Other Ways to Express the Future | Croatian Grammar

Future I (radit ću) is the neutral, explicit way to talk about the future — but Croatian, exactly like English, very often points to the future without a dedicated future tense. This page collects the everyday alternatives: the present tense for scheduled or planned events, the perfective present in subordinate clauses, intention verbs like misliti and namjeravati plus an infinitive, and modal-coloured futures. The big payoff is twofold: you will stop feeling obliged to cram Future I into every forward-looking sentence, and you will avoid the one trap English sets — there is no "going to" future in Croatian, and ići + infinitive does not mean "going to do."

The present tense for the scheduled near future

This is the most common alternative and the one to internalise first. For events that are planned, scheduled, or felt as good as fixed, Croatian uses the plain present — just as English happily says "I'm flying to Split tomorrow" or "the train leaves at three." A time word (sutra, u tri, sljedeći tjedan) usually makes the future reading obvious.

Sutra putujem u Split.

Tomorrow I'm travelling to Split. (present for a planned trip — completely natural)

Vlak kreće u tri.

The train leaves at three. (timetable present)

U ponedjeljak počinjem novi posao.

On Monday I start a new job.

Sutra letim za Beč, pa se javljam kad sletim.

I'm flying to Vienna tomorrow, so I'll text when I land.

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The present-for-future is casual and presupposes scheduledness — it works because the event is already on the calendar. Future I (sutra ću putovati) is the neutral, explicit version and works for anything, scheduled or not. For a plan that's settled, the present sounds more natural; for a prediction, promise, or uncertain future, prefer Future I.

This mirrors the English contrast between "I'm leaving tomorrow" (arranged) and "I'll leave tomorrow" (a decision just made or a promise). Croatian draws the same line with present vs Future I.

— Što radiš za vikend? — Idemo na Plitvice.

— What are you doing this weekend? — We're going to Plitvice. (settled plan, present)

The perfective present in subordinate clauses

In kad/ako/čim-clauses about the future, Croatian uses the perfective present rather than a future tense — kad dođem ("when I arrive"), čim završim ("as soon as I finish"). A perfective verb cannot mean "now," so its present form is read as future, and this is the everyday way to express the future condition that Future II covers more formally.

Kad dođem kući, odmah ti pišem.

When I get home, I'll write to you straight away. (perfective present 'dođem' sets the future time; the imperfective present 'pišem' reads as the future result)

Čim stignem na kolodvor, zovem te.

As soon as I get to the station, I'll call you.

Ako stignemo na vrijeme, kupimo karte na ulazu.

If we get there in time, we'll buy tickets at the entrance.

This overlaps with Future II; the short version is that for a single completed future action the perfective present (kad dođem) is the light, idiomatic choice. More on why a perfective present points to the future on the present-tense usage page.

Intention verbs + infinitive

To express a future plan or intention — closer to English "I plan to / I intend to / I'm thinking of" — Croatian uses an intention verb in the present plus an infinitive:

misliti (+ inf.) — "to intend / be thinking of" (a common, slightly informal "I'm planning to")
namjeravati (+ inf.) — "to intend" (more formal)
planirati (+ inf. or + accusative) — "to plan"
kaniti (+ inf.) — "to intend" (somewhat literary/older)

Mislim doći malo ranije, da pomognem.

I'm thinking of coming a bit early, to help. ('mislim' + infinitive = intention)

Namjeravamo iduće ljeto putovati u Japan.

We intend to travel to Japan next summer. (formal intention)

Planiram upisati fakultet u Zagrebu.

I'm planning to enrol at university in Zagreb.

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Mislim doći means "I'm planning/intending to come," not "I think to come." When misliti takes a bare infinitive it shifts from "to think" to "to intend" — a handy, very colloquial way to announce a plan.

A present-tense modal verb (morati "must," trebati "should / need to," moći "can") plus an infinitive often points to the future by implication — you are stating an obligation or possibility that necessarily unfolds later. English does the same with "I have to work tomorrow."

