stavljati / staviti (to put) | Croatian Grammar

Staviti ("to put, to place") is the everyday verb for setting something down somewhere, and its aspect pair shows a sound change you will meet again and again: the perfective staviti (present stavim) versus the imperfective stavljati (present stavljam), where the stem-final v turns into vlj by jotation. That v → vlj shift recurs in the passive participle too (stavljen), so this verb is a compact lesson in Croatian labial jotation. Just as important is its government: staviti almost always wants not just an object in the accusative but a goal — "put X onto / into" — expressed with na or u + the accusative.

Aspect

Verb	Aspect	Present 1sg	Typical use
staviti	perfective	stavim	one completed act of placing
stavljati	imperfective	stavljam	putting repeatedly / habitually / in progress

The imperfective stavljati is built from the perfective by the -ja- suffix, and that suffix triggers jotation of the stem-final v: stav- + -ja- → stavlja-. This is the same -ja- machinery behind many suffix-formed aspect pairs. So "put the cup on the table" as a single act is stavi šalicu na stol, while "I keep putting things off / I put it there every time" is the habitual stavljam.

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The whole verb hinges on one sound change: v → vlj. You see it in the imperfective present (stavljam) and in the passive participle (stavljen), but never in the perfective (stavim, stavi!). Don't write *stavim with -vlj- or *stavljen without it.

Present tense

Staviti is a regular i-class verb; stavljati is an a-class verb on the jotated stem stavlja-.

Person	staviti (pf)	stavljati (impf)
ja	stavim	stavljam
ti	staviš	stavljaš
on/ona/ono	stavi	stavlja
mi	stavimo	stavljamo
vi	stavite	stavljate
oni/one/ona	stave	stavljaju

The perfective present stavim is not a "now" tense: Čim stavim ručak u pećnicu, javim ti ("As soon as I put lunch in the oven, I'll let you know").

Stavljam previše soli u sve, znam.

I put too much salt in everything, I know. — imperfective habit.

Stavi mokri ručnik na radijator da se osuši.

Put the wet towel on the radiator so it dries. — perfective, one act.

The l-participle

Both are regular: staviti → stavio, stavljati → stavljao.

Gender / number	staviti	stavljati
masculine singular	stavio	stavljao
feminine singular	stavila	stavljala
neuter singular	stavilo	stavljalo
masculine plural	stavili	stavljali
feminine plural	stavile	stavljale
neuter plural	stavila	stavljala

Perfect tense (perfekt)

Clitic biti + the l-participle. The everyday "I put" is the perfective stavio sam; the imperfective stavljao sam marks a habit or an action in progress in the past.

Person	Masculine subject	Feminine subject
ja	stavio sam	stavila sam
ti	stavio si	stavila si
on / ona	stavio je	stavila je
mi	stavili smo	stavile smo
vi	stavili ste	stavile ste
oni / one	stavili su	stavile su

Gdje sam samo stavila naočale?

Where on earth did I put my glasses? — perfective, feminine speaker.

Mama je uvijek stavljala ključ ispod tepiha.

Mum always used to put the key under the rug. — imperfective, a past habit.

Future I (futur prvi)

Staviti → stavit ću (drops the final -i); stavljati → stavljat ću.

Person	staviti	stavljati
ja	stavit ću	stavljat ću
ti	stavit ćeš	stavljat ćeš
on/ona/ono	stavit će	stavljat će
mi	stavit ćemo	stavljat ćemo
vi	stavit ćete	stavljat ćete
oni/one/ona	stavit će	stavljat će

Stavit ću ti broj u mobitel pa me nazovi.

I'll put my number in your phone, then call me.

Imperative

The perfective stavi! is the normal one-off request; the imperfective stavljaj! implies a repeated or ongoing action.

Person	staviti (pf)	stavljati (impf)
ti	stavi	stavljaj
mi	stavimo	stavljajmo
vi	stavite	stavljajte

Stavi knjigu na stol, ne na pod.

Put the book on the table, not on the floor. — perfective imperative + 'na' + accusative.

Conditional I (kondicional prvi)

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

Person	staviti (masc.)
ja	stavio bih
ti	stavio bi
on/ona/ono	stavio/stavila/stavilo bi
mi	stavili bismo
vi	stavili biste
oni/one/ona	stavili bi

Ja bih stavio kauč uz prozor, bilo bi svjetlije.

