perfective spremio sam = "I tidied / made / put away (done)"; imperfective spremao sam = "I was tidying / used to tidy".
| Person | Masculine (pf) | Feminine (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| ja | spremio sam | spremila sam |
| ti | spremio si | spremila si |
| on / ona | spremio je | spremila je |
| mi | spremili smo | spremile smo |
| vi | spremili ste | spremile ste |
| oni / one | spremili su | spremile su |
Spremila sam ti ručak, samo ga podgrij.
I've made you lunch, just heat it up. — perfective 'spremila', 'make a meal' sense + dative 'ti'.
Cijelo jutro smo spremali stan prije gostiju.
We were tidying the flat all morning before the guests. — imperfective, ongoing activity.
Future I (futur prvi)
The infinitive drops its -i: spremit ću (pf), spremat ću (impf). Never spremiti ću.
| Person | spremiti (pf) | spremati (impf) |
|---|---|---|
| ja | spremit ću | spremat ću |
| ti | spremit ćeš | spremat ćeš |
| on/ona/ono | spremit će | spremat će |
| mi | spremit ćemo | spremat ćemo |
| vi | spremit ćete | spremat ćete |
| oni/one/ona | spremit će | spremat će |
Spremit ću dokument na disk pa ti ga poslati.
I'll save the document to the disk and then send it to you. — 'save a file' sense, future.
Imperative
Perfective spremi! is the everyday "tidy it / put it away / make it"; imperfective spremaj! leans "get on with the tidying".
| Person | spremiti (pf) | spremati (impf) |
|---|---|---|
| ti | spremi | spremaj |
| mi | spremimo | spremajmo |
| vi | spremite | spremajte |
Spremi se, krećemo za deset minuta!
Get ready, we're leaving in ten minutes! — reflexive 'spremi se', 'get ready' sense.
Conditional I (kondicional prvi)
The bih-clitics + l-participle, for polite offers and hypotheticals.
| Person | spremiti (masc.) |
|---|---|
| ja | spremio bih |
| ti | spremio bi |
| on/ona/ono | spremio/spremila/spremilo bi |
| mi | spremili bismo |
| vi | spremili biste |
| oni/one/ona | spremili bi |
Spremio bih nešto za jelo, ali frižider je prazan.
I'd make something to eat, but the fridge is empty. — conditional, 'prepare a meal' sense.
Other forms
- Passive participle (pf): spremljen, spremljena, spremljeno ("tidied / prepared / put away"). Note the m → mlj jotation: an -iti verb with the labial stem sprem- inserts the epenthetic -lj-, exactly the change seen in kupiti → kupljen. As in Ručak je spremljen ("Lunch is ready"), Sve je spremljeno za put ("Everything is packed for the trip").
- Passive participle (impf): spreman (note: this is also the everyday adjective spreman "ready"), more commonly the verbal noun spremanje ("tidying, cleaning").
- Verbal adverb (impf): spremajući ("[while] tidying / preparing").
Sve je spremljeno za put, možemo krenuti kad god želiš.
Everything's packed for the trip, we can leave whenever you want. — passive participle 'spremljeno' (m → mlj).
Key uses and government
1. Accusative object across all three senses
In every sense — tidy, prepare, put away — the object is a plain accusative: spremati sobu, spremiti ručak, spremiti novac / datoteku. See the accusative direct object.
Spremam ormar i bacam sve što ne nosim.
I'm tidying the wardrobe and throwing out everything I don't wear. — 'tidy' sense, accusative 'ormar'.
2. Reflexive spremati se / spremiti se za + accusative — "get ready (for)"
With the reflexive se, the verb means "get (oneself) ready". The thing you are getting ready for takes za + accusative. This is one of the most-used everyday constructions on the page. For the mechanics of se, see the reflexive 'se'.
Spremam se za posao, nazvat ću te poslije.
I'm getting ready for work, I'll call you later. — 'spremati se za' + accusative 'posao'.
Spremamo se za ispit cijeli tjedan.
We've been getting ready for the exam all week. — 'spremati se za' + accusative 'ispit'.
3. spremiti vs pripremiti — broad everyday vs prepare-for-an-event
Spremiti is the broad, everyday verb of putting things in order. Pripremiti is narrower: "prepare (for a specific event / in advance)", with an emphasis on getting something ready ahead of time. You can spremiti ručak (make lunch, right now) or pripremiti ručak (prepare lunch in advance, e.g. for tomorrow). For meals both work; for formal "prepare a report / a speech" you want pripremiti. See pripremiti.
Spremila sam večeru, a sutrašnji ručak sam već pripremila.
I made dinner, and I've already prepared tomorrow's lunch. — 'spremiti' (now) vs 'pripremiti' (in advance).
Common Mistakes
❌ Ručak je spremen.
Wrong passive participle for the perfective — it is 'spremljen' (m → mlj). ('spreman' is the adjective 'ready'.)
✅ Ručak je spremljen.
Lunch is ready (made).
❌ Spremam za posao.
The 'get ready' sense needs the reflexive 'se': 'Spremam se za posao'.
✅ Spremam se za posao.
I'm getting ready for work.
❌ Spremam se na ispit.
The preposition is 'za' + accusative for what you're getting ready for, not 'na': 'spremam se za ispit'.
✅ Spremam se za ispit.
I'm getting ready for the exam.
❌ Sada spremim sobu.
Aspect error — a perfective present can't mean 'right now'; the activity in progress is 'spremam'.
✅ Sada spremam sobu.
I'm tidying the room now.
❌ Spremiti ću datoteku.
Future spelling — the infinitive drops its -i before the clitic: 'spremit ću'.
✅ Spremit ću datoteku.
I'll save the file.
Key Takeaways
- One pair, three senses: tidy (spremati sobu), prepare / make (spremiti ručak), put away / save / store (spremiti novac / datoteku) — core image: "put into order / into place".
- Aspect: imperfective spremati (spremam) = the activity; perfective spremiti (spremim) = the finished result.
- Reflexive spremati se / spremiti se za + accusative = "get ready (for)": Spremam se za posao.
- Perfective passive participle spremljen (m → mlj jotation); future drops the -i: spremit ću.
- Contrast pripremiti (prepare for an event / in advance) — spremiti is broader and more everyday.
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- pripremati (se) / pripremiti (se) (to prepare)B1 — The preparing pair — imperfective 'pripremati' and perfective 'pripremiti' — transitive (prepare something, + dative beneficiary) and reflexive 'pripremiti se za' + accusative (get ready for).
- Accusative: The Direct ObjectA1 — The accusative as the default object of transitive verbs.
- The se-Passive and Impersonal ConstructionsB1 — Expressing 'one does / it is done' with se — the everyday Croatian passive.
- Forming Aspect Pairs: PrefixationB1 — How perfectives are built by adding a prefix.
- Verb Government: Which Case After Which VerbB1 — How verbs demand specific cases and prepositions for their objects.