може да / мора да / треба да
Can Must and Should
Можам да пливам. (I can swim.) · Морам да одам. (I have to go.) · Треба да учиш. (You should study.)
How It Works
These three verbs express ability, obligation and advice. Like сака да + сегашно време, they are followed by да and a present verb with its own ending.
Може — can, may: можам, можеш, може, можеме, можете, можат. Можам да пливам. To ask permission, both Можам ли да влезам? and the fixed Може ли да влезам? are used.
Мора — must, have to: морам, мораш, мора, мораме, морате, мораат. Морам да одам.
Треба — should: one form for everyone: Треба да учиш. · Тие треба да дојдат во осум. The person shows only on the second verb. (With a to-someone pronoun, треба means need and does change: ми треба.)
Negatives: Не можам да дојдам. (I can't come.) · Не треба да пушиш. (You shouldn't smoke.) · Не мора да плаќаш. means You don't have to pay, not you must not. For forbidding, see смее да.
Short pronouns go after да: Морам да ти кажам нешто.
Examples (6)
- Можам да пливам.
I can swim.
Word by Word: I-can that I-swim.
- Морам да одам.
I have to go.
Word by Word: I-must that I-go.
- Треба да учиш.
You should study.
Word by Word: Should that you-study.
Треба has no ending; учиш shows that the person is you.
- Може ли да влезам?
May I come in?
Word by Word: Can question that I-enter?
- Тие треба да дојдат во осум.
They should come at eight.
Word by Word: They should that they-come at eight.
- Не мора да плаќаш.
You don't have to pay.
Word by Word: Not must that you-pay.
Common Mistakes
Adding a personal ending to треба in the meaning "should".
Ти требаш да учиш.Ти треба да учиш.In this meaning треба never changes. The person is already shown by учиш.
Leaving out да.
Можам пливам.Можам да пливам.Macedonian has no infinitive, so да must link the two verbs.
Using не мора да to forbid something.
Не мора да пушиш тука.Не смееш да пушиш тука.Не мора да пушиш means "you don't have to smoke". To say "you must not", use не смее да.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Modal verbs follow сака да.
Related Patterns
- ми требаNeeding Something
With a to-someone pronoun, треба means need and changes with the thing needed.
Level 2 - знае даKnowing How to Do Something
Знае да (know how to) is close to може да but talks about a learned skill.
Level 2 - смее даBeing Allowed
Смее да is for permission, and не смее да forbids.
Level 3 - требаше да / можеше даShould Have and Could Have
The past forms say what you should have or could have done.
Level 4 - мора да for GuessingMust for Guessing
Later, мора да is also used for guessing: it must be.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice може да / мора да / треба да in Bubblegum
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