mať + Infinitive

Supposed to: Mať

Level 3

Čo mám robiť? (What should I do?) Kedy mám prísť? (When am I supposed to come?) Máš zavolať mame. (You're supposed to call Mom.)

How It Works

Forms

Use the present tense of mať, see Present Tense of mať: mám, máš, má, máme, máte, majú + infinitive. Only mať changes; the infinitive stays the same.

Asking for instructions and offering help

  • Čo mám robiť? (What should I do?)
  • Kam to mám položiť? (Where should I put it?)
  • Mám ti pomôcť? (Shall I help you?)

Passing on an instruction

Máš zavolať mame. (You're supposed to call Mom.) The speaker is passing on what someone else wants. Lekár povedal, že mám viac spať. (The doctor said I should sleep more.)

Plans and schedules

Vlak má prísť o desiatej. (The train is supposed to arrive at ten.)

In the past

Mal som prísť o piatej, ale zmeškal som autobus. (I was supposed to come at five, but I missed the bus.)

Compare

  • Musím ísť. (I must go.) A firm necessity, see Can and Must.
  • Mal by som ísť. (I should go.) Advice, see Should: mal by som.
  • Mám ísť. (I'm supposed to go.) Someone expects it of me.

Do not confuse this with mať čo + infinitive, which is about having something available: Nemám čo robiť. (I have nothing to do.) The meaning is said to be, as in Má byť veľmi múdry, is covered in Supposed To and Said To Be.

Examples (6)

  1. Čo mám robiť?

    What should I do?

    Word by Word: What I-have to-do?

    Asking for instructions.

  2. Kedy mám prísť?

    When am I supposed to come?

    Only mať is conjugated; prísť stays in the infinitive.

  3. Mám ti pomôcť s taškami?

    Shall I help you with the bags?

    A friendly offer. The pronoun ti comes right after mám.

  4. Máš zavolať mame, čaká na teba.

    You're supposed to call Mom; she's waiting for you.

    Passing on what someone else wants.

  5. Vlak má prísť o desiatej.

    The train is supposed to arrive at ten.

    What a timetable says should happen.

  6. Mal som prísť o piatej, ale zmeškal som autobus.

    I was supposed to come at five, but I missed the bus.

    In the past, the plan often did not happen.

Common Mistakes

  • Conjugating both verbs.

    Kedy mám prídem?
    Kedy mám prísť?

    Only mať changes for the person. The second verb stays in the infinitive, just as after môcť and musieť.

How It Connects

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

mať + InfinitiveLevel 3Supposed to: Mať

Learn This First

Before Supposed To: mať, learn Present Tense of mať and Can and Must. mať + infinitive uses the forms of mať. It works like the modal verbs with an infinitive.

Words in This Pattern