Breakdown of Večeras moram završiti ovaj težak zadatak.
večeras
tonight
morati
to have to
ovaj
this
težak
difficult
Questions & Answers about Večeras moram završiti ovaj težak zadatak.
Is the word order fixed? Could I also say Moram večeras završiti ovaj težak zadatak?
The word order is not strictly fixed, and Moram večeras završiti ovaj težak zadatak is correct.
Večeras moram završiti ovaj težak zadatak.
– Slight emphasis on when: This evening I have to finish…Moram večeras završiti ovaj težak zadatak.
– Slightly more neutral; you’re just inserting the time into the middle of the sentence.
Other natural options:
- Večeras moram završiti ovaj težak zadatak.
- Moram završiti ovaj težak zadatak večeras.
- Ovaj težak zadatak moram završiti večeras.
Croatian allows fairly flexible word order; what changes is usually emphasis / focus, not grammatical correctness. The most neutral-sounding for many speakers is the original: time first, then the rest.
Why is moram in the present tense if the action is in the future (tonight)?