Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'mora biti' for things you are 90% sure about and 'može biti' for 50/50 possibilities.
- Use 'mora' + infinitive for logical deductions: 'On mora biti umoran' (He must be tired).
- Use 'može' + infinitive for possibilities: 'To može biti istina' (That might be true).
- Negative probability uses 'ne može biti' for impossibility: 'To ne može biti on' (That can't be him).
Conjugation of Modals for Probability (Present Tense)
| Person | Morati (Must/Certainty) | Moći (Can/Possibility) | Negative (Impossibility) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ja
|
moram
|
mogu
|
ne mogu
|
|
Ti
|
moraš
|
možeš
|
ne možeš
|
|
On/Ona/Ono
|
mora
|
može
|
ne može
|
|
Mi
|
moramo
|
možemo
|
ne možemo
|
|
Vi
|
morate
|
možete
|
ne možete
|
|
Oni/One/Ona
|
moraju
|
mogu
|
ne mogu
|
Meanings
Modal verbs in Croatian are used not just for obligation or permission, but to express how likely the speaker thinks a statement is true based on evidence.
Strong Deduction (High Certainty)
Using 'morati' to indicate that, based on logic, something is almost certainly true.
“Mora da se šališ!”
“Oni moraju biti jako bogati kad voze takav auto.”
Possibility (Low to Medium Certainty)
Using 'moći' to indicate that something is possible but not guaranteed.
“To može biti opasno.”
“Može biti da će sutra padati kiša.”
Logical Impossibility
Using the negative 'ne može' to express that something is logically impossible.
“To ne može biti istina!”
“On ne može biti u Zagrebu, vidio sam ga u Splitu.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example | Certainty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative (Strong)
|
Mora + Infinitive
|
On mora biti tamo.
|
90-100%
|
|
Affirmative (Weak)
|
Može + Infinitive
|
To može biti istina.
|
40-60%
|
|
Negative (Impossible)
|
Ne može + Infinitive
|
To ne može biti on.
|
0%
|
|
Colloquial Strong
|
Mora da + Present
|
Mora da si gladan.
|
90-100%
|
|
Conditional (Polite)
|
Moglo bi + Infinitive
|
To bi moglo biti to.
|
30-50%
|
|
Question
|
Može li + Infinitive
|
Može li to biti?
|
Speculative
|
|
Past Probability
|
Morao je + Infinitive
|
Morao je znati.
|
90% (Past)
|
|
Past Possibility
|
Mogao je + Infinitive
|
Mogao je zaboraviti.
|
50% (Past)
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Mora se pretpostaviti da se dotični šali. (Reacting to a surprising statement.)
On se mora šaliti. (Reacting to a surprising statement.)
Mora da se šališ! (Reacting to a surprising statement.)
Ma daj, ziher se brije. (Reacting to a surprising statement.)
The Spectrum of Certainty
Sigurnost (Certainty)
- Mora biti Must be
Mogućnost (Possibility)
- Može biti Can be
- Moglo bi biti Could be
Nemogućnost (Impossibility)
- Ne može biti Can't be
Mora vs. Može
Which Modal Should I Use?
Are you 90% sure?
Is it just a possibility?
Is it impossible?
Common Probability Verbs
High Certainty
- • Mora biti
- • Zasigurno je
- • Mora da je
Low Certainty
- • Može biti
- • Moglo bi biti
- • Možda je
レベル別の例文
On mora biti umoran.
He must be tired.
To može biti skupo.
That can be expensive.
Ona mora biti kod kuće.
She must be at home.
To ne može biti on.
That can't be him.
Oni moraju znati istinu.
They must know the truth.
Može li to biti istina?
Can that be true?
Vrijeme može biti loše sutra.
The weather can be bad tomorrow.
Ti ne možeš biti gladan opet!
You can't be hungry again!
Moglo bi biti da su zakasnili na vlak.
It could be that they missed the train.
Mora da je ključ ostao u autu.
The key must have stayed in the car.
To bi moglo potrajati nekoliko sati.
That could take a few hours.
Ne može biti da si već završio cijelu knjigu!
It can't be that you already finished the whole book!
S obzirom na gužvu, on mora da još uvijek putuje.
Given the traffic, he must still be traveling.
Ova odluka bi mogla imati ozbiljne posljedice.
This decision could have serious consequences.
Ne možeš se ne složiti da je ovo najbolja opcija.
You can't not agree that this is the best option.
Mora biti da su se negdje mimoišli.
It must be that they passed each other somewhere.
Njegova šutnja mora da implicira odobravanje.
His silence must imply approval.
Zasigurno ne može biti govora o slučajnosti u ovom kontekstu.
There certainly can be no talk of coincidence in this context.
Moglo bi se pretpostaviti da su motivi bili političke prirode.
It could be assumed that the motives were of a political nature.
Mora da se u njemu prelomilo nešto važno.
Something important must have snapped inside him.
Uzevši u obzir sve varijable, ishod ne može biti doli katastrofalan.
Taking all variables into account, the outcome cannot be anything but catastrophic.
Mora da je posrijedi nekakav nesporazum dubljih razmjera.
It must be that some kind of deeper misunderstanding is at play.
Teško da se može poreći utjecaj ovih čimbenika na krajnji rezultat.
It can hardly be denied that these factors influenced the final result.
Moglo bi se reći da je on personifikacija same upornosti.
It could be said that he is the personification of persistence itself.
間違えやすい
Learners don't know if 'Moraš biti tamo' means 'You have to be there' or 'You must be there (I'm sure you are)'.
Does 'On može doći' mean 'He is able to come' or 'He might come'?
