Moramo gledati naprijed.

Moramo means we must or we have to.

It is the 1st person plural present tense form of the verb morati (to have to / must).

A few related forms are:

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

So in this sentence, moramo already tells you the subject is we.

In Croatian, subject pronouns are often left out because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So:

• Moramo gledati naprijed. = We must look ahead.

You could say Mi moramo gledati naprijed, but mi is usually added only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

For example:

• Mi moramo gledati naprijed, a oni ne. = We must look ahead, but they do not.

Because morati is a modal-type verb, and it is commonly followed by another verb in the infinitive.

So the structure is:

• moramo
  • gledati
• we must
  • look

This is very similar to English:

• We must go
• We must wait
• We must look ahead

Other examples in Croatian:

• Moram raditi. = I must work.
• Morate učiti. = You must study.
• Moraju otići. = They must leave.

Because only the first verb is conjugated here.

In Moramo gledati naprijed:

• moramo is conjugated
• gledati stays in the infinitive

If you said gledamo, that would mean we are looking / we look, and the sentence structure would change.

Compare:

• Gledamo naprijed. = We are looking ahead / We look ahead.
• Moramo gledati naprijed. = We must look ahead.

So after moramo, Croatian normally uses the infinitive, not another finite verb form.

Naprijed means forward, ahead, or sometimes onward.

In this sentence, it is used in a more figurative sense:

• gledati naprijed = to look ahead, meaning to think about the future and keep moving forward

It can also be used literally in some contexts:

• Idi naprijed. = Go forward.
• Pogledaj naprijed. = Look ahead.

So here it can be understood either literally or figuratively, depending on context, but very often it suggests focusing on the future.

They are very close, and in many contexts both can mean forward / ahead.

However, naprijed is the standard form you will very often see in this kind of expression, especially in phrases like:

• ići naprijed = to go forward
• gledati naprijed = to look ahead

In everyday speech, some speakers may also use napred. The exact preference can vary by region and style, but for a learner, naprijed is a very safe and standard choice in this sentence.

Yes, it can be.

Literally, it means to look ahead, but it is also commonly used more figuratively, like English look ahead or move forward emotionally, mentally, or practically.

For example, it can suggest:

• focusing on the future
• not staying stuck in the past
• continuing despite difficulties

So Moramo gledati naprijed can sound quite natural in serious, motivational, or emotional contexts.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but the version Moramo gledati naprijed is the most neutral and natural.

Other possible orders include:

• Naprijed moramo gledati.
• Gledati naprijed moramo.

These are possible, but they usually add emphasis or sound more marked, poetic, or context-dependent.

As a learner, it is best to treat:

• Moramo gledati naprijed

as the normal default order.

Gledati is generally an imperfective verb.

Croatian verbs often come in aspect pairs:

• gledati = imperfective, ongoing/repeated/general to watch / to look
• a perfective partner might be something like pogledati in some contexts, meaning to take a look / to look once

In this sentence, gledati is natural because the meaning is not about one single completed look. It is about a general attitude or ongoing direction:

• we must look ahead
• we must keep our eyes on the future

So the imperfective verb fits well.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

• MO-ra-mo GLE-da-ti na-PRYED

A few tips:

• r in Croatian is rolled or tapped
• lj, nj, j sounds can be different from English, but here the main thing is j in naprijed, which sounds like English y
• ije in naprijed is pronounced roughly like yee-eh compressed together, though exact pronunciation depends a little on accent and region

So naprijed sounds approximately like:

• na-pryeed

This is only an approximation, but it will help you get close.

Yes, depending on context, that can be a very natural translation.

Strictly speaking:

• moramo most directly means we must or we have to

But in English, we need to is often used where Croatian has moramo, especially if the tone is less strict and more practical or encouraging.

So possible translations include:

• We must look ahead.
• We have to look ahead.
• We need to look ahead.

The best choice depends on the tone of the original context.

Yes, but it changes the expression slightly.

• gledati naprijed = look ahead / look forward, often idiomatic
• gledati u budućnost = look into the future

U budućnost is more explicit because it directly says into the future.
Naprijed is shorter, more natural in many everyday phrases, and often more idiomatic.

Compare:

• Moramo gledati naprijed. = We must look ahead.
• Moramo gledati u budućnost. = We must look to the future.

Both can work, but they are not exactly identical in style.

It works in both.

Moramo gledati naprijed is a normal, natural sentence. It can appear in:

• everyday conversation
• advice
• emotional discussions
• speeches
• news or public statements
• motivational language

It does sound a little serious or reflective because of the meaning, but grammatically and stylistically it is completely normal Croatian.