смее да

Being Allowed

Level 3Sounds Like smee da

Смее да + a present verb means "may" or "is allowed to": Смеам ли да влезам? (May I come in?) With не it means "must not": Не смееш да доцниш.

How It Works

The forms: (јас) смеам, (ти) смееш, (тој/таа) смее, (ние) смееме, (вие) смеете, (тие) смеат. The past is смеев, смееше…: Не смеев да ѝ кажам.

Two meanings:

  • Permission (may, be allowed to): Смеам ли да влезам? · Децата не смеат да пливаат сами.
  • Courage (dare), usually with не: Не смеев да ѝ кажам вистината. (I did not dare to tell her the truth.)

Rules for everyone: не смее да се + he or she verb form states a general rule with no named person: Тука не смее да се пуши. (Smoking is not allowed here.) This impersonal се is explained in безлично се: се вели; не се пуши.

Смее or може? In everyday speech, може is also used for permission: Може ли да влезам? is a very common, polite question (see може да; мора да; треба да). Смее is clearer when you mean rules and permission, not ability. Не смее is a strong "must not", while не мора means "does not have to".

Do not confuse it with се смее. The same letters with се make a different verb: се смее means "laughs". Смеам ли да прашам? (May I ask?) has no се, but Зошто се смееш? (Why are you laughing?) does.

Examples (6)

  1. Смеам ли да влезам?

    May I come in?

    Word by Word: I-may whether to I-enter?

  2. Тука не смее да се пуши.

    Smoking is not allowed here.

    Word by Word: Here not may to itself smoke.

    Се with the he or she form makes a rule for everyone.

  3. Децата не смеат да пливаат сами.

    The children are not allowed to swim alone.

    Word by Word: Children-the not may to they-swim alone.

  4. Не смееш да му кажеш на Марко.

    You must not tell Marko.

    Word by Word: Not you-may to to-him you-tell to Marko.

  5. Не смеев да ѝ кажам вистината.

    I did not dare to tell her the truth.

    Word by Word: Not I-dared to to-her I-tell truth-the.

    Here смее means "dare".

  6. Смееме ли да паркираме овде?

    Are we allowed to park here?

    Word by Word: We-may whether to we-park here?

Common Mistakes

  • Adding се and turning "may" into "laugh".

    Се смеам ли да влезам?
    Смеам ли да влезам?

    Се смее means "laughs", so the first sentence sounds like "Do I laugh to come in?". Permission uses смее without се.

  • Leaving out да before the second verb.

    Смеам ли влезам?
    Смеам ли да влезам?

    Like сака and може, смее needs да before the second verb.

How It Connects

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

смее даLevel 3Being Allowed

Learn This First

Being allowed follows the modal verbs.

Words in This Pattern