Ako večera počinje kasnije, mogu sada da pijem čaj.

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Breakdown of Ako večera počinje kasnije, mogu sada da pijem čaj.

• piti: to drink
• čaj: tea
• moći: can

Questions & Answers about Ako večera počinje kasnije, mogu sada da pijem čaj.

What does ako mean, and how is it used here?

Ako means if. It introduces a conditional clause.

In this sentence, Ako večera počinje kasnije sets up the condition, and mogu sada da pijem čaj gives the result.

A useful thing to remember is that Serbian often uses the present tense after ako, even in situations where English learners might expect something more future-like.

Is večera a noun here or a verb?

Here, večera is a noun meaning dinner or supper.

You can tell because it is the subject of počinje:

• večera počinje = dinner starts

It is not a verb here. The verb related to eating dinner would be večerati.

Why is the verb počinje?

Počinje is the 3rd person singular present form, matching večera, which is singular.

So:

• večera = dinner
• počinje = starts / is starting / begins

Serbian verbs have endings that show person and number, so počinje tells you the subject is he/she/it or a singular noun like večera.