Questions & Answers about Sada spremam torbu, jer sutra rano idem na posao.
Why is there no word for I in this sentence?
Because Serbian usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb endings already show who is doing the action.
- spremam = I am preparing / I prepare
- idem = I go / I am going
So ja is not necessary here. You could say Ja sada spremam torbu..., but that would usually add emphasis, like I’m the one preparing the bag.
Why is spremam used here, and what verb is it from?
Spremam is the 1st person singular present tense form of the imperfective verb spremati.
In this sentence, it means something like:
- I am preparing
- I am packing
- I’m getting ... ready
The imperfective verb is used because the action is seen as ongoing or in progress now.
A related perfective verb is spremiti. Compare:
- Sada spremam torbu. = I’m packing/preparing the bag now.
- Spremiću torbu. = I’ll pack/get the bag ready.
Why does torba become torbu?