Begin with two complete thoughts: “Danas moram da završim prijavu.” and “Juče sam morala da otkažem put.”. Meaning comes first; names for grammatical forms are useful only after you can recognise the difference.

Must and Had to in Serbian - Serbian 401 

There is a series of lessons in Serbian 401 course about Dragana, Zvonko and Boris. This is an introductory one where your task is to guess what they do for living based on the short text. 

The first step would be to see which of the following modal verbs are missing in these three short texts:

MORATI  (have to ) - SMETI  (be allowed to) - MOĆI (can) 
NE MORATI (not have to ) - NE SMETI (mustn't) - NE MOĆI (cannot)



Must be  = mora da je 

  • Ako Dragana radi u operacionoj sali, znači da radi u bolnici i  može biti lekar, medicinska sestra ili anesteziolog. 
  • Ako Zvonko radi u sudu, ali samo po pozivu, onda mora da je sudski veštak.
  • Ako boris puno putuje, upoznaje puno uspešnih ljudi i mora da trenira mozak svakog dana, može biti ili menadžer/direktor ili simultani prevodilac. 

Must, Can and Mustn't in Serbian - Exercise



Moram Today, Morao Sam Yesterday

What changes between “Danas moram da završim prijavu.” and “Juče sam morala da otkažem put.”? Use that contrast to investigate expressing present necessity and past obligation with morati, then create a third situation before checking any explanation.

Five Obligations with Real Consequences

Rebuild “Nismo morali da platimo dodatnu taksu.” from its English meaning, but adapt “Da li ćete morati da menjate plan?” freely. The two results should sound connected to real communication, not to a grammar list.

Necessity Changes Time and Agreement

Latin scriptCyrillic scriptEnglish
Danas moram da završim prijavu.Данас морам да завршим пријаву.Today I must finish the application.
Juče sam morala da otkažem put.Јуче сам морала да откажем пут.Yesterday I had to cancel the trip.
Petar je morao da popravi krov pre kiše.Петар је морао да поправи кров пре кише.Petar had to repair the roof before the rain.
Nismo morali da platimo dodatnu taksu.Нисмо морали да платимо додатну таксу.We did not have to pay an additional fee.
Da li ćete morati da menjate plan?Да ли ћете морати да мењате план?Will you have to change the plan?

Let “Petar je morao da popravi krov pre kiše.” begin a two-line dialogue. Supply a natural response, switch scripts for the reply, and read both roles without pausing.

Tell What Had to Happen and Why

Work from English back into natural Serbian, leaving “Da li ćete morati da menjate plan?” until last. Check endings, diacritics and Cyrillic letters before reading the answers aloud.

  1. Today I must finish the application.
  2. Yesterday I had to cancel the trip.
  3. Petar had to repair the roof before the rain.
  4. We did not have to pay an additional fee.
  5. Will you have to change the plan?

Solutions prepared for Serbian 401 - Must in Serbian

  1. Danas moram da završim prijavu.
    Данас морам да завршим пријаву.
  2. Juče sam morala da otkažem put.
    Јуче сам морала да откажем пут.
  3. Petar je morao da popravi krov pre kiše.
    Петар је морао да поправи кров пре кише.
  4. Nismo morali da platimo dodatnu taksu.
    Нисмо морали да платимо додатну таксу.
  5. Da li ćete morati da menjate plan?
    Да ли ћете морати да мењате план?