smeti (may/be allowed) | Serbian Grammar

Смети is the Serbian modal for permission and, in another common reading, courage: “be allowed to” or “dare.” It normally modifies a second verb, expressed either as да + present or as an infinitive. Its negative не смети is especially important because it usually expresses prohibition—English must not—rather than physical inability.

Principal forms

Form	смети
present	смем, смеш, сме, смемо, смете, смеју
l-participle	смео, смела, смело; смели, смеле, смела
perfect	смео сам / смела сам
conditional	смео бих / смела бих
Future I	смећу / ћу смети
imperative	not productively used in the permission-modal meaning

The third-person plural смеју and l-participle смео/смела must be memorized with the infinitive. Although a regular-looking imperative could be imagined morphologically, modern speakers do not normally command someone to “be permitted.” They grant permission with a statement such as Смеш да уђеш or use дозволити.

После регистрације смете да користите читаоницу до осам увече.

After registering, you may use the reading room until eight in the evening. (plural or polite)

Као дете нисам смела сама да остајем код куће.

As a child, I wasn't allowed to stay home alone. (female speaker)

Permission comes from a rule, authority, or norm

Use смети when the question is whether an action is licensed by a rule, person in authority, safety constraint, or social convention.

Смемо ли да унесемо воду у изложбени простор?

Are we allowed to bring water into the exhibition area?

Гости смеју да користе паркинг само док бораве у хотелу.

Guests may use the car park only while they are staying at the hotel.

English can may ask either about ability or permission. Serbian моћи asks whether circumstances make something possible; смети asks whether it is permitted.

Могу да отворим ормар, али не смем јер у њему стоји поверљива документација.

I am able to open the cabinet, but I am not allowed to because confidential documents are kept in it.

The broader ability–permission guide compares the two modals systematically.

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If a sign, rule, parent, doctor, employer, or social norm could answer the question, смети is usually the relevant modal.

Negative не смети means prohibition

Не смеш normally means “you must not,” not “you do not have to.” Optionality is не мораш.

Не смеш да искључиш аларм док техничар не заврши проверу.

You must not switch off the alarm until the technician finishes the inspection.

Не мораш да останеш до краја, али не смеш да понесеш материјал са собом.

You don't have to stay until the end, but you must not take the material with you.

This contrast reverses a common English-driven mistake: negative mustn't prohibits, while Serbian negative не морати removes an obligation.

Questions use ли after the finite modal: Смем ли...? Смемо ли...? Everyday Да ли смем...? is equally standard. Је л’ смем...? is (informal) conversational speech.

Да ли смем да позовем касније ако се појави још неки проблем?

May I call later if another problem comes up?

The courage reading: “dare”

Context can shift смети from external permission to personal courage. Questions and negatives are especially likely to have this reading.

Не смем да јој кажем да сам изгубио кључеве.

I don't dare tell her that I lost the keys. (male speaker)

Смеш ли да пређеш преко тог моста по оваквом ветру?

Do you dare cross that bridge in this wind?

When ambiguity matters, name the source. Не дозвољавају ми makes lack of permission explicit; плашим се, imperfective не усуђујем се, or perfective нисам се усудио make fear or daring explicit.

Нисам се усудила да прекинем директора усред излагања.

I didn't dare interrupt the director in the middle of his presentation. (female speaker)

Усудити се is not a neutral perfective of смети. It lexicalizes one bounded act of mustering courage.

Да + present and the infinitive

With the same understood subject, both complements are standard:

У овој сали смете да фотографишете само без блица.

In this hall, you may take photographs only without flash.

Овде смете фотографисати без блица.

You may take photographs here without flash. (standard infinitive; concise)

The да-clause repeats person marking; the infinitive does not. A different actor cannot be inserted as an object of смети. To mean “allow someone to act,” use дозволити + dative + да-clause.

Управница је дозволила станарима да користе двориште после десет.

The building manager allowed the residents to use the courtyard after ten.

Станари смеју да користе двориште describes their permission; управница је дозволила станарима names the person granting it.

