Present tense of -ovati and -ivati verbs (-ujem, -uješ)

Verbs Ending in -ovati and -ivati

In Croatian, verbs that end in -ovati or -ivati in their dictionary form (infinitive) undergo a major, predictable stem change in the present tense.

To conjugate them, drop the -ovati or -ivati ending entirely and replace it with -uj-. Then, attach the standard present tense endings for the -e group (-em, -eš, -e, -emo, -ete, -u).

For example, here is the present tense of sudjelovati (to participate):

This same pattern applies to other -ovati verbs, such as darovati (to donate).

Verbs Ending in -ivati

Verbs ending in -ivati, like očekivati (to expect) and uključivati (to include), follow the exact same rule. The -ivati suffix is removed and replaced by -uj- before adding the present tense endings.

Using the Infinitive

Remember that this stem change only happens when you conjugate the verb for a specific subject in the present tense. If a sentence requires the dictionary form (the infinitive)—such as when it follows another verb like "can"—the verb keeps its original -ovati or -ivati ending.