Learn Hardcore Croatian: Možeš li večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom?

Li is a clitic used to form yes/no questions. In neutral, standard Croatian it attaches right after the first stressed word of the clause, which here is the verb možeš. So Možeš li…? is the canonical, neutral way to ask “Can you…?” (e.g., Igraš li nogomet? “Do you play football?”).

Can I ask the same question without li?

Yes, in everyday speech you can use rising intonation: Možeš večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom? That’s casual. In writing or careful style, prefer Možeš li…?

Can I say Da li možeš… or Jel’ možeš…?

Da li možeš…? is common in Serbian/Bosnian and heard colloquially in Croatia, but it’s not preferred in standard Croatian.
Jel’ možeš…? is very common in casual speech (a colloquial contraction of je li), fine in conversation but informal. For standard Croatian, use Možeš li…?

How do I make it polite or address more than one person?

Use the polite/plural form: Možete li večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom?
Even more polite/softer: Biste li mogli večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom?

Does Možeš li… ask about ability or willingness? How do I say “Will you…?”

Možeš li… asks about possibility/ability (“Are you able/Is it possible?”).
Hoćeš li… asks about willingness (“Will you/Do you want to?”).
Bi li… (conditional) is a polite “Would you…?” (e.g., Bi li igrao/la…?).

Where should večeras go in the sentence?

Common positions:

Možeš li večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom? (very natural)
Možeš li igrati nogomet sa mnom večeras? (also fine) Fronting it with li (e.g., Večeras li…) is unusual. If you front večeras, people typically drop li and rely on intonation: Večeras možeš igrati…?

Why is it igrati (infinitive) and not igraš (present)?

After modal verbs like moći (can), Croatian uses the infinitive: možeš igrati. Using a finite form (možeš igraš) is ungrammatical.

Can I say Možeš li da igraš…?

That da + present construction is standard in Serbian/Bosnian. In standard Croatian, with moći you use the infinitive: Možeš li igrati…

Why not igrati se nogomet?

Igrati se means “to play” in a general/child’s sense (play around, play with toys). For sports/games you normally use igrati without se: igrati nogomet, igrati šah.

Why is it nogomet and not nogometa?

Igrati takes the accusative. Masculine inanimate nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative, so nogomet stays nogomet. Compare: igrati tenis (m. inanimate), but igrati košarku (feminine → accusative -u).

Should I say nogomet or fudbal?

In Croatia the standard word is nogomet. Fudbal is standard in Serbian/Bosnian; Croatians will understand it, but it’s nonstandard in Croatian.

Why sa mnom and not s mnom?

Both exist. The general rule is s is default, but sa is used before words beginning with s/š/z/ž and also to avoid hard clusters. Sa mnom is the usual choice because s mnom is awkward to pronounce. You’ll also hear sa sestrom, sa ženom, etc.

Why mnom and not mene?

The preposition s/sa governs the instrumental case. Mnom is the instrumental of ja (“I”). Mene is genitive/accusative. Useful set:

sa mnom/s mnom, s tobom, s njim, s njom, s nama, s vama, s njima
(In standard Croatian, prefer s njim/s njom/s njima, not sa njim.)

How do I pronounce the diacritics here?

ž (in možeš) = “zh” as in “measure”
š (in možeš) = “sh” as in “shoe”
č (in večeras) = hard “ch” as in “church”
Note that večeras has č, not ć (which is a softer sound).

How is moći conjugated for replies?

Present: mogu, možeš, može, možemo, možete, mogu.
Past l-participle: mogao (m), mogla (f), mogli (pl).
Short answers: Mogu. / Ne mogu.

How do I answer the question politely?

Yes: Da, mogu (večeras). / Mogu, ali malo kasnije.
No: Nažalost, ne mogu večeras. / Žao mi je, ne mogu. You can also suggest alternatives: Mogu sutra.

How do I say “with him/her/us/them” instead of “with me”?

Use s/sa + instrumental:

sa mnom/s mnom, s tobom, s njim, s njom, s nama, s vama, s njima
In Croatian standard, s njim/s njom/s njima is preferred (not sa njim).

Is there a difference between večeras and noćas?

Večeras = this evening/tonight (evening time).
Noćas = during the night; in Croatian it’s often ambiguous (can mean “last night” or “tonight later at night”). If you want to be clear, stick with večeras for this evening.

Is samnom one word?

No. It must be two words: sa mnom. Writing samnom is a common mistake.

How would I ask “Can’t you play…?” (negative question)?

Neutral surprise/expectation: Zar ne možeš večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom?
More formal/literary: Ne možeš li večeras igrati nogomet sa mnom?
Colloquially, people may also say with rising intonation: Ne možeš večeras igrati…? (often expressing disappointment/surprise).

What about other verbs like “play an instrument” or “play a match”?

Sports/games: igrati (e.g., igrati šah, igrati nogomet).
Musical instruments: svirati (e.g., svirati gitaru).
Starting to play: zaigrati (“to start playing”).
Playing a match to completion: odigrati utakmicu (rather than odigrati nogomet).