I'd put the sofa by the window, it would be brighter.

Other forms

Passive participle: stavljen, stavljena, stavljeno ("put, placed"). Note the v → vlj jotation: an -iti verb with the labial stem stav- inserts the epenthetic -lj- before the -en, exactly as staviti → stavljen — the same change you saw in the imperfective stavljati. Used in the passive: Cvijeće je stavljeno na grob. The imperfective gives stavljan.
Verbal adverb: imperfective stavljajući ("[while] putting"). The perfective has no present adverb.

Sve su kutije već stavljene u podrum.

All the boxes have already been put in the basement. — passive participle 'stavljen'.

Key uses and government

1. The thing put: accusative

The basic object of staviti / stavljati is the accusative — what you place. See the accusative direct object.

Stavila je ruksak na pod pokraj vrata.

She put the backpack on the floor by the door. — accusative object.

2. The goal: na / u + accusative ("put onto / into")

Staviti is a verb of placement, so it almost always carries a directional goal alongside the object. Because the meaning is "movement to a destination", the goal goes into the accusative, not the locative — na stol ("onto the table"), u torbu ("into the bag"). This is the accusative of motion and direction: the case answers kamo? ("to where?"), not gdje? ("where?").

Stavi mlijeko u hladnjak da se ne pokvari.

Put the milk in the fridge so it doesn't go off. — goal 'u hladnjak', accusative.

Stavili smo slike na zid u dnevnom boravku.

We put the pictures on the wall in the living room. — goal 'na zid', accusative.

3. metnuti — the colloquial "put"

In casual and regional speech you may hear metnuti (pf, present metnem) for "put", with the imperfective metati. It governs the same accusative + directional frame, but staviti is the neutral standard verb; metnuti is (informal) and sounds dialectal in much of the country.

Metni to negdje, snaći ćemo se kasnije.

Stick it somewhere, we'll sort it out later. — colloquial 'metnuti'.

4. staviti vs the position verbs

Staviti is about the act of placing; once the thing is there, its position is described by separate verbs — stajati ("stand"), ležati ("lie"), biti / nalaziti se ("be located"). So you put the vase on the shelf (stavila sam vazu na policu), and then it stands there (vaza stoji na polici) — note the goal switches from accusative to locative once nothing is moving.

Stavila sam vazu na policu, sad stoji pokraj knjiga.

I put the vase on the shelf; now it stands next to the books. — placement (acc.) then position (loc.).

Common Mistakes

❌ Stavim knjigu na stol upravo sada.

Aspect error — a perfective present can't mean 'right now'; the act in progress is 'stavljam'.

✅ Stavljam knjigu na stol.

I'm putting the book on the table.

❌ Stavi knjigu na stolu.

Wrong case — placement is movement to a goal, so it's the accusative 'na stol', not the locative 'na stolu'.

✅ Stavi knjigu na stol.

Put the book on the table.

❌ Cvijeće je staveno na grob.

Wrong participle — staviti has labial jotation, so it's 'stavljeno' (v → vlj), not '*staveno'.

✅ Cvijeće je stavljeno na grob.

The flowers have been put on the grave.

❌ Stavim previše soli u sve.

Aspect error — a recurring habit wants the imperfective 'stavljam', not the perfective 'stavim'.

✅ Stavljam previše soli u sve.

I put too much salt in everything.

❌ Staviti ću broj u mobitel.

Wrong future spelling — the infinitive drops its -i before the clitic: 'stavit ću'.

✅ Stavit ću broj u mobitel.

I'll put the number in the phone.

Key Takeaways

staviti (pf, stavim, stavio, imperative stavi!) = one act of placing; stavljati (impf, stavljam, stavljao) = habitual/in-progress putting.
Government = accusative object + directional goal: na / u
- accusative ("put onto/into"), because placement is movement to a destination (kamo?).
Passive participle stavljen with the v → vlj jotation — the same change as in the imperfective stem.
Future drops -i: stavit ću (never staviti ću).
Colloquial alternative metnuti (informal); position is then described by stajati / ležati / nalaziti se, with the goal switching to the locative.

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