English speakers use 'don't have to' and 'can't' differently than Croatian.
よくある間違い
On mora je sretan.
On mora biti sretan.
Može on biti ovdje?
Može li on biti ovdje?
Ja mora biti umoran.
Moram biti umoran.
To ne mora biti istina.
To ne može biti istina.
On mora da je umoran.
On mora biti umoran.
To može biti opasno sutra.
To bi moglo biti opasno sutra.
Oni moraju biti radili.
Oni moraju raditi.
On treba biti ovdje do sad.
On bi trebao biti ovdje do sad.
Mora da on se šali.
Mora da se on šali.
Morao je biti tamo jučer.
Mora da je bio tamo jučer.
Ne može biti govora za to.
Ne može biti govora o tome.
Moglo bi se reći da je on bio u pravu.
Moglo bi se reći da je bio u pravu.
文型パターン
On ___ biti ___ jer ___.
To ne ___ biti ___!
Mora da ___ ___.
S obzirom na ___, to bi ___ biti ___.
Real World Usage
Mora da se šališ, to je previše para!
Moje vještine bi mogle biti od velike koristi.
Ovo jelo bi moglo biti jako ljuto, zar ne?
To mora biti alergija.
On ne može biti kriv.
Mora da je bilo super na koncertu!
The 'Da' Shortcut
Don't say 'Ne mora'
Use Conditional for Softness
Regional Nuance
Smart Tips
Use the 'Mora da...' construction followed by the present tense.
If you are guessing based on logic, use 'mora'. If you are guessing based on a schedule, use 'trebao bi'.
Always use 'ne može', never 'ne mora'.
Use 'Mora da je' + past participle.
発音
Falling tone on 'Mora'
The first syllable of 'mora' has a short falling accent in standard Croatian.
Clitic stress
In 'Mora da je', the word 'da' is unstressed and leans on 'mora'.
Deductive emphasis
On MORA biti tamo! (Rising on Mora)
Strong insistence on the deduction.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Mora is a Must (90%), Može is a Maybe (50%).
視覚的連想
Imagine a detective with a magnifying glass. If he finds a fingerprint, he says 'Mora biti on!' (It must be him!). If he finds nothing, he says 'Može biti bilo tko' (It could be anyone).
Rhyme
Ako si siguran, MORAŠ reći to, ako nisi, MOŽEŠ, to je bar prosto.
Story
Marko sees smoke coming from a house. He thinks: 'Mora biti da nešto gori!' (Something must be burning!). He calls the firemen. They say: 'Može biti samo roštilj' (It might just be a BBQ).
Word Web
チャレンジ
Look out your window. Find three things and make a guess about them using 'mora biti' or 'može biti'. (e.g., 'Ovaj auto mora biti nov.')
文化メモ
Standard Croatian prefers the infinitive construction (mora biti).
In Dalmatia, you might hear 'mora bit' (dropping the -i).
In Zagreb, people often use 'bu' for future probability.
The verb 'morati' comes from the Proto-Slavic *morati, originally meaning 'to take care of' or 'to strive'. 'Moći' comes from *mogti, meaning 'to be able'.
会話のきっかけ
Što misliš, gdje je tvoj najbolji prijatelj sada?
Pogledaj kroz prozor. Kakvo će vrijeme biti sutra?
Što bi mogao biti razlog zašto netko kasni na prvi spoj?
Koje bi mogle biti dugoročne posljedice umjetne inteligencije?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Vani je mrak i hladno. On ___ biti unutra. (90% certainty)
Kako se kaže 'It can't be him'?
Find and fix the mistake:
Mora da on se šali.
Možda je on gladan.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Gdje je Marko? B: Ne znam, ___ biti u uredu.
In Croatian, 'morati' can only be used for rules and obligations.
To / ne / moći / biti / istina
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesVani je mrak i hladno. On ___ biti unutra. (90% certainty)
Kako se kaže 'It can't be him'?
Find and fix the mistake:
Mora da on se šali.
Možda je on gladan.
1. Evidence is clear. 2. Just a guess. 3. Impossible.
A: Gdje je Marko? B: Ne znam, ___ biti u uredu.
In Croatian, 'morati' can only be used for rules and obligations.
To / ne / moći / biti / istina
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
Yes, but `mora biti` sounds more like a logical conclusion based on evidence, while `vjerojatno` is just a general probability.
They mean the same thing. `Mora biti` is more formal/standard, while `mora da je` is more colloquial.
You can say `Morao je biti` or `Mora da je bio`.
No! `Ne mora` means 'doesn't have to'. To say 'must not' (prohibition), use `ne smije`.
Essentially yes, but `može biti` is a verbal construction while `možda` is an adverb. `Može biti` is often used to start a sentence: `Može biti da...`
Use `moglo bi` when you want to be less certain or more polite. It's like 'could' vs 'can'.
Yes, any verb in the infinitive can follow `mora` or `može` to express probability.
Yes, though the specific form (infinitive vs 'da' construction) might vary by region.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
must / can / might
Croatian doesn't distinguish between 'must' and 'have to' with different verbs.
müssen / können
German word order in subordinate clauses is much stricter.
deber de / poder
Spanish has a specific 'de + infinitive' marker for probability.
devoir / pouvoir
French uses the future tense sometimes to express probability, which is rare in Croatian.
~ni chigainai / ~kamoshirenai
Japanese grammar is agglutinative and doesn't use 'verbs' like 'must' in the same way.
yajib an / yumkin an
Arabic modals are often impersonal (it is necessary that...).
yídìng / kěnéng
No conjugation or tense changes in Chinese.
