Čitam sa pažnjom.

to read

Breakdown of Čitam sa pažnjom.

• sa: with
• pažnja: attention

Questions & Answers about Čitam sa pažnjom.

What does čitam mean grammatically?

Čitam is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb čitati.

• čitati = to read
• čitam = I read / I am reading

Because Serbian present tense can cover both a simple present and a present continuous sense, čitam can mean either:

• I read
• I am reading

The exact meaning depends on context.

Why isn’t ja included? Shouldn’t it be Ja čitam?

In Serbian, the subject pronoun is often left out because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• čitam already tells you it means I read / I am reading
• so ja is usually unnecessary

You can say Ja čitam if you want extra emphasis, for example:

• Ja čitam, a on piše. = I’m reading, and he’s writing.

But in a neutral sentence, Čitam sa pažnjom is perfectly normal.

What is the basic dictionary form of čitam?

The dictionary form is čitati.

This is an imperfective verb, which means it usually describes:

• an ongoing action
• a repeated action