jesti
Latin, imperfective
The English verb 'eat' is translated into Bosnian as jesti.
The word jesti is used to describe the act of eating a meal.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
Which one should you use?
jesti is an imperfective verb, which means it describes the ongoing process of eating. For a perfective meaning, specifically to emphasize eating something up or completing a meal, you should use pojesti.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the past tense, the verb uses different forms based on gender. For example, the masculine singular past participle is jeo and the feminine singular past participle is jela. For the informal second-person singular present tense ('you eat'), the form is Ti jedeš.
When do people say it?
When someone is eating, it is common to say Prijatno! to wish them an enjoyable meal.
Did you know?
- In Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is common to offer guests food and drink repeatedly even if they have already declined, and a guest may refuse several times before finally accepting.
- The phrase jesti k’o vuk means 'to eat like a wolf' and describes someone with a massive appetite.
- The Bosnian word jesti is a distant relative of the English word 'eat' because both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root h₁édti.
Examples in context
- Hoćemo li jesti?Shall we eat?
- Jedem kao ptica.I eat like a bird
- Volim jestiI love to eat
- Gdje možemo jesti nešto brzo?Where can we eat something quickly?
- On voli jesti samo voće.He likes to eat only fruit.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding where to go for lunch.
- LejlaEmir, hoćemo li jesti sada?Emir, shall we eat now?
- EmirMože, veoma sam gladan.Sure, I am very hungry.
- LejlaIdemo u onaj mali restoran.Let's go to that small restaurant.
- EmirOdlična ideja, Lejla.Great idea, Lejla.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jesti, CC BY-SA 4.0.
