Does anyone know the amount of verb tenses that are used in everyday conversations?
My friend said that there are only 3, or that she only uses 3 when talking.

For example:

Radila sam (past)
Radim (present)
Ja ću da radim (future)

Is that all there is? If so thats a big relief especially since I've been learning French, and it has at least 10 verb tenses lol

Well, we use Present, Past and Future most often. Apart from that, I think we use lots of hypothetical constructions, or that's just me, hehehe...

Originally Posted by Citycat

Well, we use Present, Past and Future most often. Apart from that, I think we use lots of hypothetical constructions, or that's just me, hehehe...

hmm what do u mean by hypothetical constructions? lol Any examples?

Originally Posted by xXalanaXx

Ja ću da radim (future)

You can, also, say - "Radiću." i "Ja ću raditi." that's the same.

French has 17 models of verb conjugations, but not all are in use in everyday conversations.

It's not true that we use only three verb tenses.

You can download "glagolski oblici" here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32906295/G...#open_download

Or read about it here:

http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/%D0%93...BE%D0%BB%D0%B8

This one is promising:

http://www.vokabular.org/gramatika/doku.php

Originally Posted by bagzi94

You can, also, say - "Radiću." i "Ja ću raditi." that's the same.

Are those used more commonly? Or is it just whatever you prefer?

Originally Posted by ina

French has 17 models of verb conjugations, but not all are in use in everyday conversations.

It's not true that we use only three verb tenses.

You can download "glagolski oblici" here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32906295/G...#open_download

Or read about it here:

http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/%D0%93...BE%D0%BB%D0%B8

This one is promising:

http://www.vokabular.org/gramatika/doku.php

and I know that there are more than 3 verb tenses.. I'm just wondering out of all of them, are there certain ones that you use the most?

Like in french, if you wanted to say I bought some flowers you could say:
"J'ai acheté des fleurs" (passé composé)
or
"J'achetai des fleurs" (passé simple)

Both mean the same, but j'ai acheté is used when speaking. J'achetai is rarely used in conversation, it's used more in literature or very formally.

Is there anything like that with serbian? Where there are certain verb tenses that are used more than others?

Originally Posted by xXalanaXx

Are those used more commonly? Or is it just whatever you prefer?

We prefer all of them.

Originally Posted by xXalanaXx

and I know that there are more than 3 verb tenses.. I'm just wondering out of all of them, are there certain ones that you use the most?

Like in french, if you wanted to say I bought some flowers you could say:
"J'ai acheté des fleurs" (passé composé)
or
"J'achetai des fleurs" (passé simple)

Both mean the same, but j'ai acheté is used when speaking. J'achetai is rarely used in conversation, it's used more in literature or very formally.

Is there anything like that with serbian? Where there are certain verb tenses that are used more than others?

We don't have, as far as I know, an equivalent of Serbian "simple past" tense, like the passé simple is to the passé composé. But we do have imperfect (kupovah cveće - j'achetais des fleurs).

Well, we most frenquently use three simple tenses you mentioned before, but in everyday, short conversations. But even for one more complex everyday chatting, so to say, almost all tenses and verb constructions are needed. There is no preferences. It's not about preferences, you have to use them. You can only choose your style of speaking using certain construction or tense.

For example: Zatvorih vrata (aorist) i Zatvorila sam vrata (perfekat) (I closed the door) means the same, but I personally prefer the aorist, it's more..... elegant.

Ja ću raditi is somehow more formal (but you would sound like a nice girl ). Ja ću da radim is more common in everyday conversation (bypassing the infinitive).

Originally Posted by ina

We don't have, as far as I know, an equivalent of Serbian "simple past" tense, like the passé simple is to the passé composé. But we do have imperfect (kupovah cveće - j'achetais des fleurs).

Well, we most frenquently use three simple tenses you mentioned before, but in everyday, short conversations. But even for one more complex everyday chatting, so to say, almost all tenses and verb constructions are needed. There is no preferences. It's not about preferences, you have to use them. You can only choose your style of speaking using certain construction or tense.

For example: Zatvorih vrata (aorist) i Zatvorila sam vrata (perfekat) (I closed the door) means the same, but I personally prefer the aorist, it's more..... elegant.

Ja ću raditi is somehow more formal (but you would sound like a nice girl ). Ja ću da radim is more common in everyday conversation (bypassing the infinitive).

Thanks! That helps a lot .. I'm still trying to find out an explanation for the aorist verbs, but I'm probably getting ahead of myself. I just want to learn so much so quickly I guess lol

I read somewhere that aorist is almost not used in everyday speech, is it true?

Yes, aorist is not much in use, but you can hear it in everyday conversation.
For exaple:
Ma rekoh ti da to ne diraš! = Rekla sam ti da to ne diraš! (I told you not to touch it!)

Aorist is similar to The present perfect tense in English.

The present perfect tense:
Connection with past: the event was in the past. (But consequences in the the present)
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about the event; I have experience of it.

But, for example, we don't use EVER "radih", "kupih",
at least not in everyday speech.

Yes, we use the perfect here kupio sam i uradio sam, action finished, verb "finished".

P.S. Bagzi, ja koristim i radih (Radih grafički celu noć, a vežbe otkazane!)
ili Pa gotovo sad, kupih ga! Ali to onda zavisi od osobe i od situacije, da ne tvrdim šta se ikad ili nikad koristi.

Originally Posted by ina

(Radih grafički celu noć, a vežbe otkazane!)
ili [I]Pa gotovo sad, kupih ga![/I

Ostajem pri tome da bi ovo samo u knjizi moglo da se nađe.
Ja nikada tako ne bih rekao, ali nikada.

Pre bih rekao:
Mamu im ja njihovu, radio sam grafički celu noć a oni otkazali!!!
i
K**ac sad kad sam ga kupio.

You don't want translation, trust me.

Originally Posted by bagzi94

Pre bih rekao:
Mamu im ja njihovu, radio sam grafički celu noć a oni otkazali!!!
i
K**ac sad kad sam ga kupio.

You don't want translation, trust me.

What's that mean? lol I do want a translation. the word kur*c caught my eye i sad zelim da znam

Well, in English, first sentence would be:

Mother fu**ers, I was doing seminar (I don't know how to say "grafički" in English)
and they cancelled!!!
(But we say "I'll fu*k they mother" not "Mother fu**ers").
and
Damn, there's nothing I can do now, I bought it!
(But we don't say "damn", we say "c o c k/ d i c k now")

I'm sorry for strong words, but I was just trying
to explane that there's a bigger possibility to hear
what I just wrote.

Hahaha... then you have one common aorist again: Zaj**a me onaj ... (asistent)! ili Uh, zeznuh se! ili Gde se isekoh na ovaj papir! (česta pojava kad sečeš bristol)
Kad si ljut a pritom i patiš , biraš kraće reči i glagole, a aorist je pogodan za tu svrhu

Da, ali to "h" na kraju se onda ne izgovara, nego:

Iseko' se! Zajeba' se!....

I pre će biti "Je**m ti papir"!

Originally Posted by bagzi94

Well, in English, first sentence would be:

Mother fu**ers, I was doing seminar (I don't know how to say "grafički" in English)
and they cancelled!!!
(But we say "I'll fu*k they mother" not "Mother fu**ers").
and
Damn, there's nothing I can do now, I bought it!
(But we don't say "damn", we say "c o c k/ d i c k now")

I'm sorry for strong words, but I was just trying
to explane that there's a bigger possibility to hear
what I just wrote.

lol i must say i do love serbian swears .. i always have to laugh when i hear my friends say u pm