Da li primate kartice, ili samo gotovinu?

do

Breakdown of Da li primate kartice, ili samo gotovinu?

• ili: or
• primati: to accept
• kartica: card

Questions & Answers about Da li primate kartice, ili samo gotovinu?

What does da li do in this sentence?

Da li is a very common way to form a yes/no question in Serbian.

So:

• Primate kartice. = You accept cards.
• Da li primate kartice? = Do you accept cards?

It does not translate word-for-word into English very neatly; it mainly signals this is a question.

In everyday speech, people also often ask the same thing just with intonation:

• Primate kartice?

That is more conversational, while da li sounds fully standard and clear.

Why is it primate and not something like primaš?

Primate is the 2nd person plural form of primati.

In Serbian, the plural forms are also used for formal singular address, like French vous or German Sie.

So when speaking politely to a cashier, waiter, or shop employee, you usually say:

• Vi primate = you accept (formal / plural)

If you were talking to one friend informally, you would say:

• primaš = you accept (informal singular)

So:

• Da li primaš kartice? = to one friend, informal
• Da li primate kartice? = to staff / strangers / more than one person

What does primate literally mean here?