# Serbian (BCS): Jumping



## Roxannah_

I have googled all 3 forms and they all show results so I'm not sure which one is the correct one in Serbian

1. Neko skoči
2. Neko skakanje
3. Neko skače

Thanks


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## doorman

All three forms are correct:

_Neko skoči = Somebody jumped
Neko skakanje = A jump(ing)
Neko skače = Somebody is jumping
_ 
If you need just _jumping_, as in your title, it's _skakanje_.


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## slavic_one

doorman said:


> All three forms are correct:
> 
> _Neko skoči = Somebody jumped
> Neko skakanje = A jump(ing)
> Neko skače = Somebody is jumping
> _
> If you need just _jumping_, as in your title, it's _skakanje_.



Neko skoči = somone jumps - althou I'll say that in "neko skoči" something's missing: neka netko skoči (let's someone jump); netko skoči, a netko ostane na zemlji (some jump, some stay on the groung)
Neko skakanje = some jumping

Somebody jumped = neko je skočio.


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## Majalj

slavic_one said:


> Neko skoči = somone jumps - althou I'll say that in "neko skoči" something's missing


 
"Neko skoči." could also be aorist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aorist) and then it could be translated as "someone jumped", "someone jumps", "someone has jumped", etc. depending on the context.


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## slavic_one

Znam, ali s pedagoške strane, mislim da je bolje napisati mu to što sam ja napisao, nego puf u aorist, tj. prevesti normalnim engleskim perfektom, pa da si još tako predstavlja uobičajeno prošlo vrijeme u srpskom jeziku.


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## bibax

Skočiti and skakati are two distinct (although related) verbs.

In present:

(skočiti) skočim, skočiš, skoči, skočimo, skočite, skoče
(skakati) skačem, skačeš, skače, skačemo, skačete, skaču

Skakanje is a verbal noun.


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## slavic_one

bibax said:


> Skočiti and skakati are two distinct (although related) verbs.
> 
> In present:
> 
> (skočiti) skočim, skočiš, skoči, skočimo, skočite, skoče
> (skakati) skačem, skačeš, skače, skačemo, skačete, skaču
> 
> Skakanje is a verbal noun.



Why are they distinct? _Skočiti_ is perfective and _skakati_ imperfective verb.


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## DenisBiH

slavic_one said:


> Why are they distinct? _Skočiti_ is perfective and _skakati_ imperfective verb.




They are separately listed in dictionaries and they are not considered as differently inflected forms of the same verb, but rather different verbs. Some of those forms may be etymologically derived from differently inflected forms in (Balto-)Slavic, but we are talking about the situation today.

Here is something from Ranko Matasović, "Poredbeno-povijesna gramatika hrvatskoga jezika", p. 276



> Izražavanje vida u slavenskome je i tipološki osobito u usporedbi s načinima izražavanja te kategorije u jezicima Europe i svijeta.* U slavenskome *u načelu svako glagoisko značenje može biti izraženo i kao  svršeno i kao nesvršeno, i to kroz *dva različita glagola* koji stoje u vidskoj  opreci (iako ima iznimaka). *Drugi jezici *u pravilu imaju posebne  afikse za glagolski vid te *isti glagol *može tvoriti i svršene i nesvršene  oblike (ili druga vidska značenja koja u dotičnom jeziku postoje).


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## Majalj

slavic_one said:


> Znam, ali s pedagoške strane, mislim da je bolje napisati mu to što sam ja napisao, nego puf u aorist, tj. prevesti normalnim engleskim perfektom, pa da si još tako predstavlja uobičajeno prošlo vrijeme u srpskom jeziku.


Nadam se da nećeš zamjeriti, ali moram ti reći da je takav pedagoški pristup (treba li postavljačici ovog pitanja uopće pedagog, posebno je pitanje) pogrešan, jer je ovo što si ti napisao jednostavno netačno. "Neko skoči." može biti rečenica sa subjektom i predikatom kojoj ništa ne nedostaje, i da u prijevodu na engleski bez puno kompliciranja zvuči baš ovako kako je Doorman ponudio.


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## Roxannah_

So in practical terms what's the difference between "skočiti" and "skakati"? My dictionary refers me to "skočiti" when I search for "skakati", implying they may be different verbs but have the same meaning.


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## slavic_one

Majalj said:


> Nadam se da nećeš zamjeriti, ali moram ti reći da je takav pedagoški pristup (treba li postavljačici ovog pitanja uopće pedagog, posebno je pitanje) pogrešan, jer je ovo što si ti napisao jednostavno netačno. "Neko skoči." može biti rečenica sa subjektom i predikatom kojoj ništa ne nedostaje, i da u prijevodu na engleski bez puno kompliciranja zvuči baš ovako kako je Doorman ponudio.



Nemam što zamjeriti, svatko ima svoje mišljenje, i gdje bi došli kada bi svi mislili isto


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## Duya

Virtually all Slavic verbs come in two "flavors", called _aspects_. Aspect can be _perfective_, signifying an action which is complete, sudden or short, or _imperfective_, where the action lasts or is repeated. This has profound implications on tense system; for example, we don't have notions of "progressive" and "simple" tenses because the verb already carries the aspect. Please check your grammar book and/or search old Forum threads, as the concept is very important.

In this case, "skočiti"->pres. "skočim" is perfective (to jump once; to have jumped), and "skakati"->"skačem" is imperfective (to jump repeatedly; to be jumping).


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## Roxannah_

Thanks, I'll check my grammar specifically in regards to this topic.


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