Remember the verb "to be"? In Serbian it is biti, and its present-tense forms - sam, si, je, smo, ste, su - are among the first things any learner encounters and also, honestly, among the easiest to forget under pressure. The secret weapon against forgetting is a sweet, unhurried pop song: "Ti si moja čokolada" - you are my chocolate. The melody hooks itself to the grammar, and the grammar comes back whenever the melody does.
This post builds a gap-fill around the chorus, asks you to fill in the missing forms of biti, and then gives you a quick reference table so you can check your work. By the end you will have heard, read, and produced the forms - three different ways of learning in one short session.
Can I practise "biti" with a gap-fill song exercise?
Yes - and here is the gap-fill. Each blank is numbered. Fill in the correct present-tense form of biti (the long form: jesam, jesi, jeste, jesmo, jeste, jesu - or the short clitic form: sam, si, je, smo, ste, su). The short clitic forms are what you will hear in the song.
Ti ____1____ moja čokolada,
Ja ____2____ tvoja čokolada,
I da ____3____ tako mlada,
____4____ to ikad zaboravila?
Ti ____5____ moje sve, moj svet,
Ja ____6____ tu, uz tebe uvek.
Answers: 1 - si (you are), 2 - sam (I am), 3 - si (you are - "even though you are so young"), 4 - bi (conditional - "would you ever forget"), 5 - si (you are), 6 - sam (I am). Note that blank 4 uses the conditional particle bi, which is a slightly different beast - do not worry if you put si there on a first attempt; it is a natural guess and a good learning moment.
Where can I hear "Ti si moja čokolada"?
The original lesson used a YouTube embed that has been carried forward here in a modern iframe. Press play, follow the lyrics, and listen for each form of biti as it arrives.
What are all the present-tense forms of "biti"?
Here is the full table. The short clitic forms (left column) are the ones you use inside a sentence; the long emphatic forms (right column) are used for emphasis or at the start of a sentence.
| Person | Short form (clitic) | Long form (emphatic) | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ja (I) | sam | jesam | I am |
| ti (you) | si | jesi | you are |
| on / ona / ono | je | jeste | he / she / it is |
| mi (we) | smo | jesmo | we are |
| vi (you pl.) | ste | jeste | you are (plural) |
| oni / one / ona | su | jesu | they are |
How should I practise "biti" to make it automatic?
The forms sam, si, je, smo, ste, su appear in almost every sentence you will ever produce in Serbian, so the goal is to get them truly automatic - to the point where you do not think about them. The two most effective practice moves are: (1) say the table aloud in a steady rhythm every morning for a week, faster each day until it feels like one single smooth sound; and (2) pick a real fact about yourself and state it using biti - "Ja sam student," "Ti si moj ucitelj," "Srbija je lepa zemlja." Real sentences about real things anchor the forms in memory far better than drills alone.
FAQ - the verb "biti" (to be) in Serbian
Why are there two forms - short and long?
Serbian has a set of short, unstressed clitic forms that sit neatly inside a sentence and carry no particular emphasis. The long forms are stressed and used when you want to assert or confirm something: "Jesam!" (I am! / Yes, I am!) is an emphatic answer to a yes/no question. In ordinary sentences, the short form is almost always the right choice.
Where does the short form go in the sentence?
Clitics in Serbian (short pronouns, short verb forms) follow a strict ordering rule: they cannot come first in a sentence, and they typically cluster in second position. So you say "Ja sam sretan" (I am happy) rather than "Sam ja sretan". If the subject is dropped, sam still cannot open the sentence: "Sretan sam" (Happy am I / I am happy) is natural; "Sam sretan" on its own sounds odd.
Is "biti" irregular?
Yes, and it is one of the very few genuinely irregular verbs in Serbian. But because it is used in practically every sentence, irregular or not, you will internalise it faster than almost any regular verb simply through sheer exposure.
How is "biti" used in the past tense?
The short forms double as the auxiliary in the past tense: "Ja sam radio" (I was working / I worked). So mastering the present forms of biti is not just useful for the present - it unlocks the Serbian past tense at the same time.
"Ti si moja čokolada - six words, two forms of biti, and a sentence you will never forget."
You are doing brilliantly. Every time that chorus plays in your head, the verb forms are playing with it - that is real, durable learning happening without any effort at all.
With warmth and a sweet tune in mind,
Marina Petrovic
To see biti in all its contexts - present, past, conditional, and more - visit the Serbian verb "to be" hub. Everything is there in one place, ready when you are.