Zaključiti ("to conclude, to infer; to close/conclude [a deal]") is a verb you meet far more on the page than at the dinner table: it is the workhorse of essays, court rulings, reports, and lectures. Its aspect pair is a model -iva- derivation — the perfective zaključiti versus the imperfective zaključivati, whose present runs on the -uje- stem (zaključujem). The verb straddles two senses that English keeps apart with different words: the mental "conclude / infer / deduce" (taking a da-clause) and the transactional "conclude / settle / lock" (taking the accusative). It also gives the single most useful frame in academic Croatian: the impersonal može se zaključiti ("one may conclude").
Aspect
| Verb | Aspect | Present 1sg | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| zaključiti | perfective | zaključim | reaching one conclusion; settling one deal |
| zaključivati | imperfective | zaključujem | the ongoing process of reasoning; habitual/repeated inference |
This is a suffixal pair built with -iva-: the imperfective zaključivati is derived from the perfective zaključiti, and its present collapses -iva- into -uje- (zaključ‑uje‑m). That -ivati → -uje- alternation recurs across a whole productive class of formal verbs (ostvarivati → ostvarujem, obnavljati → obnavljam is a different type, but dokazivati → dokazujem matches). See forming aspect pairs by suffixation.
Present tense
Zaključiti is a regular i-class verb; zaključivati uses the -uje- present.
| Person | zaključiti (pf) | zaključivati (impf) |
|---|---|---|
| ja | zaključim | zaključujem |
| ti | zaključiš | zaključuješ |
| on/ona/ono | zaključi | zaključuje |
| mi | zaključimo | zaključujemo |
| vi | zaključite | zaključujete |
| oni/one/ona | zaključe | zaključuju |
The imperfective zaključujem is the true present — the reasoning is unfolding now: Iz svega ovoga zaključujem da… ("From all of this I conclude that…"). The perfective zaključim is not a "now" tense; it marks the single moment the conclusion lands, typically in a subordinate clause: Čim zaključim izvještaj, šaljem ti ga ("As soon as I finish the report, I'll send it to you").
Iz njegove šutnje zaključujem da se nešto dogodilo.
From his silence I conclude that something has happened. — imperfective, the inference is in progress.
Ako iz toga zaključimo da je kriza prošla, varamo se.
If from that we conclude the crisis is over, we're deceiving ourselves. — perfective present, hypothetical reading.
The l-participle
Both are regular: masculine zaključio (vocalised -l), zaključivao.
| Gender / number | zaključiti | zaključivati |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | zaključio | zaključivao |
| feminine singular | zaključila | zaključivala |
| neuter singular | zaključilo | zaključivalo |
| masculine plural | zaključili | zaključivali |
| feminine plural | zaključile | zaključivale |
| neuter plural | zaključila | zaključivala |
Perfect tense (perfekt)
Clitic biti + l-participle. The everyday "I concluded / I inferred" is the perfective zaključio sam; the imperfective zaključivao sam marks a repeated or drawn-out process ("I kept inferring / I was reasoning my way to…").
| Person | Masculine subject | Feminine subject |
|---|---|---|
| ja | zaključio sam | zaključila sam |
| ti | zaključio si | zaključila si |
| on / ona | zaključio je | zaključila je |
| mi | zaključili smo | zaključile smo |
| vi | zaključili ste | zaključile ste |
| oni / one | zaključili su | zaključile su |
Sud je zaključio da optuženi nije bio na mjestu zločina.
The court concluded that the defendant was not at the crime scene. — perfective, a single delivered conclusion (legal register).
Cijelo smo poslijepodne zaključivali ugovore s dobavljačima.
We spent the whole afternoon concluding contracts with suppliers. — imperfective, repeated transactions.
Future I (futur prvi)
The infinitive drops its final -i before the clitic: zaključiti → zaključit ću; zaključivati → zaključivat ću. Never write zaključiti ću.
| Person | zaključiti | zaključivati |
|---|---|---|
| ja | zaključit ću | zaključivat ću |
| ti | zaključit ćeš | zaključivat ćeš |
| on/ona/ono | zaključit će | zaključivat će |
| mi | zaključit ćemo | zaključivat ćemo |
| vi | zaključit ćete | zaključivat ćete |
| oni/one/ona | zaključit će | zaključivat će |
Na temelju iznesenih dokaza zaključit ćemo raspravu.
On the basis of the evidence presented, we will close the debate. — formal, the 'conclude/close' sense.
Imperative
The imperative is uncommon with the "infer" sense (you rarely order someone to draw a conclusion), but it is normal with the transactional sense and in rhetorical "let us conclude" appeals.
| Person | zaključiti (pf) | zaključivati (impf) |
|---|---|---|
| ti | zaključi | zaključuj |
| mi | zaključimo | zaključujmo |
| vi | zaključite | zaključujte |
Zaključimo, dakle, ovu raspravu jasnim prijedlogom.
Let us, then, conclude this discussion with a clear proposal. — 1pl imperative, rhetorical (formal).
