Exercise Language: Perfect Progressive

The Perfect Progressive tense, otherwise known as the Perfect Continuous tense, is not explicitly present in the Bosnian grammar structure. Instead, the Bosnian language features mainly the present, past, and future tenses. However, there are equivalent constructs that convey a similar sense of ongoing action in the past, present, or future, which could be viewed as Perfect Progressive.

In teaching Bosnian, exercises for these constructs generally involve the use of the verb “biti” (to be), combined with present participle form of the verb indicating action. The duration of the action is usually indicated using units of time followed by the word “već” (already). For example, ‘Ja sam već dvije godine pisao knjigu’ translates to the English Perfect Progressive: ‘I had been writing a book for two years’.

Perfect Progressive exercises often involve translating sentences from English to Bosnian and vice-versa, focusing on instances where an action is ongoing over a certain period of time. They provide pupils with the opportunity to understand the contextual similarities and differences between these tenses in both languages.

Despite slight distinctions, the Perfect Progressive exercises aid in grasping the complexity and beauty of the Bosnian language. They help learners communicate accurately, mastering the variations of expressing ongoing actions in different contexts.