The Verb 'Moći' (Can, To be able to)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The verb 'moći' expresses ability, possibility, or permission and is almost always followed by another verb in the infinitive form.
- Use 'mogu' for 'I can' and 'mogu' for 'they can'—the ends are the same! (Ja mogu / Oni mogu)
- The middle forms change 'g' to 'ž' (Ti možeš, On može, Mi možemo, Vi možete).
- Negatives are formed by adding 'ne' as a separate word (Ne mogu, ne možeš).
Present Tense of 'Moći'
| Person | Pronoun | Form | English |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1st Sing.
|
Ja
|
mogu
|
I can
|
|
2nd Sing.
|
Ti
|
možeš
|
You can
|
|
3rd Sing.
|
On/Ona/Ono
|
može
|
He/She/It can
|
|
1st Plur.
|
Mi
|
možemo
|
We can
|
|
2nd Plur.
|
Vi
|
možete
|
You all can
|
|
3rd Plur.
|
Oni/One/Ona
|
mogu
|
They can
|
Meanings
To have the physical or mental ability, the permission, or the possibility to perform an action.
Physical/Mental Ability
Expressing that someone is capable of doing something.
“On može trčati jako brzo.”
“Možeš li pročitati ovo?”
Permission
Asking for or giving permission to do something.
“Možete ući sada.”
“Mogu li dobiti čašu vode?”
Possibility/Probability
Indicating that something is possible or might happen.
“To može biti istina.”
“Možemo zakasniti ako ne krenemo odmah.”
Polite Requests
Using the verb to make a request more polite.
“Možete li mi pomoći?”
“Mogu li vas nešto pitati?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + moći + Infinitive
|
Ja mogu plivati.
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + ne + moći + Infinitive
|
Ti ne možeš doći.
|
|
Question
|
Moći + li + Subject + Infinitive
|
Možeš li mi pomoći?
|
|
Past (M)
|
Subject + sam/si... + mogao + Infinitive
|
On je mogao raditi.
|
|
Past (F)
|
Subject + sam/si... + mogla + Infinitive
|
Ona je mogla raditi.
|
|
Future
|
Subject + ću/ćeš... + moći + Infinitive
|
Ja ću moći doći.
|
|
Conditional
|
Subject + bih/bi... + mogao/la + Infinitive
|
Mogao bih spavati.
|
Spectre de formalité
Biste li mi mogli pomoći? (Asking for assistance)
Možete li mi pomoći? (Asking for assistance)
Možeš li mi pomoći? (Asking for assistance)
Mo'š mi pomoć'? (Asking for assistance)
The Powers of 'Moći'
Ability
- snaga strength
- vještina skill
Permission
- dozvola permission
- sloboda freedom
Possibility
- šansa chance
- vjerojatnost probability
Moći vs. Umjeti
Choosing the Right Form
Is it 1st Sing. or 3rd Plur?
Is it a question?
Exemples par niveau
Ja mogu pjevati.
I can sing.
Možeš li doći?
Can you come?
On ne može spavati.
He cannot sleep.
Možemo li piti kavu?
Can we drink coffee?
Ne mogu naći ključeve.
I can't find the keys.
Možete li ponoviti, molim vas?
Can you repeat, please?
Oni mogu doći sutra.
They can come tomorrow.
Možeš li mi pomoći s torbom?
Can you help me with the bag?
Nisam mogao doći na sastanak.
I couldn't come to the meeting.
Možda ćemo moći putovati na ljeto.
Maybe we will be able to travel in the summer.
To se može lako popraviti.
That can be easily fixed.
Mogao si mi javiti ranije.
You could have let me know earlier.
Ne bi li se moglo reći da je on u pravu?
Couldn't it be said that he is right?
Mogli bismo otići u kino ako si slobodna.
We could go to the cinema if you are free.
Nije se moglo ništa učiniti.
Nothing could be done.
Može biti da su zaboravili na nas.
It could be that they forgot about us.
Moglo bi se pretpostaviti da je on znao za plan.
It could be assumed that he knew about the plan.
Kako si uopće mogao pomisliti tako nešto?
How could you even think such a thing?
Iako je padala kiša, mogli smo nastaviti put.
Even though it was raining, we were able to continue the journey.
Moći ćeš to shvatiti tek kad odrasteš.
You will only be able to understand that when you grow up.
Nije se moglo ne primijetiti njegovo nezadovoljstvo.
It was impossible not to notice his dissatisfaction.
Kad bi se samo moglo vratiti vrijeme.
If only time could be turned back.
Moći i htjeti nisu uvijek ista stvar.
Being able to and wanting to are not always the same thing.
Moglo bi se reći da je on žrtva vlastitog uspjeha.
One could say he is a victim of his own success.
Facile à confondre
Learners use 'moći' for permission when 'smijeti' is more accurate for rules.
Learners use 'moći' for skills like speaking a language or playing an instrument.
Sometimes confused in the future tense because both are modals.
Erreurs courantes
Ja možem
Ja mogu
Oni možu
Oni mogu
Ja mogu radim
Ja mogu raditi
Ne-mogu
Ne mogu
Mogu li ja pomoći tebe?
Mogu li ti pomoći?
Ja sam moći
Mogao sam
Možeš li se?
Možeš li?
Mogao sam da dođem
Mogao sam doći
Ne smijem doći (when meaning ability)
Ne mogu doći
Mogu znati
Umijem / Znam
Moglo bi se da kaže
Moglo bi se reći
Nisam mogao a da ne vidim
Nisam mogao ne vidjeti
Structures de phrases
Mogu li ___?
Ne mogu ___ jer ___.
Možeš li mi ___?
Moglo bi se ___.
Real World Usage
Možeš li danas na kavu?
Mogu početi raditi odmah.
Mogu li dobiti račun?
Možete li mi reći gdje je ljekarna?
Ne mogu vjerovati!
Ne mogu pomicati ruku.
The 'Može' Shortcut
Avoid 'Možem'
Word Order
Politeness
Smart Tips
Just say 'Može!'. It's shorter and more natural than saying 'Slažem se'.
Use 'Možete li mi...' followed by the infinitive. It's the standard polite formula.
Check the subject. If it's 'oni', it means 'they can'. If it's 'ja', it means 'I can'.
Use 'Može biti da...' to start your sentence.
Prononciation
Short-falling accent
The 'o' in 'mogu' has a short-falling accent (mȍgu).
Palatalization
The 'ž' in 'možeš' is a soft, voiced postalveolar fricative, like the 's' in 'pleasure'.
Question Intonation
Možeš li doći? ↑
Rising intonation at the end of the question particle 'li'.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Remember 'MOGU' starts and ends the group: Ja MOGU, Oni MOGU. Everything else is 'MOŽE'.
Association visuelle
Imagine a giant 'G' at the top (Ja) and bottom (Oni) of a ladder, and 'Ž' on all the middle rungs. You need the 'G' to start and finish, but 'Ž' to climb.
Rhyme
Ja mogu, oni mogu, to je plan, možeš, može, možemo svaki dan!
Story
A superhero named 'Mogu' can do anything. When he talks about himself, he says 'Mogu'. When he talks about his team of heroes, he says 'Mogu'. But when he talks to his sidekick, he says 'Možeš'.
Word Web
Défi
Write 5 things you can do today and 5 things you cannot do using 'mogu' and 'ne mogu'.
Notes culturelles
Using 'Može!' as a response is the ultimate way to sound like a local. It replaces 'Okay', 'I agree', and 'Let's do it'.
In Dalmatia, you might hear 'more' instead of 'može'. It is a very common dialectal variation.
In formal settings, using the conditional 'Mogli biste' is much more polite than the direct 'Možete'.
Derived from the Proto-Slavic root *mogti, which is related to power and strength.
Amorces de conversation
Što možeš raditi jako dobro?
Možeš li mi opisati svoj idealan vikend?
Može li se u tvom gradu živjeti bez auta?
Što bi se moglo promijeniti u tvom poslu?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
Ja ___ plivati.
___ li mi pomoći?
Find and fix the mistake:
Oni može doći sutra.
Možemo vidjeti more.
A: Idemo u kino? B: ___!
On ___ raditi.
Select the permission usage.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesJa ___ plivati.
___ li mi pomoći?
Find and fix the mistake:
Oni može doći sutra.
Možemo vidjeti more.
A: Idemo u kino? B: ___!
On ___ raditi.
Select the permission usage.
1. Mi, 2. Vi, 3. Oni
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Yes, in standard Croatian. In some dialects, you might hear `da + present`, but `moći + infinitive` is the safest and most common form.
They look identical! Context and the subject pronoun (ja vs oni) will tell you which one is being used.
It's better to use `znati` (Znam engleski). `Mogu` implies you are physically able to speak at that moment.
Use the conditional: `Mogao bih` (masculine) or `Mogla bih` (feminine).
In Croatian, the negative particle `ne` is written separately from most verbs, including `moći`.
Yes, it's a very common way to agree to a suggestion, similar to 'Sure' or 'Deal'.
It uses the L-participle: `mogao` (m), `mogla` (f), `moglo` (n), combined with the auxiliary `biti` (e.g., `mogao sam`).
Yes, `Može biti` means 'It could be' or 'Maybe'.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Poder
Spanish uses a stem change (o->ue), while Croatian uses a consonant shift (g->ž).
Pouvoir
French has more complex silent endings in conjugation compared to Croatian's clear phonetic endings.
Können
German word order (V2) moves the infinitive to the very end, while Croatian keeps it after 'moći'.
Potential form (~eru / ~rareru)
Croatian uses a separate word ('moći'), while Japanese uses a suffix.
Yastaṭī‘u (يستطيع)
Arabic verbs conjugate for gender and number in much more complex ways than Croatian.
Néng (能) / Kěyǐ (可以)
Chinese has zero conjugation, whereas Croatian 'moći' changes for every person.