Conditional I (kondicional prvi)
bih-clitics + l-participle — for hedged, cautious conclusions, which is exactly the academic mode ("one would conclude / one might infer").
| Person | zaključiti (masc.) |
|---|---|
| ja | zaključio bih |
| ti | zaključio bi |
| on/ona/ono | zaključio/zaključila/zaključilo bi |
| mi | zaključili bismo |
| vi | zaključili biste |
| oni/one/ona | zaključili bi |
Na temelju ovih podataka zaključio bih da je trend stabilan.
On the basis of these data I would conclude that the trend is stable. — hedged academic conclusion.
Other forms
- Passive participle: zaključen, zaključena, zaključeno ("concluded; closed; settled"). The stem ends in -č- so there is no jotation surprise — -iti simply yields -en: Ugovor je zaključen ("the contract has been concluded"), rasprava je zaključena ("the debate is closed"). Don't confuse it with zaključan ("locked"), the participle of the separate verb zaključati. The imperfective gives zaključivan.
- Verbal adverb (present): imperfective zaključujući ("[while] concluding / inferring"). The perfective, as always, has no present adverb; it would form a past verbal adverb zaključivši ("having concluded"), itself a literary form.
Mir je zaključen tek nakon dugih pregovora.
The peace was concluded only after lengthy negotiations. — passive participle 'zaključen' (literary/news register).
Zaključujući izlaganje, autorica se osvrnula na buduća istraživanja.
Concluding her talk, the author turned to future research. — present verbal adverb 'zaključujući' (academic).
Key uses and government
1. Inference: the da-clause ("conclude that…")
In its mental sense, zaključiti takes a da-clause with a finite verb — the standard frame for reporting a thought, just like smatrati or tvrditi. English allows a bare "conclude that"; Croatian's da is obligatory and the clause keeps a normal tensed verb. See smatrati and the infinitive vs the da-clause.
Zaključujem da je riječ o nesporazumu, a ne o prijevari.
I conclude that this is a misunderstanding, not a fraud. — 'da'-clause.
Istraživači su zaključili da rezultati nisu statistički značajni.
The researchers concluded that the results were not statistically significant. — academic 'da'-clause.
2. Transaction: the accusative (and the zaključati trap)
In its concrete sense, zaključiti takes a plain accusative direct object — the core everyday collocations are zaključiti ugovor / mir / posao ("conclude a contract / peace / a deal"). Don't confuse this with the look-alike zaključati ("to lock", present zaključam): zaključati vrata / auto ("lock the door / the car") is the normal verb for turning a key, and it is a separate lexeme, not this one. Keep them apart: you zaključiš a contract, but you zaključaš a door. See the accusative direct object.
Nakon višemjesečnih pregovora konačno smo zaključili ugovor.
After months of negotiation we finally concluded the contract. — accusative 'ugovor'.
Sjednica je zaključena, hvala svima na sudjelovanju.
The session is closed, thank you all for taking part. — passive 'zaključena', the 'close/wind up' sense.
3. The academic impersonal: može se zaključiti
The most characteristic academic frame is the se-impersonal može se zaključiti (da…) — "it may be concluded / one may conclude that…". The reflexive se removes the agent (no "I"), which is precisely the impersonal, authorless tone scholarly Croatian prefers. The bare zaključuje se da… ("it is concluded that…") works the same way. See the se-passive and impersonal.
Iz navedenoga se može zaključiti da postoji jasna korelacija.
From the above one may conclude that a clear correlation exists. — impersonal 'može se zaključiti' (academic).
Na kraju se zaključuje da su daljnja ispitivanja nužna.
In the end it is concluded that further investigation is necessary. — bare impersonal 'zaključuje se'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Zaključivam da je to istina.
Wrong stem — '-ivati' verbs take the '-uje-' present: 'zaključujem'.
✅ Zaključujem da je to istina.
I conclude that it's true.
❌ Zaključujem da bi to bila istina.
Don't over-hedge a plain factual inference with the conditional in the 'da'-clause; use the indicative 'je'.
✅ Zaključujem da je to istina.
I conclude that it's true.
❌ Može se zaključivati da je sve u redu.
For a one-shot conclusion use the perfective: 'može se zaključiti'. The imperfective implies a repeated, ongoing process.
✅ Može se zaključiti da je sve u redu.
One may conclude that everything is in order.
❌ Zaključiti ću izvještaj danas.
Spelling error — the infinitive drops its -i before the clitic: 'zaključit ću'.
✅ Zaključit ću izvještaj danas.
I'll finish the report today.
❌ Ugovor je zaključat prošli tjedan.
Wrong participle — from 'zaključiti' it's 'zaključen'; 'zaključati' (lock) would give 'zaključan', but here you want the contract sense.
✅ Ugovor je zaključen prošli tjedan.
The contract was concluded last week.
Key Takeaways
- zaključiti (pf, zaključim, zaključio) = one conclusion/deal; zaključivati (impf, zaključujem, zaključivao) = the process — note the -ivati → -uje- present swap.
- Mental sense ("infer") → da-clause with a finite verb; transactional sense ("conclude a deal") → accusative. Don't confuse it with the separate zaključati ("to lock").
- The academic frame is the se-impersonal može se zaključiti / zaključuje se da… — agentless, authorless, formal.
- Passive participle zaključen; future drops -i: zaključit ću (never zaključiti ću).
- Hedge cautiously with the conditional zaključio bih ("I would conclude"), the academic register's favourite move.
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