Learn Hardcore Serbian: Kada se osećaš umorno, možeš da ostaneš u krevetu još malo. - When you feel tired, you can stay in bed a little longer.

Breakdown of Kada se osećaš umorno, možeš da ostaneš u krevetu još malo.

What does kada mean here?

Kada means when. In this sentence, it can also sound like whenever:

In everyday speech, the shorter form kad is also very common.

Why is it se osećaš and not osećaš se?

Because se is a clitic: a short, unstressed word that usually goes in the second position in its clause.

So after kada, the clitic comes immediately after it:

In a simple main clause, you would normally see:

Both forms contain the same pieces; the word order changes because of the clitic rule.

Why isn’t the pronoun ti used?

Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Here, osećaš and možeš both show 2nd person singular, so ti is understood automatically.

You would add ti only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

What does osećaš se mean exactly?