Ja sam već potpisala obrazac, a sada čekam potvrdu.

I have already signed the form, and now I am waiting for the receipt.

Breakdown of Ja sam već potpisala obrazac, a sada čekam potvrdu.

• ja: I
• sada: now
• a: and
• čekati: to wait for

Questions & Answers about Ja sam već potpisala obrazac, a sada čekam potvrdu.

Why does potpisala end in -la?

Because Serbian past tense agrees with the gender of the speaker.

In Ja sam već potpisala obrazac, potpisala shows that the speaker is female.

• potpisala = a woman says I signed / I have signed
• potpisao = a man says I signed / I have signed

So:

• Ja sam već potpisala obrazac = said by a woman
• Ja sam već potpisao obrazac = said by a man

This is very common in Serbian past tense.

Why is it sam potpisala and not just one verb?

Serbian past tense is often made with:

• the present tense of biti (to be)
• plus a past participle

So sam potpisala literally consists of:

• sam = I am
• potpisala = signed

Together, they mean I signed or I have signed, depending on context.

This is the normal way to form the past tense in Serbian:

• ja sam došla = I came / I have come
• ja sam videla = I saw / I have seen
• ja sam potpisala = I signed / I have signed

Why is ja included? Can it be omitted?