moći (can/be able) | Serbian Grammar

Моћи expresses ability, circumstantial possibility, and—in questions or supportive contexts—permission. It is irregular in the present, has no ordinary modern imperative, and combines with either да + present or a same-subject infinitive. A separate impersonal use, може / не може, means “possible, acceptable / impossible, not allowed.”

Principal Forms

Person	present	negative
ја	могу	не могу
ти	можеш	не можеш
он / она / оно	може	не може
ми	можемо	не можемо
ви	можете	не можете
они / оне / она	могу	не могу

Form	Shape
infinitive	моћи
l-participle	могао, могла, могло; могли, могле, могла
perfect	могао сам / могла сам; могао је / могла је; могли су
Future I	моћи ћу, моћи ћеш, моћи ће, моћи ћемо, моћи ћете, моћи ће
conditional	могао бих / могла бих; могао би / могла би; могли бисмо...

The first-person present is могу, not можем. Negation remains two words: не могу, unlike fused нећу and немам. Because the infinitive ends in -ћи, Future I stays separate: моћи ћу, never моћићу.

Contemporary моћи has no productive imperative. The historical мози is (archaic) and not a form for ordinary learner use. Requests and encouragement instead use questions, нека, or another verb.

Ability and Circumstantial Possibility

With an animate subject, моћи often means having the physical, mental, practical, or situational capacity to act.

Могу да прочитам овај текст, али не разумем све стручне изразе.

I can read this text, but I don’t understand all the technical terms.

После операције још не може дуго да стоји.

After the operation, she still can’t stand for long.

The ability may come from circumstances rather than a permanent skill.

У петак можемо да радимо од куће јер је канцеларија затворена.

On Friday we can work from home because the office is closed.

English can covers both learned know-how and present ability. Serbian often uses знати + infinitive for a learned skill: знам да пливам / знам пливати “I know how to swim.” Могу да пливам can instead mean that conditions or health currently allow it. See znati, poznavati, and umeti.

💡

Ask what makes the action possible. Learned skill often favors знати/умети; current capacity or circumstances favor моћи.

Complement: да + Present or Infinitive

Conversational Serbian strongly favors моћи да + present. The dependent verb agrees with the same understood actor.

Не можемо да уђемо док нам не провере карте.

We can’t go in until they check our tickets.

The infinitive is also standard with the same subject and is frequent in concise written formulations and in some regional usage.

Све обрасце можете преузети са званичног сајта.

You can download all the forms from the official website. (formal/plural; concise written style)

After да, use a finite present form, never an infinitive. With different actors, Serbian makes the second actor explicit in another finite structure rather than using English object + infinitive.

Могу да ти помогнем, али не могу да одлучим уместо тебе.

I can help you, but I can’t decide in your place.

Modal моћи normally shares its actor with the dependent action. If English introduces a different actor, Serbian usually chooses a more explicit predicate: не могу да дозволим Марку да одлучи means “I cannot let Marko decide,” with дозволити introducing Marko as the second actor.

Permission and Polite Requests

Questions with могу ли / можемо ли request permission. Questions with second-person можеш ли / можете ли request an action politely. Да ли questions are equally standard.

Могу ли да оставим торбу овде до поласка воза?

May I leave my bag here until the train departs?

Можете ли ми послати рачун електронском поштом?

Could you send me the invoice by email? (polite/plural)

Моћи does not lexically mean “be permitted” as specifically as смети does. A sign or rule may use смети to foreground authorization, while можете is often friendlier in an instruction or offer. The full contrast is on moći and smeti.

Conditional могао/могла бих softens a suggestion or request further.

Могли бисмо да померимо састанак за четвртак ујутру.

We could move the meeting to Thursday morning.

Past Ability Does Not Guarantee Success

Perfect могао сам / могла сам says that ability or opportunity existed. It does not by itself entail that the action was completed. Perfective успети says that someone managed to achieve it.

Могао сам да дођем на пробу, али сам ипак остао код куће.

I could have come to the rehearsal, but I stayed at home after all. (male speaker)

Успела је да отвори врата резервним кључем.

She managed to open the door with the spare key.

For English could in a one-off successful event, успети is frequently the precise Serbian choice. Могао је да дође may mean “he could have come” or “he was able to come,” with completion left to context.

Impersonal може / не може

Without a personal subject, може means that a proposal is possible or acceptable. Не може may mean impossible, unavailable, broken, or prohibited; context supplies the source of the barrier.

„Да ли вам одговара термин у три?“ — „Може, видимо се тада.“

‘Does three o’clock work for you?’ — ‘That works; see you then.’

Овим путем се не може проћи после јаке кише.

This road is impassable after heavy rain. (literally, one cannot pass this way)

У читаоницу се не може ући са храном и пићем.

Food and drink are not allowed in the reading room.

Everyday (informal) acceptance also uses може + noun: може кафа “coffee would be fine.” In careful formal prose, spell out the intended predicate.

„Хоћеш чај или кафу?“ — „Може кафа, хвала.“

‘Would you like tea or coffee?’ — ‘Coffee would be fine, thanks.’ (informal)

Aspect and the Dependent Verb

Моћи itself is an imperfective modal with no simple perfective partner. The aspect of the dependent verb independently presents the action as process/repetition or one bounded result.

Одавде можете да гледате утакмице сваког викенда.

From here you can watch the matches every weekend. (repeated activity)

Одавде можете да погледате цео терен пре него што изаберете место.

From here you can take a look at the entire field before choosing a seat. (one bounded look)

The modal does not neutralize aspect. See aspect with modal verbs.

Micro-dialogue

„Можете ли данас да погледате штампач?“ — „Могу после два.“ — „Да ли ћете моћи да га поправите одмах?“ — „Не могу да обећам, али ћу покушати.“

‘Can you look at the printer today?’ — ‘I can after two.’ — ‘Will you be able to repair it right away?’ — ‘I can’t promise, but I’ll try.’

The dialogue shows a polite request, emphatic full answer, separated Future I моћи ћете, and lexical negation.

Practice Tasks

Task 1: Ability or successful completion?

Use могао/могла сам for an available opportunity whose outcome is unknown. Then use успео/успела сам for a completed one-off achievement.

Task 2: Request or permission?

Ask permission to open a window with first-person могу ли. Then ask another person to open it with можете ли. Explain why the person marking changes the social action.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ја можеш да дођем после посла.

Incorrect — the modal must agree with first-person singular: могу.

✅ Могу да дођем после посла око пола шест.

I can come after work at around five thirty.

❌ Не могу да ући без картице.

Incorrect — after да, use finite present уђем, not infinitive ући.

✅ Не могу да уђем без картице за приступ.

I can’t enter without an access card.

❌ Моћићу да ти помогнем сутра.

Incorrect spelling — an infinitive in -ћи remains separate from the future clitic.

✅ Моћи ћу да ти помогнем сутра после подне.

I’ll be able to help you tomorrow afternoon.

❌ Немогу данас да останем дуже.

Incorrect spelling — unlike нећу and немам, negated не могу is written as two words.

✅ Не могу данас да останем дуже јер имам заказан преглед.

I can’t stay longer today because I have a scheduled appointment.

Key Takeaways

Present могу, можеш, може, можемо, можете, могу is irregular; negation is separate не могу.
Да + present is the everyday complement, and a same-subject infinitive is also standard.
Могу ли...? requests permission; можете ли...? makes a polite request.
Past могао/могла сам states ability or opportunity; успео/успела сам entails success.
Impersonal може / не може evaluates possibility or acceptability, and the dependent verb keeps its own aspect.

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