predstavavatipredstavljati

Predstavljati, sometimes written predstavavati, and the related perfective predstaviti are verbs in the South Slavic languages, used in Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin to mean to present, to introduce, or to depict/represent. The root combines the prefix pred- (“before, in front”) with staviti or stavljati (“to place”); the sense is to place something in front of others for them to see or evaluate.

Aspect and usage are central in distinguishing the forms. Predstavljati is the imperfective form, used for ongoing, repeated, or habitual presenting, describing how something is presented over time. Predstaviti is the perfective form, used for a single, completed act of presenting or introducing. Both can take a direct object, as in predstavlati plan or predstavljati projekt, and both appear in various tenses and moods depending on the language variety.

Reflexive use is common: predstaviti se means to introduce oneself or to present oneself in a particular role, for example predstaviti se kao stručnjak. The noun form predstavljenje (or predstavljanje) refers to the act of presenting or a presentation, such as na konferenciji ili u dokumetu.

Examples:

- Imperfective: On predstavlja svoj plan na sastanku. (He is presenting his plan at the meeting.)

- Perfective: On je predstavio svoj plan juče. (He presented his plan yesterday.)

- Reflexive: Predstavio se kao stručnjak.

See also: predstavljanje (presentation), prikazivanje (display/depiction), predstaviti se. These verbs are widespread in the standard Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Montenegrin vocabularies and feature in both formal and informal registers.