Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor?

May I open the window now?

Breakdown of Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor?

• sada: now
• prozor: window
• otvoriti: to open
• smjeti: to be allowed to

Questions & Answers about Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor?

What does smijem mean, and how is it different from mogu?

Smijem means I am allowed (I have permission), like English may. Mogu means I am able (I can). In everyday speech people often use Mogu li…? to ask permission, but Smijem li…? is clearer if you specifically want to ask about permission and sounds a touch more formal/polite. Examples:

• Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor? = May I open the window now?
• Mogu li sada otvoriti prozor? = Can I open the window now? (commonly understood as asking permission)

How do you conjugate the verb smjeti?

Present tense:

• ja: smijem
• ti: smiješ
• on/ona/ono: smije
• mi: smijemo
• vi: smijete
• oni/one/ona: smiju

Negation: ne smijem, ne smiješ… Past (l‑participle): smio (m), smjela (f), smjelo (n) Future: smjet ću, neću smjeti

Why is li there, and where does it go?

Li is the yes/no question particle. In standard Croatian, you put the conjugated verb first and li right after it:

• Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor? This is the most neutral way to form a yes/no question with li.

Can I say Da li smijem…? Or Je li smijem…?

• Da li smijem…? is common in Serbian and Bosnian. In Croatia it’s heard in casual speech, but neutral standard Croatian prefers Smijem li…?
• Je li is used with to be or to ask is/are…? (e.g., Je li to istina?). You wouldn’t say Je li smijem…?

Can I move sada to another position?

Yes. Common options:

• Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor? (most typical)
• Smijem li otvoriti prozor sada? (also fine; slight end-focus on “now”)
• Sada smijem li otvoriti prozor? sounds marked/unusual. If you front sada, it’s more natural to drop li and use rising intonation: Sada smijem otvoriti prozor?

How do I pronounce the sentence naturally?

• smijem: j = English y; ij sounds like “ee + y” → roughly “SMEE-yem”
• li: short “lee”
• sada: “SAH-dah” (every vowel is pure)
• otvoriti: “oht-VOH-ree-tee” (rolled r)
• prozor: “PROH-zor” (rolled r) Croatian has clear, short vowels; stress and pitch vary regionally, but keeping vowels short and the r rolled will already sound natural.

Why is it otvoriti and not otvarati?

Otvoriti is perfective (a single, completed action), which fits asking to perform one action now. Otvarati is imperfective (ongoing/repeated). Smijem li sada otvarati prozor? would suggest “Is it okay for me to be opening the window (now/regularly)?”, which is a different meaning.

Why doesn’t prozor change its form here?

Prozor is a masculine inanimate noun used as a direct object (accusative case). For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative equals the nominative, so it stays prozor. (For masculine animate nouns, the accusative usually takes the -a ending, e.g., Vidim čovjeka = I see the man.)

Is this sentence polite? Are there more polite ways to ask?

Yes, Smijem li sada otvoriti prozor? is polite. Other options:

• Everyday polite: Mogu li otvoriti prozor?
• Asking someone else to do it: Možete li otvoriti prozor? (formal/plural) / Možeš li otvoriti prozor? (informal)
• Extra polite: Biste li mogli otvoriti prozor? or add molim vas: Možete li, molim vas, otvoriti prozor?

How do I say I’m not allowed to open the window now?

• Statement: Ne smijem sada otvoriti prozor.
• Rhetorical question (protesting): Ne smijem li sada otvoriti prozor? = Am I not allowed to open the window now?

How do I ask Is it allowed to open the window now?

Use the impersonal se construction:

• Smije li se sada otvoriti prozor? You can also say: Je li dopušteno sada otvoriti prozor?

How would people typically answer this question?

Affirmative:

• Smiješ. / Možeš. / Naravno. / Izvoli. Negative or softening:
• Ne smiješ. / Nemoj. / Ne sad. / Pričekaj malo.

If the window has already been mentioned, can I replace prozor with a pronoun?

Yes:

• Smijem li ga sada otvoriti? (ga = it, masculine singular) Clitic order note: with multiple clitics, li comes first, then other clitics (e.g., Smijem li ga sad otvoriti?).

What’s the difference between sada and sad?

Both mean now. Sada is a bit more formal/emphatic; sad is more common in everyday speech. They’re interchangeable here.

Can I form the question without li?

Yes. You can rely on rising intonation:

• Smijem sada otvoriti prozor? This sounds conversational. Using li is a bit more formal/neutral and unambiguous in writing.

If I want someone else to open it, how do I ask?

Use second person:

• Informal: Možeš li otvoriti prozor?
• Formal/plural: Možete li otvoriti prozor?
• Extra polite: Biste li mogli otvoriti prozor? or Možete li, molim vas, otvoriti prozor?

Can I say Smijem li otvorim prozor?

Not in standard Croatian. After smjeti, use the infinitive: Smijem li otvoriti prozor? The da + present alternative (Smijem li da otvorim prozor?) is standard in Serbian; in Croatian it’s considered non‑standard.