Možeš li da mi daš ovu košulju?

A natural word-by-word breakdown is:

• Možeš = you can / are you able
• li = a question particle used in yes/no questions
• da = to / that, introducing the next verb phrase
• mi = to me
• daš = give (specifically you give)
• ovu = this
• košulju = shirt

So the whole sentence is literally something like:

Can you give me this shirt?

or, depending on context,

Could you hand me this shirt?

Možeš is the 2nd person singular present form of moći = to be able / can.

So it means you can when speaking to one person informally.

This sentence is therefore addressed to:

• one person
• in an informal ti relationship

If you wanted the formal or plural version, you would say:

Možete li da mi date ovu košulju?

That means Can/Could you give me this shirt? when speaking politely or to more than one person.

Li is a very common Serbian question particle used to form yes/no questions.

So:

• Možeš da mi daš ovu košulju. = You can give me this shirt.
• Možeš li da mi daš ovu košulju? = Can you give me this shirt?

A useful rule: li usually comes right after the first stressed word, often the verb.

That is why you get:

• Možeš li...

and not normally something like:

• Li možeš...

In Serbian, after many verbs, especially modal-type structures like can, you often use da + present tense.

So:

• Možeš li da mi daš... = literally Can you that you-give me...

This sounds strange in English, but it is normal in Serbian.

You cannot say:

• Možeš li mi daš...

because the second verb here needs the connector da.

A very useful pattern to remember is:

• mogu da uradim = I can do
• možeš da kažeš = you can say
• možemo da idemo = we can go

Yes. Serbian can often use either:

• Možeš li da mi daš ovu košulju?
• Možeš li mi dati ovu košulju?

Both are natural.

The version with da + present is extremely common in everyday Serbian.
The infinitive version is also correct and often feels a bit more compact.

So for a learner, it is best to recognize both patterns:

• moći + da + present
• moći + infinitive

Mi here means to me.

It is the short clitic form of meni.

Compare:

• mi = short, unstressed form
• meni = full, stressed form

In normal sentences, Serbian usually prefers the short clitic form:

• Daj mi knjigu. = Give me the book.

The full form meni is used for emphasis, contrast, or special rhythm:

• Daj meni knjigu, ne njemu. = Give the book to me, not to him.

So in your sentence, mi is the normal choice.

Because mi is a clitic, and Serbian clitics tend to appear early in the clause.

Inside da mi daš, the short pronoun comes before the main verb:

• da mi daš = that you give me

This is a very common Serbian word-order pattern.

So learners should get used to things like:

• da mi kažeš = to tell me
• da ti dam = to give you
• da mu pokažem = to show him

Even though English says give me, Serbian often arranges it as me give within the clause.

Daš is the 2nd person singular present form of the verb dati = to give.

So:

• ja dam = I give
• ti daš = you give
• on/ona/ono da = he/she/it gives

In this sentence, daš matches možeš, because the sentence is talking to you informally.

So the structure is basically:

• Možeš... da daš... = Can you... give...

Because ovu košulju is in the accusative case, which is used here for the direct object of give.

You are giving what?

• this shirt

That direct object must be in the accusative.

So:

• ova košulja = this shirt as a subject
• ovu košulju = this shirt as a direct object

Compare:

• Ova košulja je lepa. = This shirt is nice.
  Here it is the subject, so nominative.

• Daj mi ovu košulju. = Give me this shirt.
  Here it is the object, so accusative.

Both ovu and košulju are feminine singular accusative.

They match because Serbian adjectives, demonstratives, and nouns must agree in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• ovu = accusative feminine singular of ovaj = this
• košulju = accusative feminine singular of košulja = shirt

So they have to go together as:

• ovu košulju

You cannot mix forms from different cases.

The sentence can change somewhat, but not completely freely.

The standard version is:

• Možeš li da mi daš ovu košulju?

You may also hear:

• Možeš li ovu košulju da mi daš?

This can add a little focus to ovu košulju.

But some parts are more restricted:

• li must stay near the beginning, after the first stressed word
• mi as a clitic also tends to stay early

So Serbian word order is flexible, but not random.

It is polite enough in many everyday situations, especially with someone you know and speak to as ti.

Still, its tone depends on:

• your relationship with the person
• your intonation
• the situation

If you want to sound more polite, you can:

• use the formal vi form
• add molim te or molim vas

Examples:

• Možeš li da mi daš ovu košulju, molim te? = informal polite
• Možete li da mi date ovu košulju, molim vas? = formal polite

It can correspond to either, depending on context.

Grammatically, možeš li is literally can you.
But in real usage, it often functions like English could you as a polite request.

So depending on tone, context, and translation style, it may be rendered as:

• Can you give me this shirt?
• Could you give me this shirt?
• Can you hand me this shirt?
• Could you hand me this shirt?

English often chooses between can and could based on politeness, while Serbian handles that more through:

• informal vs formal forms (možeš vs možete)
• extra polite expressions
• tone of voice

A rough English-friendly pronunciation would be:

MO-zhesh li da mi dash O-vu ko-SHOO-lyu

A few key sounds:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• š sounds like sh
• lj is a soft sound, roughly like ly in million, though not exactly the same

So:

• možeš ≈ MO-zhesh
• daš ≈ dash
• košulju ≈ ko-SHOO-lyu

This is only approximate, but it is a useful starting point for an English speaker.