Questions & Answers about Vodoinstalater mora da popravi tuš.
Why is it mora da popravi and not just must repair with one verb, like in English?
In Serbian, modal meanings like must are often expressed with a finite verb plus da + another finite verb:
- mora da popravi = must repair / has to repair
Here:
- mora = must / has to
- da popravi = literally something like that he repairs, but in modern Serbian this is a normal way to say to repair after many verbs
This is one of the most common Serbian patterns. You may also sometimes see the infinitive after modal verbs, but da + present tense is extremely common and very natural.
What form is mora?
Mora is the 3rd person singular present of morati = to have to / must.
So:
- ja moram = I must
- ti moraš = you must
- on/ona/ono mora = he/she/it must
Since vodoinstalater is a singular subject, mora is the correct form.
Why is the second verb popravi and not popravlja?
This is about aspect, which is very important in Serbian.
- popraviti = →