005 Prefixes with base verbs stati and stajati

Aha! Learning Croatian: Vocabulary #005

Prefixes with the verbs ‘stati’ and ‘stajati’

Verbosity

In a previous post (Prefixes that modify verb meanings), I talked about the challenge presented to us English speakers by the fact that so many prefixes (na-, po-, pod-, nad-, ....) can be tacked on to a basic verb, to bring about either subtle or drastic new meanings.

Here, I would just like to demonstrate this by presenting a number of verbs derived from the basic perfective verb stati, as well as on its imperfective counterpart nastajati. The various meanings of the derived verbs are given here in much more detail than in the previous post.

This is just by way of example. What you see here also applies to thousands of other verbs.

Prepare to enter the jungle .... My apologies for mistakes that I have probably made with writing examples in Croatian.

Perfective (finished)
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Imperfective (continuing)

stati  (ja stanem, ….)
to stop (movement): Stani! Stop!; On je stao na mjestu.  He stopped dead/in his tracks. Vlak stane u Kninu. The train stops at Knin.
to cease (an activity): Ako je prevruće, stat ćemo raditi. If it is too hot, we will cease working.
to rise(to one’s feet): Ona je stala i otišla. She rose and left.
to start, to initiate (smthg): Stao je govoriti.  He started speaking.
to fit (into a vessel, a space): Ne može stati.  It can’t fit. Tu bi stalo dvadeset ljudi .. 20 people could fit into it.

stajati  (ja stojim, ….)
to be standing up, to be standing still, to be marking time: Oni su stajali jedan uz drugoga.  They stood side by side. Jaja moraju stajati u vodi tri minute.  The eggs must stay in the water for three minutes. Njegova ponuda još stoji.  Their offer still stands. Kako stoje stvari sa sestrom? How are things going with your sister?  Stvari stoje dobro.  Things are fine.
To fit, to be suited to: Dobro ti stoji ova haljina.  This dress looks good on you. It suits you well.
to cost: Koliko stoji ova košulja? How much does this dress cost?

dostati​
to suffice, to be enough: Dosta mi je.  That is enough for me.  (It has sufficed me)

dostajati
As for dostati, continuous
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izostati
to be absent, to stay away, to fail to appear: Samo sam dva puta izostao  I only missed twice.

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izostajati
To be staying away/being absent continuously/repeatedly: Učenik je stajao iz škole prošle godine.  The student did not attend school last year. Ona izostaje s predavanja.  She is not going to lectures.

nastati
to emerge, to arise, to develop, to come to be, to come about: Kako je nastao ovo stanje? How did this condition come about?
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nastajati
to be emerging, to be developing, to be coming about, to be in the nascent stage: Njegov stav nastaje iz sudjelovanja u ratu.  His attitude is developing from his involvement in the war.
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nestati
to disappear, to vanish, to die away: Slon je nestao bez traga.  The elephant disappeared without a trace.
to run out of, to be exhausted of: (used with genitive) Nestalo je brašna.  We ran out of flour.
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nestajati
to be disappearing, to be vanishing, to be fading away: Tigrovi su nastali tijekom prethodna 60 godina.  Tigers have been disappearing over the previous 60 years.
to be running out of (smthg): Nestaje nam vode.  We are running out of water.

odustati  (with od, + genitive)
to give up, to abandon 

odustajati
As for odustati, continuous

ostati
to stay, to remain: Ostanite doma! Stay home!  Neću ostati dugo.  I won’t stay long. Neka mu ostane!  Let him keep it!

ostajati​
to be staying, to be remaining: Mi ostajemo! We are staying,  We are hanging on!

ponestati  (followed by genitive)
to run out of (something), to be exhausted of, to run low: Očito je da im je ponestalo ideja.  It's obvious that they have run out of ideas. Ponestalo nam je brašna.  We have run out of flour.

ponestajati (followed by genitive)
to be running out of (something): Ponestaje nam brašna. We are running out of bread.

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postati
to become, to get to be, to develop into: Prije nego što imati 40 godina, postat ću bogat.  Before I am 40, I will become rich. Nakon nesreću, Marija je postala nervozna.  After the accident, Marija became nervous.

postajati
to be becoming: to nam postaje sve lakše It is becoming increasingly easy for us.
to stop a while, to linger, to be reluctant
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posustati
to become tired, to grow weary: Posustao sam od zabava.  I grew tired of parties.

posustajati
to be tiring, to be growing weary, to be losing  momentum: Ne posustaje.  She is not giving up.

preostati
to remain, to be left over, to survive: ono što mi je preostalo od života ....  what’s left of my life ....

preostajati
to remain, to be left over: ne preostaje drugo nego …..  there is nothing left for me but ….. , I have no choice other than ….

prestati
to stop, to quit, to cease (doing something): Prestani!  Stop it! Prestao sam pušiti. I quit smoking.

prestajati
to be ceasing, to be stopping, to be winding down: Pokušam prestajati pušiti.  I am trying to quit smoking.

pristati  (+ na + accusative)
to agree with, to consent to (an idea, or a cause): Pristajem! Agreed! It’s deal!
To come ashore (boat), to land (plane): Pilot je uspio pristati na polje.  The pilot managed to land in the field.

pristajati
to be a follower/subscriber/sympathiser (of a cause
to be coming ashore (boat), to be landing (plane)
to be suited to, to fit (+ na + dative): Ta košulja mu ne pristaje. That shirt doesn't suit/fit him.

rastati se
to part company, to separate, to divorce: Rastali smo se kao dobri prijatelji.  We parted as good friends.

rastajati se
to be parting company, to be separating, to be divorcing: Tomislav i Marij se rastaje.  Tomislav and Marija are separating.

sastati se
to meet, to come together, to convene: Hoćemo li se sastati? Shall we get together?
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sastajati se
to be meeting, to be having appointments, to be assembling (regularly): Sastajemo se utorkom.  We meet on Tuesdays.

sustati
to grow tired, to become exhausted  

sustajati
to be tiring, becoming exhausted

ustati
to get up (from bed), to stand up (from sitting or lying), to pick oneself up (after a fall): Šest je sati ali već je ustala.  It is 6 o’clock, but she has already arisen. Ustanite, molim!  All please rise!
to rebel, to revolt, to mutiny

ustajati
to be arising: Kasno ustaje.  He gets up late, he is an early riser.
to be rebelling

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zaostati
to fall behind, to straggle, to fail to keep pace, to be behind schedule: Zaostali su u šetnju.  They fell behind on the walk.

zaostajati
to be lagging, to be falling behind: Kako vrijeme prolazi, zaostaju sve više i više.  As time goes by, they are falling further and further behind.

zastati
to halt, to come to a stop temporarily (movement or action) Zastalo mi je srce.  My heart stopped.

zastajati
to be stopping temporarily
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No further comment required, except to say, as I have done before, that I am amazed that Croatians doesn't seem to have trouble with all of this complexity, do they?

​Well perhaps one more comment .....  You realise, don't you, that many nouns, too, are derived from basic nouns to which prefixes are attached?