Trčati ("to run") is the basic verb for running on foot — sport, hurrying, a child tearing across a room. Like letjeti, it is an i-class verb whose process meaning is imperfective, and whose finished, bounded readings are built with prefixes. It also gives English speakers a pronunciation workout: the opening tr- is a true consonant cluster with no vowel, and č is the hard "ch". Get trčati into your mouth cleanly and you have unlocked a whole class of cluster-initial Croatian verbs.
Aspect and partners
Trčati is imperfective — it describes running as an activity with no endpoint built in (running for an hour, running every morning, running as we speak). To bound it, you prefix:
- potrčati (pf) — inceptive "to start running, to break into a run / to dash off": Potrčao je za autobusom ("He broke into a run after the bus").
- otrčati (pf) — "to run (somewhere and complete it)": Otrčao sam do trgovine ("I ran to the shop [and got there]").
- dotrčati (pf) — "to come running, arrive running": Dotrčala je sva zadihana ("She came running, out of breath").
- istrčati (pf) — "to run out (of a space)": Istrčali su iz škole ("They ran out of the school").
So trčati is the process; potrčati freezes the moment the running starts; otrčati / dotrčati mark a completed run to a goal. See aspect and verbs of motion and prefixed directional verbs.
Pronunciation note
Trčati begins with tr + č — three consonant sounds before the first vowel (trča-). There is no hidden vowel between t and r; let the r carry a faint syllabic buzz, then hit č (English "church" ch). The same cluster opens trg ("square"), trgovina ("shop"), and trčanje ("running, the noun"). English speakers tend to insert a schwa ("tə-rch-"); resist it.
Present tense
i-class: stem trč-, theme vowel -i-.
| Person | Form | Ending | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ja | trčim | -im | I run / I'm running |
| ti | trčiš | -iš | you run |
| on/ona/ono | trči | -i | he/she/it runs |
| mi | trčimo | -imo | we run |
| vi | trčite | -ite | you run |
| oni/one/ona | trče | -e | they run |
The 3rd-person plural is the bare -e (trče), as in every i-class verb.
Trčim svako jutro prije posla, kiša ne kiša.
I run every morning before work, rain or shine.
Djeca trče po dvorištu i vrište od veselja.
The children are running around the yard and shrieking with joy.
The l-participle
Regular for an -ati verb on the stem trča-: masculine trčao (vocalised -l), feminine trčala, etc.
| Gender / number | Form |
|---|---|
| masculine singular | trčao |
| feminine singular | trčala |
| neuter singular | trčalo |
| masculine plural | trčali |
| feminine plural | trčale |
| neuter plural | trčala |
Perfect tense (perfekt)
Clitic biti + l-participle. Trčati gives "was running / used to run"; potrčati / otrčati give a single completed act.
| Person | trčati (masc./fem.) | potrčati (masc./fem.) |
|---|---|---|
| ja | trčao / trčala sam | potrčao / potrčala sam |
| ti | trčao / trčala si | potrčao / potrčala si |
| on / ona | trčao / trčala je | potrčao / potrčala je |
| mi | trčali / trčale smo | potrčali / potrčale smo |
| vi | trčali / trčale ste | potrčali / potrčale ste |
| oni / one | trčali / trčale su | potrčali / potrčale su |
Trčali smo uz more cijeli sat.
We ran along the sea for a whole hour. — imperfective, an unbounded stretch of running.
Čim je zazvonilo, potrčala je prema vratima.
The moment it rang, she dashed toward the door. — inceptive perfective 'potrčati'.
Future I (futur prvi)
The infinitive trčati drops its -i before the clitic: trčat ću.
| Person | trčati | otrčati |
|---|---|---|
| ja | trčat ću | otrčat ću |
| ti | trčat ćeš | otrčat ćeš |
| on/ona/ono | trčat će | otrčat će |
| mi | trčat ćemo | otrčat ćemo |
| vi | trčat ćete | otrčat ćete |
| oni/one/ona | trčat će | otrčat će |
U nedjelju trčim polumaraton, drži mi fige.
On Sunday I'm running a half-marathon, keep your fingers crossed for me. — present for a planned future.
Otrčat ću brzo do ljekarne i odmah se vraćam.
I'll just run to the pharmacy and I'll be right back. — perfective future, a quick completed errand.
Imperative
i-class: -i, -imo, -ite.
| Person | trčati | potrčati |
|---|---|---|
| ti | trči | potrči |
| mi | trčimo | potrčimo |
| vi | trčite | potrčite |
Negative commands use nemoj: Nemoj trčati po stepenicama ("Don't run on the stairs").
Trči, stići ćeš ga ako požuriš!
Run, you'll catch him if you hurry! — urging continued running.
Potrči, autobus samo što nije krenuo!
Make a dash for it, the bus is about to leave! — the onset, 'break into a run'.
Conditional I (kondicional prvi)
bih-clitics + l-participle.
| Person | Form (masc.) |
|---|---|
| ja | trčao bih |
| ti | trčao bi |
| on/ona/ono | trčao/trčala/trčalo bi |
| mi | trčali bismo |
| vi | trčali biste |
| oni/one/ona | trčali bi |
Trčao bih i danas, ali boli me koljeno.
I'd run today too, but my knee hurts.
Other forms
- Verbal adverb (present): trčeći ("[while] running, at a run"). Note the -e- (not -i-) before -ći: the verbal adverb is built from the 3pl trče
- -ći.
- Passive participle: trčati is intransitive and has no passive participle. The related verbal noun is trčanje ("running").
Trčeći za psom, poskliznuo se na travi.
Running after the dog, he slipped on the grass. — verbal adverb 'trčeći'.
Key uses and government
1. Direction: prema + dative, u / na / do + accusative
Trčati is intransitive. To say where you run toward, the most natural choice is prema + dative ("toward, in the direction of"), which expresses a heading without committing to arrival. To name a destination you actually run into/to, use u / na + accusative (motion) or do + genitive ("up to, as far as"). See prema and the dative and the accusative of motion.
Trčao je prema izlazu ne gledajući iza sebe.
He ran toward the exit without looking back. — 'prema' + dative, direction.
Trči u sobu, donesi mi naočale!
Run into the room, bring me my glasses! — 'u' + accusative, into a place.
2. After / chasing: za + instrumental
To run after / chasing someone is trčati za + instrumental (literally "behind").
Cijelo jutro trčim za njim, a on ništa ne sluša.
I've been running after him all morning, and he listens to nothing. — 'za' + instrumental, chasing.
3. Sport and the figurative "run errands / be busy"
Trčati covers competitive running and the colloquial "be rushing around, running errands".
Trči maraton već treću godinu zaredom.
She's running the marathon for the third year running. — sport.
Cijeli dan trčim po gradu, nisam ni ručao.
I've been running around town all day, I haven't even had lunch. — figurative 'rushing about'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Oni trčaju u parku.
Wrong 3pl — i-class takes the bare '-e': 'trče', not the a-class '-aju'.
✅ Oni trče u parku.
They run in the park.
❌ Trčao sam u trgovinu i odmah se vratio.
Aspect clash — a completed there-and-back run wants the perfective 'otrčao sam'.
✅ Otrčao sam u trgovinu i odmah se vratio.
I ran to the shop and came right back.
❌ Trčao je prema izlaz.
Wrong case — 'prema' (toward) governs the dative: 'prema izlazu'.
✅ Trčao je prema izlazu.
He ran toward the exit.
❌ Trčim u sobi po naočale.
Wrong case — running INTO a room is motion, accusative: 'u sobu', not locative 'u sobi'.
✅ Trčim u sobu po naočale.
I'm running into the room to get my glasses.
❌ Potrčala za vratima je čim je zazvonilo.
Clitic order — 'je' must be in second position: 'Potrčala je prema vratima…'.
✅ Potrčala je prema vratima čim je zazvonilo.
She dashed toward the door the moment it rang.
Key Takeaways
- Trčati is imperfective ("be running"); perfectives are prefixed: potrčati (break into a run), otrčati / dotrčati / istrčati (complete a run to/from a goal).
- i-class present: trčim, trčiš, trči, trčimo, trčite, trče — bare -e in the 3pl.
- Pronounce the tr
- č cluster with no inserted vowel.
- Direction: prema
- dative (heading), u/na
- accusative (into a place); chasing: za
- instrumental.
- accusative (into a place); chasing: za
- dative (heading), u/na
- Verbal adverb trčeći; future trčat ću; no passive participle (verbal noun trčanje).
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- Present Tense: -i- VerbsA1 — The -im conjugation for many -iti and -jeti verbs.
- Aspect, Prefixes, and Directional VerbsB2 — How prefixes turn ići-type motion into perfective directed verbs.
- Prefixed Directional Motion VerbsB1 — doći, otići, ući, izaći and their direction-encoding prefixes.
- Dative with Verbs and AdjectivesB1 — Verbs and adjectives that govern the dative.
- Accusative for Motion and DirectionA2 — Prepositions of destination that take the accusative.
- hodati / šetati (to walk / stroll)A2 — The two everyday 'walk' verbs — 'hodati' (to walk, on foot) and 'šetati (se)' (to stroll), with the perfective 'prošetati' and the noun 'šetnja'.