The l-form cannot be used just by itself, but is used to form other tenses, one of which is the l-past. To form the l-form of a verb that ends in -e in the dictionary, you need to know whether the verb is imperfective or perfective. Imperfective verbs do not undergo a change before adding one of the endings below to the dictionary form. Perfective verbs fall in several groups, the most numerous of which is shown in this tutorial. This group of verbs undergoes a change of the final vowel of the dictionary form (e) to a before the endings below are added.

• • if the subject is masculine, add -л,
  • if the subject is feminine, add -ла,
  • if the subject is neuter, add -ло,
  • if the subject is plural, add -ле.

You will learn about the many other groups of perfective verbs that do not follow this pattern in the tutorial L-form of E-verbs (part 2).

• • Do you need more practice? Try this folk song (click here).
  • Think you got it? Move on to examine the l-forms of other e-verbs (click here).

Click on the Macedonian word to hear its pronunciation.

• живее - imperfective verb - live (perfective is поживее, live for a little while)
• јаде - imperfective verb - eat (perfective is изеде)
• легне - perfective verb - lie down, lay something down (imperfectives are лежи, be lying, легнува, lying down)
• падне - perfective verb - fall, fall down (imperfective is паѓа)
• пее, испее - verb - sing
• пие - imperfective verb - drink (perfective is испие, drink up, drink it all)
• плаче - imperfective verb - cry (perfective is заплаче, begin to cry)
• почне - perfective verb - start, begin (imperfective is почнува)
• преде - imperfective verb - spin wool, or purr (for example, like a cat) (perfective is испреде, only in the meaning of finish spinning wool)
• пукне - perfective verb - burst, fire a shot (from a gun) (imperfective is пука)
• седне - perfective verb - sit down (imperfectives are седи, sit, седнува, sit down)
• скокне - perfective verb - jump (imperfective is скокa)
• тргне - perfective verb - set off, head out (imperfective is тргнува)