Learn Hardcore Croatian: Moram raditi večeras, ali mogu gledati film sutra. - I have to work tonight, but I can watch a movie tomorrow.

Moram (from morati) means both “must” and “have to,” expressing a clear obligation. In everyday speech it often corresponds to English “have to.” It’s stronger than “need to” and usually suggests an external or unavoidable necessity.

Can I say trebam raditi instead of moram raditi?

You can, but there’s a nuance:

Moram raditi = I must/have to work (obligation).
Trebam raditi = I need to work (need/necessity, slightly softer). Both are common; moram sounds more obligatory.

How do I say “I don’t have to work tonight” vs. “I must not work tonight”?

“I don’t have to work tonight” = Ne moram raditi večeras.
“I must not/am not allowed to work tonight” = Ne smijem raditi večeras. Learners often mix these up: ne moram ≠ “must not”; ne smijem is the prohibition.

What’s the difference between mogu and smijem?

Mogu (from moći) = can/able to (ability/possibility).
Smijem (from smjeti) = may/am allowed to (permission). Example: Mogu gledati film (I’m able to), Smijem gledati film (I’m permitted to).

Is mogu + infinitive the only correct form, or can I say mogu da gledam?

In standard Croatian, use the infinitive after modals: mogu gledati, moram raditi. The da + present construction (mogu da gledam) is characteristic of Serbian and colloquial usage; it’s not standard Croatian.

Can I change the word order of time expressions?

Yes. All are fine, with slight emphasis shifts:

Moram raditi večeras.
Večeras moram raditi. (emphasizes “tonight”)
Mogu gledati film sutra.
Sutra mogu gledati film. Croatian is flexible; time adverbs often come early.

Where can I put the object, and what about clitics?

With a full noun, you can move the time adverb around:

Mogu gledati film sutra.
Mogu sutra gledati film. With a pronoun clitic (e.g., ga = it), clitics tend to the second position:
Sutra ga mogu gledati.
Mogu ga gledati sutra.

Why doesn’t film change its ending? Isn’t there a case?

There is: film is in the accusative as the direct object. For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative singular equals the nominative: film (not “filma”). So gledati film is correct.

How do I say “a film” vs. “the film” in Croatian if there are no articles?

Croatian has no articles. Context does the work. If you need to specify:

jedan film (one/a certain film),
onaj/ taj film (that/the film),
ovaj film (this film).

Why gledati and not pogledati or odgledati?

Aspect:

gledati (imperfective) = to watch (ongoing/general ability).
pogledati (perfective) = to have a look/watch once, completion implied.
odgledati (perfective, colloquial) = watch to the end. Your sentence expresses general ability/plans, so gledati fits. You could also say mogu sutra pogledati film if you mean “I can manage to (finish) watch(ing) the film tomorrow.”

How would I say “I will have to work tonight, but I will be able to watch the film tomorrow”?

Use the future with clitics:

Morat ću raditi večeras, ali moći ću gledati film sutra. Note the dropped -i before ću: morati → morat ću (standard orthography).

How do I make yes/no questions here?

Inversion with li (most standard): Moram li raditi večeras? Mogu li gledati film sutra?
Colloquial/Serbian: Da li moram…? Da li mogu…? (not preferred in standard Croatian). Intonation-only questions are less typical in writing.

Do I need a comma before ali?

Yes. Croatian places a comma before ali:

Moram raditi večeras, ali mogu gledati film sutra. Also note:
ali = but (neutral),
no = but/however (often a bit more contrastive),
nego = but rather (after a negation).

What’s the difference between večeras, noćas, and navečer?

večeras = this evening/tonight (evening hours).
noćas = tonight (during the night, later than evening).
navečer = in the evening (habitually or non-specific evening).
So your sentence means the work is in the evening, not late at night.

Can/should I include the subject pronoun ja?

It’s optional. Croatian drops subject pronouns because verbs show person:

(Ja) moram raditi večeras…
Including ja adds emphasis or contrast: “I have to (as opposed to someone else).”

Pronunciation tips: how do I say večeras, moram, mogu?

č in večeras is like English “ch” in “church.”
g in mogu is always hard, like “go.”
Stress patterns vary by dialect, but you’ll be understood if you keep vowels clear and pronounce all letters.