Moram sutra raditi, ne mogu doći.

I have to work tomorrow, I can't come. (obligation that points forward)

Trebao bih ga nazvati prije petka.

I should call him before Friday. (conditional 'trebao bih' + infinitive, a soft future plan)

Možemo se naći u šest, ako ti odgovara.

We can meet at six, if that suits you. (offer about the future)

See obligation verbs for the full picture of morati / trebati.

The trap: ići + infinitive is NOT "going to"

English builds a whole future on motion — "I'm going to call him" no longer means any walking. Croatian has no such grammaticalised future. Ići ("to go") plus an infinitive keeps its literal, purposive meaning: "to go [somewhere] in order to do something." So Idem kupiti kruh means "I'm going [out] to buy bread" (actual motion + purpose), not a bare "I'm going to buy bread (sometime)."

Idem kupiti kruh.

I'm going (out) to buy bread. (real motion + purpose — NOT an English 'going-to' future)

Idemo gledati utakmicu kod Ivana.

We're going to watch the match at Ivan's. (we are physically going there to watch)

To say the English-style "going to" future (a plan or near-certain prediction), use Future I or the present, never ići:

Nazvat ću ga večeras.

I'm going to call him tonight. (no motion — use Future I, not 'idem nazvati')

Past će kiša, vidi te oblake.

It's going to rain, look at those clouds. (prediction — Future I, never 'ide padati')

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When English "going to" carries no real movement, do not translate it with ići. Idem raditi = "I'm going [somewhere] to work" (literal). For "I'm going to work [on something]" as a plan, say Radit ću or Mislim raditi. The motion verb krenuti ("to set off") is likewise literal: Krećemo u osam = "We set off at eight," not a future auxiliary.

A quick map of the options

English future	Most natural Croatian	Why
I'll call you (promise)	Nazvat ću te.	Future I — neutral, explicit
I'm flying out tomorrow (arranged)	Sutra letim.	present — scheduled near future
When I get there, I'll call	Kad dođem, zovem te. / ...javit ću se.	perfective present in the kad-clause
I'm planning to study law	Mislim / planiram studirati pravo.	intention verb + infinitive
I have to work tomorrow	Moram sutra raditi.	modal + infinitive
It's going to rain	Past će kiša.	Future I — no 'going-to' with ići

Common Mistakes

❌ Idem nazvati ga sutra. (meaning: I'm going to call him)

Wrong — 'ići' isn't a future auxiliary; this says you're physically going somewhere to call him.

✅ Nazvat ću ga sutra.

I'm going to call him tomorrow. (Future I)

❌ Ide padati kiša.

Wrong — no 'going-to' future; weather predictions take Future I.

✅ Past će kiša.

It's going to rain.

❌ Mislim da doći ranije.

Wrong — for intention use 'misliti' + bare infinitive, no 'da': mislim doći.

✅ Mislim doći ranije.

I'm thinking of coming earlier.

❌ Sutra ću putovati u Split — said of a long-booked trip in casual chat.

Not wrong, but heavy; for a settled plan the present is more natural.

✅ Sutra putujem u Split.

I'm travelling to Split tomorrow. (present for a fixed plan)

Key Takeaways

The present tense is the everyday way to express a scheduled/planned near future: Sutra putujem u Split, Vlak kreće u tri.
In kad/ako/čim-clauses, use the perfective present for a single future action: kad dođem, čim završim.
Express intention with misliti / namjeravati / planirati
- infinitive: Mislim doći, Planiram studirati.
Modal verbs (morati, trebati, moći) + infinitive imply the future: Moram sutra raditi.
There is no "going to" future: ići + infinitive is literal motion + purpose (Idem kupiti kruh = "I'm going out to buy bread"). For an English "going-to" plan with no movement, use Future I or the present.

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