Možeš li mi dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?

Možeš li means Can you...?

It comes from the verb moći = to be able / can.

• možeš = you can (2nd person singular)
• li = a question particle often used in yes/no questions

So:

• Možeš. = You can.
• Možeš li...? = Can you...?

This is a very common Croatian way to form polite, neutral questions.

In Croatian, li usually comes right after the first stressed word, and very often that is the verb.

So:

• Možeš li mi dati... ?

is the normal structure.

You generally do not say:

• Li možeš mi dati... ✘

This placement is part of Croatian clitic word order, which learners often need time to get used to.

mi means to me.

It is the short form of the pronoun ja in the dative case:

• ja = I
• meni = to me
• mi = to me (short/clitic form)

So:

• Možeš li mi dati... = Can you give me...

The sentence is literally something like:

• Can you to me give...

but in natural English that becomes Can you give me...

Because after the modal verb moći (can / be able to), Croatian normally uses an infinitive.

So:

• možeš dati = you can give
• mogu doći = I can come
• možemo jesti = we can eat

In this sentence:

• Možeš li mi dati... = Can you give me...

So dati is the infinitive to give.

Because dati takes a direct object, and the direct object here is in the accusative case.

The thing being given is druga žličica in the dictionary form:

• druga žličica = another / second spoon (nominative)

But as the object of dati, it changes to accusative:

• drugu žličicu

Both words change because druga agrees with žličica in:

• gender: feminine
• number: singular
• case: accusative

So:

• nominative: druga žličica
• accusative: drugu žličicu

It can mean either, depending on context.

drugi / druga / drugo often means:

• second
• another / a different one

In this sentence, drugu žličicu will usually be understood as:

• another spoon
• or a different spoon

If the situation is about numbered items, it could also mean the second spoon, but in everyday speech it often just means another one.

Yes.

• žlica = spoon
• žličica = small spoon / teaspoon

The ending -ica often creates a smaller or more specific version of something.

So žličica is not just any spoon: it usually suggests a smaller spoon, such as a teaspoon or dessert spoon.

That fits well with jogurt, since yogurt is often eaten with a small spoon.

za here means for.

So:

• žličica za jogurt = a spoon for yogurt

This phrase tells us the purpose of the spoon.

Croatian often uses za + accusative to mean:

• for something
• intended for something
• used for something

Examples:

• čaša za vodu = a glass for water
• žlica za juhu = a spoon for soup
• četka za kosu = a hairbrush / a brush for hair

So za jogurt means the spoon is meant for eating yogurt.

It is in a case: after za, it is in the accusative.

The noun jogurt is masculine and inanimate. For many masculine inanimate nouns in Croatian, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: jogurt
• accusative: jogurt

That is why you do not see a visible change.

If the noun were different, the form might change more clearly.

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but not completely free.

The neutral, natural version is:

• Možeš li mi dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?

This puts the question particle li and the clitic mi in their normal early position.

You may also hear variations for emphasis, but clitics like li and mi follow special placement rules and usually stay near the beginning.

For a learner, this sentence is a very good standard pattern to remember as a whole.

Yes, but it changes the tone.

With li:

• Možeš li mi dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?
• neutral, standard Can you give me another spoon for yogurt?

Without li, spoken language may rely on intonation:

• Možeš mi dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?

This can still work in conversation, but Možeš li... is the clearer and more standard question form for learners.

Yes, it is polite enough in everyday informal situations, especially with one person you address as ti.

• Možeš li mi dati... = informal singular Can you give me...

If you want to be more polite or you are speaking to someone formally, use možete:

• Možete li mi dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?

You can also soften it further with:

• molim te = please (informal)
• molim vas = please (formal/plural)

For example:

• Možeš li mi, molim te, dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?
• Možete li mi, molim vas, dati drugu žličicu za jogurt?

Because both are clitic-like short words that prefer specific positions in Croatian.

In this sentence:

• možeš = main verb
• li = question particle
• mi = short pronoun to me

Croatian often places these short unstressed words early in the sentence, usually after the first stressed element.

So the sequence:

• Možeš li mi dati...

sounds natural.

This is one of the patterns learners should memorize, because clitic placement in Croatian is important and not always easy to predict from English.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• žličicu = small spoon / teaspoon
• žlicu = spoon (often a larger spoon)

So:

• Možeš li mi dati drugu žličicu za jogurt? = Can you give me another small spoon for yogurt?
• Možeš li mi dati drugu žlicu za jogurt? = Can you give me another spoon for yogurt?

For yogurt, žličica often sounds more natural, because people usually eat yogurt with a smaller spoon.