Questions & Answers about Možeš li mi to obećati?
Why is it mi to instead of to mi?
This follows the strict Croatian word order for short, unstressed words. When you have two pronouns grouped together like this, the dative pronoun (here, mi meaning 'to me') must always come before the accusative pronoun (here, to meaning 'that').
What is the word li doing in this sentence?
The word li is a question particle used to make yes-or-no questions. It turns the statement Možeš (you can) into the question Možeš li (can you). Because it is an enclitic, it must go in the second position of the sentence, right before the other small words.
Why does obećati (to promise) go all the way at the end?
This happens because of the second-position rule. The main verb Možeš takes the first spot, and the cluster of small words (li mi to) claims the second spot. This naturally pushes the second verb, the infinitive obećati, to the end of the sentence.
I do not see the word for 'you' in the Croatian sentence. Why is that?
In Croatian, you usually do not need to use subject pronouns like ti (you). The verb Možeš already means 'you can' because of its ending. Adding ti is only done if you really want to emphasize exactly who is doing the action.
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