Moramo prijeći most.

Moramo means we must or we have to.

Its dictionary form is morati, which means to have to / must.

A few present-tense forms are:

• moram = I have to
• moraš = you have to
• mora = he/she/it has to
• moramo = we have to
• morate = you all / you formal have to
• moraju = they have to

So Moramo prijeći most. literally starts with We have to...

Prijeći is an infinitive, meaning to cross.

After morati, Croatian normally uses an infinitive:

• Moramo ići. = We have to go.
• Moramo raditi. = We have to work.
• Moramo prijeći most. = We have to cross the bridge.

So the pattern is:

morati + infinitive

This is mainly about aspect, which is very important in Croatian verbs.

• prijeći is perfective
• prelaziti is imperfective

In this sentence, prijeći is natural because it focuses on completing the action: getting from one side to the other.

So:

• Moramo prijeći most. = We have to cross the bridge.
  → emphasis on successfully crossing it

By contrast, prelaziti would suggest the process, repetition, or a more general activity, and it sounds less natural in this exact sentence unless the context specifically calls for that.

You may also encounter preći, which is a common variant of prijeći in many contexts and varieties.

Most is the direct object of prijeći, so it is in the accusative case.

However, for many masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular looks exactly the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: most = bridge
• accusative: most = bridge

That is why you see most, not a different form.

If the noun were masculine animate, the accusative would usually change. But bridge is inanimate, so the form stays the same.

Croatian does not have articles like English a and the.

So most can mean:

• a bridge
• the bridge

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English often translates it as the bridge, because the situation usually implies a specific bridge.

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here, moramo clearly means we have to, so we is already built into the verb.

You could say:

• Moramo prijeći most.
• Mi moramo prijeći most.

Both are correct, but mi is usually added only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

For example:

• Mi moramo prijeći most, a oni moraju čekati.
  = We have to cross the bridge, and they have to wait.

A rough pronunciation for English speakers is:

priyeh-chi

A few helpful points:

• pri sounds roughly like pree
• je gives a ye-like sound here
• ć is a soft sound, somewhat like a very soft ch

So prijeći is not pronounced like English pry-see or pree-ee-see.

Also:

• č and ć are different sounds in Croatian
• In many learning materials, ć is described as a softer ch

You do not need to pronounce it perfectly at first, but it is good to notice that ć is not the same as plain c.

Moramo is grammatically present tense.

But with modal verbs like morati, the meaning often refers to a present obligation about something that may happen now or in the future.

So Moramo prijeći most. means:

• We have to cross the bridge
• We must cross the bridge

It does not necessarily mean the crossing is happening this exact second. It means the obligation exists now.

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English, though some orders sound more natural than others.

The neutral order here is:

• Moramo prijeći most.

You might also hear:

• Most moramo prijeći.

That version puts more emphasis on the bridge.

Because Croatian uses case endings and verb forms, word order can shift for emphasis, contrast, or style. Still, for learners, the original order is the safest and most natural starting point.

They are very closely related, and in many situations both are understood as to cross / to go across.

• prijeći is the form you will often see in standard dictionaries and teaching materials
• preći is also widely used

For a beginner, it is enough to recognize that both can refer to the same basic action. If your course uses prijeći, it is best to learn that form first.

The structure is:

verb + infinitive + object

More specifically:

• Moramo = finite verb, meaning we have to
• prijeći = infinitive, to cross
• most = object, bridge

So literally it is:

We-have-to cross bridge

This is a very common Croatian pattern, and you can build many sentences with it:

• Moramo kupiti kruh. = We have to buy bread.
• Moramo otvoriti vrata. = We have to open the door.
• Moramo prijeći most. = We have to cross the bridge.