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Questions & Answers about Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese.
Why is adrese used instead of adresu?
Because sjetiti se always takes the genitive case for the thing remembered. adrese is the genitive singular of adresa. Compare:
- Mogu se sjetiti adrese. (affirmative; still genitive)
- Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese.
- With a different verb that takes the accusative: Ne znam adresu.
What is se doing here? Is it mandatory?
Yes. sjetiti se is a reflexive verb meaning to remember or to recall. The clitic se is part of the verb and must be used. Without se, the sentence is ungrammatical. To express to remind, use podsjetiti: Podsjeti me na adresu.
Why does se come after mogu and not directly after sjetiti?
Clitics like se prefer the second position in the clause. In Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese, the first stressed word is mogu, so se comes right after it. Acceptable patterns:
- Ja se ne mogu sjetiti adrese.
- Not natural/incorrect: Ne mogu sjetiti se adrese. or Ne se mogu sjetiti adrese.
Can I say Ne sjećam se adrese instead? What’s the difference?
Yes. Sjećati se (imperfective) describes a state of remembering. Sjetiti se (perfective) focuses on the act of recalling.
- Ne sjećam se adrese. = I don’t have it in memory.
- Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese. = I can’t call it to mind right now. Affirmative event: Sjetio/Sjetila sam se adrese. = I remembered the address.
Is the genitive here because the sentence is negative?
No. It’s because of the verb sjetiti se. The object is genitive in both affirmative and negative sentences: (Ne) mogu se sjetiti adrese. Negation by itself does not force genitive with every verb.
How would I replace adrese with a pronoun?
Since adresa is feminine, use the feminine genitive pronoun:
- Ne mogu se sjetiti nje. = I can’t remember it/her. (most natural) Or use a neutral demonstrative:
- Ne mogu se sjetiti toga. For a masculine referent, you’ll often see:
- Ne mogu ga se sjetiti. = I can’t remember him/it. (note the fixed order ga se, not se ga)
Could I say Ne mogu zapamtiti adresu? Does it mean the same?
It’s related but not the same. Zapamtiti means to memorize or commit to memory and takes the accusative (adresu). Ne mogu zapamtiti adresu. means it won’t stick in my memory. Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese. means I can’t recall it at this moment.
Is sjetiti always spelled with sj- in Croatian? What about setiti?
Standard Croatian uses the ijekavian form sjetiti (se). Serbian (ekavian) uses setiti (se). Bosnian also uses sjetiti (se). So in Croatian, keep sj-: sjetiti, sjećati.
How do I say it in the past: I couldn’t remember the address?
Use the past of moći with gender agreement and the reflexive:
- Masculine: Nisam se mogao sjetiti adrese.
- Feminine: Nisam se mogla sjetiti adrese. Affirmative past of remembering: Sjetio/Sjetila sam se adrese.
Can I move adrese to the front for emphasis?
Yes. Croatian word order is flexible for emphasis:
- Adrese se ne mogu sjetiti. (emphasizes the address)
- Neutral: Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese.
How do I ask someone: Can you remember the address?
- Informal singular: Možeš li se sjetiti adrese? or Sjećaš li se adrese?
- Polite/plural: Možete li se sjetiti adrese?
How do I say I can’t remember where he lives or his address?
Use a clause after sjetiti se:
- Ne mogu se sjetiti gdje živi. = I can’t remember where he lives.
- Ne mogu se sjetiti njegove adrese. = I can’t remember his address. Croatian also allows sjetiti se + da clauses: Ne mogu se sjetiti da sam ga ikad upoznao.
How is sjetiti pronounced? Is sj like English sh?
No. sj is pronounced as [s] plus a palatal glide [j], roughly like saying syetiti. Do not turn it into š. Also, the ć in sjećati is a soft, short ch-like sound (softer than č).
Why not Ne mogu da se sjetim adrese?
That da-construction is characteristic of Serbian. Standard Croatian prefers the infinitive construction: Ne mogu se sjetiti adrese.
Isn’t adrese also addresses (plural)? How do I know it’s singular here?
Yes, adrese can be nominative/accusative plural or genitive singular. After sjetiti se, the required case is genitive, so here it must be genitive singular: of the address. If you meant plural with sjetiti se, you’d use the genitive plural: sjetiti se adresa.