Tko može otvoriti prozor?

Who can open the window?

Breakdown of Tko može otvoriti prozor?

• moći: to be able to
• tko: who
• prozor: window
• otvoriti: to open

Questions & Answers about Tko može otvoriti prozor?

What does each word in the sentence do?

• Tko — interrogative pronoun meaning who (nominative).
• može — 3rd person singular present of moći (can).
• otvoriti — infinitive to open (perfective aspect).
• prozor — window; masculine inanimate noun in the accusative singular (which looks the same as the nominative for inanimate masculines).

Why is the verb in the singular (može) even though more than one person might be able to do it?

Because tko is grammatically singular. With tko, the verb is always in the 3rd person singular: Tko može…? Saying Tko mogu…? is ungrammatical. Even in phrases like Tko od vas može…? the verb stays singular.

Can I say ko instead of tko?

In standard Croatian, use tko. The form ko is standard in Serbian and common in Bosnian; in Croatia it’s heard colloquially but is non‑standard in writing. Related forms in Croatian keep the t: netko (someone), nitko (no one), itko (anyone, typically in questions/negatives).

How would I ask “Can someone/anyone open the window?” instead of “Who can…?”

• Neutral “someone”: Može li netko otvoriti prozor?
• “Anyone” (in the sense of is there anyone who can): Može li itko otvoriti prozor?
• Colloquial and very common: Može li tko otvoriti prozor?

How do I ask more politely, like “Could someone open the window?”

Use the conditional of moći:

• Bi li netko mogao otvoriti prozor? To address a specific person politely (you-form):
• Biste li mogli otvoriti prozor?

Does moći mean both ability and permission, like English “can”? When should I use smjeti?

• moći expresses ability/possibility and is also used in offers/requests in everyday speech: Možeš li otvoriti prozor?
• smjeti is “to be allowed to” (permission): Smijem li otvoriti prozor? is the most precise way to ask “May I open the window?”

How do you conjugate moći in the present?

• ja mogu
• ti možeš
• on/ona/ono može
• mi možemo
• vi možete
• oni/one/ona mogu

Why is the infinitive otvoriti (perfective)? Could I use otvarati (imperfective) instead?

• otvoriti (perfective) focuses on a single, completed action (open it once) and is the default after modals for a one‑off task: Tko može otvoriti prozor?
• otvarati (imperfective) suggests repeated/ongoing action or a general capacity: Tko može otvarati prozor svakog jutra? (Who can open it every morning?)

Where do object pronouns go if I want to say “Who can open it?”

Use the clitic right after the first stressed word (here, after Tko):

• Tko ga može otvoriti? (Who can open it?) Don’t say: Tko može ga otvoriti? (wrong placement).

Can I change the word order, like Tko može prozor otvoriti?

Yes. Tko može prozor otvoriti? is acceptable and slightly emphasizes the object (prozor). The neutral, most common order is still Tko može otvoriti prozor?

Why doesn’t prozor change form after otvoriti?

It does grammatically change to the accusative, but for masculine inanimate nouns the accusative singular equals the nominative singular, so it stays prozor. Singular forms:

• N: prozor
• G: prozora
• D/L: prozoru
• A: prozor
• I: prozorom

There’s no word for “the” here. How do I know it’s “the window”?

Croatian has no articles; definiteness comes from context. If you need to be explicit, use a demonstrative:

• taj prozor (that window), ovaj prozor (this window), onaj prozor (that one over there).

Can I use li in this question?

Not in the tko-question itself. Li is for yes/no questions. But you can rephrase to a yes/no question meaning “Can someone…?”:

• Može li netko (itko/tko) otvoriti prozor?

How is this pronounced? Any tricky sounds?

• tko: pronounce both consonants; the cluster tk is real.
• može: ž is like the s in English “measure”.
• otvoriti: rolled or tapped r; clear vowels.
• prozor: rolled/tapped r; z as in “zoo”. Stress is typically on the first syllable of these words in standard pronunciation.

How would I ask about past or future ability?

• Past ability: Tko je mogao otvoriti prozor? (Who was able/who could?)
• Future ability: Tko će moći otvoriti prozor? (Who will be able?) If you’re simply asking who will do it (not about ability): Tko će otvoriti prozor?

I’ve heard može da otvori in the region. Is that correct in Croatian?

In standard Croatian, use the infinitive after modals: može otvoriti. The construction može da otvori is characteristic of Serbian/Bosnian. It’s understood but not standard Croatian.

Is dropping the final -i in the infinitive okay in speech?

Yes, colloquially you’ll hear otvorit prozor. In careful or written Croatian, keep the full infinitive: otvoriti.