smijem / smije se

Permission

Level 4

Smijem is I may. Ne smije se is a general rule: it is not allowed.

How It Works

Smjeti is about permission, while moći is mostly about ability. Compare Mogu plivati (I am able to swim) with Smijem plivati (I am allowed to swim).

PersonForm
jasmijem
tismiješ
on, onasmije
mismijemo
vismijete
onismiju

To ask permission, put li after the verb: Smijem li ući? May I come in?

For signs and rules, Bosnian uses se and the third person singular: Ne smije se pušiti. (Smoking is not allowed.) No one is named as the person.

Be careful: smije se can also mean "he laughs", from smijati se. The rest of the sentence shows which one is meant: Amir se smije (Amir is laughing) is different from Ne smije se pušiti.

In speech mogu is often used for permission, too: Mogu li ući? Both are fine.

Examples (4)

  1. Smijem li ući?

    May I come in?

    Li follows the verb, and ući is the infinitive.

  2. Djeca smiju gledati film.

    The children are allowed to watch the film.

    Smiju is the form for oni.

  3. U muzeju se ne smije jesti.

    Eating is not allowed in the museum.

    Se and smije give a general rule.

  4. Ne smiješ ići sam.

    You are not allowed to go alone.

    Ne smiješ is the ti form.

Common Mistakes

  • Using smijem se to ask permission, which reads as I laugh.

    Smijem se ući?
    Smijem li ući?

    Smijem se means I laugh. To ask permission, use li after smijem.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

smijem / smije seLevel 4Permission

Learn This First

Smijem asks for permission.

Words in This Pattern

smjetimoći