Da li mogu da uzmem ovu košulju i da platim sutra?

and

Breakdown of Da li mogu da uzmem ovu košulju i da platim sutra?

• da li: do
• sutra: tomorrow
• moći: can

Questions & Answers about Da li mogu da uzmem ovu košulju i da platim sutra?

What does da li do at the beginning of the sentence?

Da li is a very common way to turn a statement into a yes/no question in Serbian.

So:

• Mogu da uzmem ovu košulju... = I can take this shirt...
• Da li mogu da uzmem ovu košulju...? = Can I take this shirt...?

It does not have a neat one-word English equivalent. Think of it as a question marker.

A very common alternative is:

• Mogu li da uzmem ovu košulju i da platim sutra?

That means the same thing and is often felt to be a bit shorter or smoother.

Why is it mogu? What form is that?

Mogu is the 1st person singular present form of moći (to be able / can).

So here it means I can / may I.

This verb is a little irregular, which is why learners often notice it. Its present tense goes like this:

• ja mogu = I can
• ti možeš = you can
• on/ona/ono može = he/she/it can
• mi možemo = we can
• vi možete = you can (plural/formal)
• oni/one/ona mogu = they can

Notice that mogu is used for both I can and they can. The subject or context tells you which one is meant.

Why does Serbian use da uzmem and instead of an infinitive like English?