Danas ne mogu da putujem, jer nemam kartu.

to have

Breakdown of Danas ne mogu da putujem, jer nemam kartu.

• ne: not
• danas: today
• moći: can

Questions & Answers about Danas ne mogu da putujem, jer nemam kartu.

Why isn’t ja used here? Shouldn’t it be Ja danas ne mogu...?

In Serbian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

• mogu = I can
• putujem = I travel / am traveling
• nemam = I do not have

So ja is not necessary. You would add ja only for emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Ja danas ne mogu da putujem, a on može.
  = I can’t travel today, but he can.

The sentence without ja sounds natural and normal.

What exactly is ne mogu?

Ne mogu is the negative form of mogu, which comes from the verb moći = to be able, can.

• mogu = I can
• ne mogu = I cannot / I can’t

It is:

• present tense
• 1st person singular
• used as a modal verb, like English can

So ne mogu da putujem literally means I cannot travel.

Why does Serbian use da putujem instead of an infinitive like putovati?

After modal verbs such as , Serbian very often uses: