Modal Verbs with Infinitives
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Modal verbs like 'can' or 'must' pair with an infinitive to express ability, obligation, or desire in Croatian.
- Conjugate the modal verb to match the subject: 'Ja mogu' (I can).
- Keep the second verb in its dictionary (infinitive) form: 'raditi' (to work).
- The infinitive usually follows the modal directly: 'Mogu raditi' (I can work).
Meanings
Modal verbs are 'helper' verbs that express the speaker's attitude toward an action, such as necessity, possibility, permission, or desire. In Croatian, these verbs are followed by an infinitive (the form ending in -ti or -ći).
Ability (Moći)
Expressing physical or mental capability to perform an action.
“Mogu plivati vrlo brzo.”
“Možeš li mi pomoći?”
Obligation (Morati)
Expressing a strong necessity or requirement.
“Moram ići na posao.”
“Moraš više učiti.”
Desire (Htjeti)
Expressing a wish, want, or intention.
“Hoću piti kavu.”
“Želiš li gledati film?”
Permission (Smjeti)
Expressing being allowed to do something or prohibition (in negative).
“Smijem li ući?”
“Djeca ne smiju trčati ovdje.”
Advice/Necessity (Trebati)
Expressing what should be done or what is needed.
“Trebam kupiti nove cipele.”
“Trebaš više spavati.”
Conjugation of Common Modal Verbs (Present Tense)
| Subject | Moći (Can) | Morati (Must) | Htjeti (Want) | Smjeti (May) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja | mogu | moram | hoću | smijem |
| Ti | možeš | moraš | hoćeš | smiješ |
| On/Ona/Ono | može | mora | hoće | smije |
| Mi | možemo | moramo | hoćemo | smijemo |
| Vi | možete | morate | hoćete | smijete |
| Oni/One/Ona | mogu | moraju | hoće | smiju |
Short (Clitic) Forms of Htjeti (used for Future, not usually for 'Want')
| Subject | Short Form | Negative Form |
|---|---|---|
| Ja | ću | neću |
| Ti | ćeš | nećeš |
| On/Ona | će | neće |
| Mi | ćemo | nećemo |
| Vi | ćete | nećete |
| Oni | će | neće |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + Modal + Infinitive | Ja moram učiti. |
| Negative | Subject + ne + Modal + Infinitive | Ti ne možeš doći. |
| Question (li) | Modal + li + Subject + Infinitive | Možeš li mi pomoći? |
| Question (da li) | Da li + Subject + Modal + Infinitive | Da li on mora ići? |
| Reflexive | Modal + se + Infinitive | Moram se tuširati. |
| Past Tense | Modal (Past) + Infinitive | Mogao sam raditi. |
| Future Tense | Modal (Future) + Infinitive | Morat ću učiti. |
| Conditional | Modal (Conditional) + Infinitive | Mogao bih spavati. |
Formalitätsspektrum
Smijem li se udaljiti s radnog mjesta? (Leaving a location)
Mogu li ići kući? (Leaving a location)
Mogu doma? (Leaving a location)
Gibam ja, može? (Leaving a location)
The Spectrum of Modality
Ability
- moći can/be able to
Obligation
- morati must/have to
Permission
- smjeti may/be allowed to
Desire
- htjeti want/will
Advice
- trebati should/need
Infinitive vs. Da-Construction
How to build a modal sentence
Is it a question?
Is it negative?
Is there a reflexive 'se'?
Common Infinitives used with Modals
Daily Life
- • spavati
- • jesti
- • piti
- • ići
Work/Study
- • raditi
- • učiti
- • pisati
- • čitati
Social
- • pričati
- • pomoći
- • doći
- • vidjeti
Beispiele nach Niveau
Ja mogu pjevati.
I can sing.
On mora raditi.
He must work.
Hoćeš li piti vodu?
Do you want to drink water?
Ne smijem jesti čokoladu.
I am not allowed to eat chocolate.
Možemo li ići u kino?
Can we go to the cinema?
Moraš kupiti kruh i mlijeko.
You must buy bread and milk.
Neću gledati taj film.
I don't want to watch that movie.
Smijete li pušiti ovdje?
Are you allowed to smoke here?
Trebam li donijeti nešto za jelo?
Should I bring something to eat?
Oni bi mogli zakasniti na sastanak.
They might be late for the meeting.
Moraš se više odmarati ako si bolestan.
You must rest more if you are sick.
Nismo htjeli smetati, ali imamo pitanje.
We didn't want to bother you, but we have a question.
Moglo bi se reći da je situacija komplicirana.
One could say that the situation is complicated.
Nisi smio to reći pred svima.
You shouldn't have said that in front of everyone.
Trebali bismo razmotriti sve opcije.
We should consider all options.
On ne želi priznati svoju pogrešku.
He doesn't want to admit his mistake.
Smije li se uopće sumnjati u njegove namjere?
Can one even doubt his intentions?
Mogao si barem nazvati da javiš da kasniš.
You could have at least called to say you're late.
Htio-ne htio, moraš se suočiti s istinom.
Whether you want to or not, you must face the truth.
Ne bi se smjelo dopustiti takvo ponašanje.
Such behavior should not be allowed.
Moglo bi se u nedogled raspravljati o uzrocima krize.
One could debate the causes of the crisis indefinitely.
On kao da ne smije ni pisnuti u njezinoj prisutnosti.
It's as if he doesn't dare even squeak in her presence.
Trebalo bi, dakako, uvažiti i drugačija mišljenja.
One should, of course, take other opinions into account as well.
Htjeli mi to priznati ili ne, svijet se mijenja.
Whether we want to admit it or not, the world is changing.
Leicht verwechselbar
Both mean 'to want', but 'htjeti' is also used to form the future tense.
Learners often say 'Ja trebam ići' while textbooks say 'Treba mi ići'.
Both can mean 'can', but 'umjeti' refers to a learned skill.
Häufige Fehler
Ja mogu radim.
Ja mogu raditi.
Hoću za piti.
Hoću piti.
Oni može ići.
Oni mogu ići.
Ne moram raditi.
Ne moram raditi.
Možeš li mi se pomoći?
Možeš li mi pomoći?
Smijem ja ući?
Smijem li ući?
Moraš da učiš.
Moraš učiti.
Trebam knjigu.
Trebam knjigu.
Mogao sam radim.
Mogao sam raditi.
Ne smiješ ne doći.
Moraš doći.
Htio sam da bih išao.
Htio sam ići.
Satzmuster
Ja moram ___ svaki dan.
Možeš li mi ___?
Ne smijemo ___ u ovoj zgradi.
Trebali bismo ___ o tom problemu.
Real World Usage
Možeš li doći?
Mogu raditi u timu.
Hoću naručiti pizzu.
Možete li mi reći gdje je ljekarna?
Morate piti puno vode.
Ne smijete propustiti ovaj video!
The 'Se' Slide
No 'To' Allowed
Polite 'Moći'
The 'Da' Trap
Smart Tips
Check if the first one is a modal. If it is, the second one MUST be an infinitive ending in -ti or -ći.
Use 'li' after the modal verb for a more natural, native sound.
Don't overthink the impersonal form. In conversation, 'Trebam' + infinitive is totally fine.
Sandwich the 'se' between the modal and the infinitive.
Aussprache
Vowel Length in 'Moći'
The 'o' in 'mogu' is short, but the 'o' in 'možeš' is often slightly longer in some dialects.
The 'H' in 'Htjeti'
The 'h' is often silent or very soft in spoken Croatian, especially in the forms 'hoću', 'hoćeš'.
Question Intonation
Možeš li doći? ↑
Rising pitch at the end for a yes/no question.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
M-M-H-S-T: Moći, Morati, Htjeti, Smjeti, Trebati. (My Mother Has Some Tea).
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a 'Helper Robot' (the Modal Verb) holding a 'Tool' (the Infinitive). The robot changes its hat (conjugation) to match the owner, but the tool always looks the same.
Rhyme
Kad se modalni glagol u rečenici nađe, infinitiv ga prati da se lakše snađe.
Story
Marko *mora* (must) ići u školu, ali on *hoće* (wants) igrati nogomet. Njegova mama kaže da *ne smije* (is not allowed) izaći dok ne završi zadaću. Marko se pita: '*Mogu* (can) li to brzo uraditi?'
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write 5 sentences about your dream vacation using a different modal verb in each one (e.g., 'Mogu vidjeti more', 'Hoću jesti ribu').
Kulturelle Hinweise
In Dalmatia, you might hear 'moraš' shortened or the infinitive ending '-ti' dropped to '-t' (e.g., 'Moraš radit').
People in Zagreb often use 'bum' instead of 'hoću' for future intent, but they still use standard modals for ability and necessity.
Using 'smjeti' (may) instead of 'moći' (can) is considered much more polite when asking for permission in formal settings like a bank or a government office.
Most Croatian modal verbs come from Proto-Slavic roots. For example, 'moći' comes from the root *mogti, related to power and strength.
Gesprächseinstiege
Što moraš uraditi danas?
Možeš li mi preporučiti dobar restoran?
Smijemo li parkirati auto ovdje?
Što bi se trebalo promijeniti u tvom gradu?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Test Yourself
Oni ___ pjevati jako dobro.
Ja moram ___ danas.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ti hoćeš za piti kavu.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Ja se moram ___.
___ li ući u sobu?
Find and fix the mistake:
Mi možemo radimo zajedno.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesOni ___ pjevati jako dobro.
Ja moram ___ danas.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ti hoćeš za piti kavu.
li / mi / Možeš / pomoći / ?
1. Morati, 2. Smjeti, 3. Moći
Ja se moram ___.
___ li ući u sobu?
Find and fix the mistake:
Mi možemo radimo zajedno.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Yes, you can say `Moram da radim`, but in Croatia, `Moram raditi` is much more common and preferred.
`Htjeti` is more direct and also used for the future, while `željeti` is more like 'to wish' and is slightly more polite.
It is `oni mogu`. Note that it is the same as the 'I' form (`ja mogu`).
Usually between the modal and the infinitive: `Moram se tuširati`.
No, it can also be a regular verb meaning 'to need something' (e.g., `Trebam novac`).
Use the past tense of 'moći': `Nisam mogao` (for men) or `Nisam mogla` (for women) + infinitive.
Yes! `Moram moći raditi` (I must be able to work). Only the first one conjugates.
Yes, `Ne smiješ` means 'You are not allowed to' or 'You must not'.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
can, must, want to
Croatian doesn't use a 'to' equivalent between the modal and the infinitive.
können, müssen, wollen
Word order: Croatian is more flexible, German is rigid.
pouvoir, devoir, vouloir
French has more complex mood requirements (like subjunctive) in related structures.
poder, deber, querer
Spanish often uses 'que' with some modals (tener que), which Croatian doesn't do.
yastati' (can), yajibu (must)
Arabic uses a particle and a conjugated second verb instead of an infinitive.
~tai (want), ~nakereba naranai (must)
Japanese modality is expressed through verb endings, not separate words.
néng (can), yào (want), děi (must)
No conjugation in Chinese; Croatian requires matching the subject.
