Ovaj kaput mi se ne sviđa; da li mogu da probam sledeći?

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Breakdown of Ovaj kaput mi se ne sviđa; da li mogu da probam sledeći?

• da li: do
• moći: can
• ovaj: this

Questions & Answers about Ovaj kaput mi se ne sviđa; da li mogu da probam sledeći?

Why is it ovaj kaput and not some other form of ovaj?

Because ovaj kaput is the subject of the first clause, so both words are in the nominative singular masculine.

• ovaj = this (masculine nominative singular)
• kaput = coat (masculine nominative singular)

The verb phrase sviđa se works differently from English: the thing that is liked is actually the grammatical subject.

So Serbian literally works more like:

• This coat is pleasing to me.

That is why ovaj kaput stays in the nominative.

Why does Serbian say mi se sviđa instead of just a verb meaning I like?

Because sviđati se / svideti se is structured differently from English.

In Serbian:

• the person who likes something goes in the dative
• the thing liked is the subject
• se is part of the verb expression

So:

• Ovaj kaput mi se sviđa. = literally This coat pleases me = natural English I like this coat

Here:

• mi = to me
• se sviđa = is pleasing / appeals

This is one of the most important patterns to get used to in Serbian.