Clitics follow the chosen complement

In a да-clause, object clitics follow да: не смем да му га покажем. With an infinitive, they can follow the finite modal: не смем му га показати.

Не смем да ти је пошаљем без писменог одобрења.

I am not allowed to send it to you without written authorization. (је refers to a feminine item)

Смем вам га показати, али не смем оставити копију.

I may show it to you, but I am not allowed to leave a copy.

Смети itself is intransitive and does not take the permitted person as a direct object. The dative and accusative clitics above belong to послати, показати, and оставити.

Tense, agreement, and conditional politeness

Past and conditional forms use the agreeing l-participle.

До прошле године смели смо да паркирамо иза зграде.

Until last year we were allowed to park behind the building.

Да ли бих смела да поставим још једно питање?

May I ask one more question? (female speaker; polite)

The conditional softens the request. It does not mean that permission was actually granted.

Future смећу is grammatical, but ћу смети is often clearer when another infinitive follows.

После обуке ћу смети самостално да управљам машином.

After the training I will be allowed to operate the machine independently. (male speaker)

Aspect belongs to the complement

Modal смети does not choose aspect for the lexical verb. Imperfective presents an activity, repetition, or standing practice; perfective presents one bounded result.

Смеш да позајмљујеш књиге током целе године.

You are allowed to borrow books throughout the year.

Смеш да позајмиш једну књигу из посебне збирке.

You may borrow one book from the special collection.

The first permission covers a recurring practice; the second licenses one bounded loan.

Aspectual and lexical network

Смети is an imperfective stative modal and has no neutral one-word perfective partner. Serbian expresses a change in permission with добити дозволу “receive permission” or дозволити “allow,” and a bounded act of courage with усудити се. These are new lexical events, not mechanical aspect forms.

Micro-dialogue

„Смем ли да уђем у лабораторију?“ — „Смеш, али не смеш ништа да додирујеш без рукавица.“ — „А фотографије?“ — „Њих смеш да снимаш само за интерну документацију.“

‘May I enter the laboratory?’ — ‘Yes, but you must not touch anything without gloves.’ — ‘What about photos?’ — ‘You may take those only for internal documentation.’

Practice Tasks

Task 1: Permission, possibility, or optionality?

Translate three separate ideas: the door can physically open, visitors are allowed to open it, and visitors do not have to open it. Choose моћи, смети, and не морати.

Task 2: Move the clitics

Rewrite Не смем да ти га пошаљем with an infinitive. Then put the sentence in the past for a female speaker and preserve natural clitic order.

Common Mistakes

❌ Не смем да подигнем кофер јер је претежак.

Incorrect for physical inability — use моћи when lack of strength is the obstacle.

✅ Не могу да подигнем кофер јер је претежак.

I can't lift the suitcase because it is too heavy.

❌ Не мораш да пушиш у овој просторији.

Incorrect if prohibition is intended — не мораш means smoking is optional.

✅ Не смеш да пушиш у овој просторији.

You must not smoke in this room.

❌ Смеју ли деца остати дуже њих?

Incorrect — деца is already the subject of смети; the extra accusative њих has no grammatical role in this clause.

✅ Смеју ли деца да остану мало дуже?

May the children stay a little longer?

❌ Не смем да покажем ти документ.

Incorrect clitic placement — ти belongs immediately after да.

✅ Не смем да ти покажем документ.

I am not allowed to show you the document.

❌ Смети има свршени пар усудити се са истим значењем.

Incorrect — усудити се expresses a bounded act of daring, not neutral permission.

✅ Смео сам да питам, али се нисам усудио.

I was allowed to ask, but I didn't dare. (male speaker)

Key Takeaways

Смети expresses permission or daring; не смети usually expresses prohibition.
Both same-subject да + present and the infinitive are standard.
It has no productive permission-modal imperative and no neutral perfective partner.
Past and conditional forms agree: смео/смела сам, смео/смела бих.
Clitics belong to the lexical complement, and aspect is chosen inside that complement.

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