sastavljati

Sastavljati is a verb used in Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin that means to put together from parts, to assemble, or to compile and arrange elements into a whole. It is commonly applied to physical assembly of objects such as furniture or devices, as well as to the creation of lists, plans, programs, or written texts.

In usage, sastavljati is imperfective, expressing an ongoing or repeated action. Its perfective counterpart is sastaviti, which denotes the completion of the act. The verb is transitive and typically requires a direct object in the accusative that indicates what is being assembled or composed, for example: sastavljam namještaj, sastavljaš plan, sastavili smo popis.

Common contexts include assembling equipment or furniture from pieces, compiling a report or list, and constructing sentences or documents. In some contexts it can be replaced by synonyms such as slagati, složiti, or sklopiti, each carrying subtle nuance: slagati/složiti emphasizes arrangement or ordering, while sklopiti often stresses joining parts to form a whole.

Etymology and related forms: the verb is built from Slavic roots associated with placing and composition; related nouns include sastav (composition, structure) and the noun or verb family linked to assembling or composing. Conjugation follows standard -ati verb patterns: present tense ja sastavljam, ti sastavljaš, on/ona sastavlja, mi sastavljamo, vi sastavljate, oni sastavljaju. Past tense uses the auxiliary biti (sastavljao/sastavljala/sastavljalo; sastavili/sastavile). See also: sastav, sastavak, sastavljanje.