знае да for Tendencies
Tendencies with Знае Да
Besides "knows how to", знае да can mean "tends to" or "sometimes does": Тој знае да доцни. (He tends to be late.) Зимата знае да биде многу студена. (Winter can be very cold.)
How It Works
In its basic meaning (знае да), Знам да возам means "I know how to drive". The same words also have a second meaning: something tends to happen or happens now and then.
How to tell them apart.
- A skill: Таа знае да готви. (She knows how to cook.)
- A habit or tendency: Таа знае да претера. (She sometimes goes too far.)
- A thing or the weather as subject is always a tendency: Автобусот знае да доцни. (The bus is sometimes late.) Во април знае да падне и снег. (In April it sometimes even snows.)
The tendency meaning often describes something a little unwelcome or surprising, and it sounds softer than секогаш (always). Compare Тој секогаш доцни (He is always late) with Тој знае да доцни (He has been known to be late).
Forms. Знае is an ordinary verb and agrees with the subject: знам, знаеш, знае, знаеме, знаете, знаат. After да comes a present verb of either aspect: знае да доцни, знае да се налути. The да is never dropped.
In the past, use the imperfect: Дедо ми знаеше да седи со часови во дворот. (My grandfather would sit for hours in the yard.) This is close in meaning to ќе + имперфект за навика во минатото.
Examples (6)
- Тој знае да доцни, затоа почни без него.
He tends to be late, so start without him.
Word by Word: He knows to be-late, so start without him.
- Зимата во Скопје знае да биде многу студена.
Winter in Skopje can be very cold.
Word by Word: Winter-the in Skopje knows to be very cold.
- Автобусот знае да доцни по десет минути.
The bus is sometimes ten minutes late.
Word by Word: Bus-the knows to be-late by ten minutes.
A bus cannot "know how" to do anything, so this can only mean a tendency.
- Внимавај, тој знае да се налути.
Be careful, he can get angry.
Word by Word: Be-careful, he knows to himself anger.
- Во април знае да падне и снег.
In April it sometimes even snows.
Word by Word: In April knows to fall also snow.
- Дедо ми знаеше да седи со часови во дворот.
My grandfather would sit for hours in the yard.
Word by Word: Grandpa my knew to sit with hours in yard-the.
The imperfect знаеше describes a past habit.
Common Mistakes
Leaving знае in the he/she form for a plural subject.
Тие знае да доцнат.Тие знаат да доцнат.Unlike треба, знае agrees with its subject even in this meaning: тие знаат, ние знаеме.
Dropping да.
Тој знае доцни.Тој знае да доцни.The second verb always comes after да: знае да доцни.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Tendencies with знае да follow past habits.
Related Patterns
- често / обично / секогаш / никогашDescribing Habits
Frequency words say exactly how often; знае да gives a softer "sometimes" or "tends to".
Level 2 - може да / мора да / треба даCan Must and Should
Other verbs followed by да and a present verb.
Level 2 - можеби / веројатно / сигурноDegrees of Certainty
Words that show how likely something is, a related way to talk about what can happen.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice знае да for Tendencies in Bubblegum
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