To express that one action finished before another began—especially in formal or legal contexts—Croatian uses the past verbal adverb (glagolski prilog prošli). In English, this translates to "Having done [something]..."
Forming the Past Verbal Adverb
This adverb is almost exclusively formed from perfective verbs. Drop the final -ti from the infinitive:
- If the stem ends in a vowel (the most common), add -vši.
- If the stem ends in a consonant, add -ši.
For example, saslušati (to hear out) and proučiti (to study) become saslušavši (having heard out) and proučivši (having studied).
The Golden Rule
The subject of the adverbial phrase must be exactly the same as the subject of the main clause. If the judge heard the witness, the judge must also be the one who goes home.
| Having heard out the witness, the judge went home. | Saslušavši svjedoka, sudac je otišao kući. |
| Having studied the evidence, the jury wrote the verdict. | Proučivši dokaze, porota je napisala presudu. |
| Having committed the crime, the accused fled. | Počinivši zločin, optuženi je pobjegao. |
In Context
Because this structure establishes a clear timeline, it is perfect for courtroom testimonies and police reports. It is compact, making it easy to pair with questions or concessive conjunctions like premda or mada (even though/although).
| Having arrested the accused, they were not afraid of the criminal. | Uhitivši optuženog, nisu se bojali zločinca. |
| Having accused him, does the jury understand that he is lying? | Optuživši ga, razumije li porota da on laže? |
| Having read the verdict, the judge acquitted him, even though he was angry. | Pročitavši presudu, sudac ga je oslobodio, premda je bio ljut. |
| Having arrested him, they accused him, although they knew that he was not guilty. | Uhitivši ga, optužili su ga, mada su znali da nije kriv. |
