Možeš doći bilo kada.

to be able to

Breakdown of Možeš doći bilo kada.

• doći: to come
• bilo kada: at any time

Questions & Answers about Možeš doći bilo kada.

What does Možeš mean, and why is there no separate word for “you”?

Možeš is the 2nd person singular present form of the verb moći = to be able / can / may.

• moći = to be able, can, may
• možeš = you can / you may

In Croatian, the subject pronoun (ti = “you”) is usually dropped, because it is already clear from the verb ending:

• (Ti) možeš = You can
• The -eš ending tells us it’s “you (singular)”, so you don’t need to say ti.

You would only add ti (Ti možeš doći bilo kada) for emphasis, like “YOU can come anytime (as opposed to someone else).”

What exactly is doći here? Is it an infinitive like English “to come”?

Yes. doći is the infinitive form of the verb meaning “to come (arrive)”.

• doći = to come, to arrive (perfective aspect)

In the sentence:

• Možeš doći bilo kada.
  = You can come anytime.

možeš (you can) is the modal verb, and doći is the infinitive that follows it, just like English “can come”.

Why is it doći and not dolaziti? What’s the difference?

Croatian has aspect: most verbs come in pairs:

• doći – to come (once, arrive; perfective)
• dolaziti – to be coming / to come repeatedly / habitually; imperfective

In Možeš doći bilo kada, doći is used because we’re talking about a single act of coming at some chosen time:

• Možeš doći bilo kada.
  = You can (at some time of your choosing) come (once).

If you used dolaziti, it would suggest repeated or habitual coming, e.g.:

• Možeš dolaziti kad god želiš.
  = You can come (repeatedly) whenever you want.

So in your sentence, doći is the natural choice, because we mean “come (once) anytime you like.”

What does bilo kada literally mean, and how is it formed?

Literally:

• bilo – “(it) was / would be / may be” (a form of biti = “to be”), but here it functions as a marker of indefiniteness, like “any-”.
• kada – when

Together, bilo kada works as an indefinite adverb of time, meaning:

• bilo kada = anytime / at any time / whenever

So:

• Možeš doći bilo kada.
  = You can come anytime.

Is there a difference between bilo kada, bilo kad, and ikad?

Yes, there are nuances:

1. bilo kada / bilo kad

   • Both mean “anytime / at any time” (positive, open choice).
   • bilo kada (two words) is a bit more formal/standard in writing.
   • bilo kad (two words, with “kad” instead of “kada”) is more colloquial; you’ll hear it often in speech.
   • Example: Možeš doći bilo kada/bilo kad. = You can come anytime.

2. ikad

   • Usually means “ever / at any time (in your life / in general)”, often in questions or negatives:
     • Jesi li ikad bio u Zagrebu? – Have you ever been to Zagreb?
     • Ne možeš ikad doći. sounds wrong; you wouldn’t use ikad here.

For “You can come anytime”, the natural choice is bilo kada or bilo kad, not ikad.

Can I change the word order, like Bilo kada možeš doći? Does that sound ok?

Yes, you can change the word order; Croatian word order is quite flexible.

• Možeš doći bilo kada.
• Bilo kada možeš doći.

Both are grammatically correct and understandable.

The neutral order here is:

• Možeš doći bilo kada.

Putting bilo kada at the beginning:

• Bilo kada možeš doći.

gives a bit more emphasis to “anytime”, like:

• “Anytime, you can come.”
• “Whenever, you can come.”

It’s not wrong; it just slightly changes what is in focus. In normal conversation, the original order is more common.

Does Možeš here mean “you can” (ability) or “you may” (permission)?

It can mean either, depending on context, just like English “can”:

• Ability:
  “You are able to come anytime” (e.g. you live nearby, your schedule is flexible).

• Permission / invitation:
  “You are allowed to / you’re welcome to come anytime.”

In everyday speech, Možeš doći bilo kada is normally understood as friendly permission / an open invitation, closer to:

• “You can come anytime (you like).”
• or even “Feel free to come anytime.”

How would I say this to more than one person, or in a polite/formal way?

You switch to the “vi” form (2nd person plural), which is also used as formal singular:

• Možete doći bilo kada.
  = You can (polite/formal or plural) come anytime.

Examples:

• Talking to a friend (informal, 1 person):
  Možeš doći bilo kada.

• Talking to your boss or a group (formal/plural):
  Možete doći bilo kada.

Could I add something like “you like” at the end, like “anytime you like”?

Yes, very natural options include:

• Možeš doći bilo kada želiš.
  = You can come anytime you want/like.

• Možeš doći kad god želiš.
  = You can come whenever you want.

Nuance:

• bilo kada želiš – literally “anytime you want”.
• kad god želiš – literally “whenever you want”, very idiomatic.

Your original sentence is already fine as an open invitation; adding želiš just makes the “whenever you want” part more explicit.

Is moći an irregular verb? How do some of its forms look?

Yes, moći is irregular. Here are the most common present forms:

• ja mogu – I can
• ti možeš – you can (singular, informal)
• on/ona/ono može – he/she/it can
• mi možemo – we can
• vi možete – you can (plural or formal)
• oni/one/ona mogu – they can

So in your sentence:

• Možeš doći bilo kada.
  možeš = you (singular informal) can / may

Do I ever need a preposition like u (“in”) with bilo kada, like “in any time”?

No, not in this sentence. bilo kada itself functions as an adverb of time, so you don’t add u:

• ✅ Možeš doći bilo kada. – You can come anytime.
• ❌ Možeš doći u bilo kada. – incorrect.

If you want a more formal or explicit version with a noun, then you use u:

• Možeš doći u bilo koje vrijeme.
  = You can come at any time (literally: “in any time”).

But with bilo kada, no preposition is needed.