Breakdown of Korisnik sme da uđe u čitaonicu.
u
in
ući
to enter
korisnik
a user; patron
čitaonica
a reading room
Questions & Answers about Korisnik sme da uđe u čitaonicu.
Why is it sme da uđe and not just one verb meaning can enter?
In Serbian, modal meanings like may / is allowed to are often expressed with a verb plus da + a present-tense form of another verb.
So here:
- sme = is allowed / may
- da uđe = to enter / that he/she enters
Together, sme da uđe means may enter or is allowed to enter.
This da + present structure is extremely common in Serbian, especially in everyday speech.
What verb is sme from?
Sme comes from the verb smeti.
In this sentence, sme is the 3rd person singular form, so it matches korisnik:
- ja smem = I may / I am allowed
- ti smeš = you may
- on/ona/ono sme = he/she/it may
- mi smemo
- vi smete
- oni smeju
So:
- Korisnik sme... = The user/patron may...
Does smeti mean may, can, or must?