Future II (futur drugi) | Croatian Grammar

Futur drugi ("Future II," sometimes called the "exact future") is Croatian's tense for a future action seen as a condition or time-marker for another future action — the slot English fills with a present tense in sentences like "when I have time, I'll call you." It almost never stands alone in a main clause. Its natural home is the subordinate clause after kad(a), ako, čim, dok — the clause that sets the stage — while Future I does the work in the main clause. The single most important thing to learn is the division of labour: Future I in the main clause, Future II (or a perfective present) in the kad/ako clause — never Future I in that subordinate clause.

How it is formed

Future II = the perfective present of biti (budem, budeš, bude, budemo, budete, budu) + the l-participle of the main verb. The budem set is what makes this tense recognisable; it is the future-conditional present of biti and you will reuse it constantly (it is also the biti you put after kad, ako, čim).

Person	budem-form + participle	Reads as
ja (m./f.)	budem radio / budem radila	(if/when) I work / have worked
ti (m./f.)	budeš radio / budeš radila	(if/when) you work
on / ona	bude radio / bude radila	(if/when) he/she works
mi	budemo radili	(if/when) we work
vi	budete radili	(if/when) you work
oni / one	budu radili / budu radile	(if/when) they work

The l-participle agrees in gender and number with the subject, exactly as in the perfekt: budem radio (m.), budem radila (f.), budemo radili (pl.).

Kad budem imao vremena, javit ću ti se.

When I have time, I'll get in touch. (Future II in the kad-clause, Future I in the main clause)

Ako bude padala kiša, ostat ćemo doma.

If it rains, we'll stay home. (Future II after 'ako', Future I after)

Its job: the subordinate future

Think of Future II as marking the earlier or conditioning of two future events. There is a main future action (Future I) and the future situation it depends on or follows. That conditioning situation goes in a subordinate clause introduced by:

kad(a) — "when"
ako — "if"
čim — "as soon as"
dok — "while / until"

Čim budeš gotov, nazovi me.

As soon as you're done, call me. (Future II 'budeš gotov' sets the time; imperative in the main clause)

Dok ne budeš naučio gradivo, ne idemo van.

Until you've learned the material, we're not going out. ('dok ne' + Future II)

Ako budeš mogao, donesi i kruh.

If you can, bring bread too. ('budeš mogao' = the future ability that conditions the request)

💡

Future II answers the question "under what future condition / at what future point?" It is the setup; Future I is the payoff. Kad budem mogao ("when I'm able") sets up javit ću se ("I'll get in touch"). If a clause is doing setup with kad/ako/čim/dok, that is where Future II belongs — not Future I.

The classic error: never Future I in the kad/ako clause

This is where English transfer does real damage. English says "when I will have time" only jokingly; it actually uses the present ("when I have time"). Croatian also refuses Future I in that clause — but instead of the plain present it can use Future II. The one thing all three languages agree on is that Future I is wrong in the kad/ako clause.

Subordinate clause (setup)	Main clause (payoff)	Verdict
Kad budem imao vremena	javit ću ti se	correct (Future II)
Kad budem imao vremena	nazvat ću te	correct
Kad ću imati vremena	—	WRONG — no Future I after kad

Ako budeš imao problema, nazovi me odmah.

If you have any trouble, call me right away. (Future II in the 'ako' clause)

Javit ću ti se kad budem stigao.

I'll let you know when I've arrived. (Future I main, Future II subordinate — both pointing forward)

Future II vs the perfective present

Here is the practical complication: with perfective verbs, Croatian very often replaces Future II with a plain perfective present in these same clauses, and it sounds lighter and more colloquial. Both are correct; Future II is the more formal, explicit, and "exact" choice, while the perfective present is the everyday default for a single completed future action.

Future II (explicit, formal)	Perfective present (everyday)	English
Kad budem završio, javim se.	Kad završim, javim se.	When I finish, I'll get in touch.
Čim budem došao, zovem te.	Čim dođem, zovem te.	As soon as I arrive, I'll call you.
Ako bude stigao, reći će nam.	Ako stigne, reći će nam.	If he makes it, he'll tell us.

A useful division: perfective verbs in a kad/ako clause most naturally take the perfective present (kad dođem, kad završim); imperfective verbs and explicitly durative or conditional meanings lean on Future II (kad budem imao, ako bude padala kiša), since their perfective present is unavailable or would change the meaning. See the perfective present and present-tense usage.

Kad dođeš kući, operi ruke.

When you get home, wash your hands. (perfective present 'dođeš' — the everyday choice)

Dok budeš čekao, možeš pročitati novine.

While you're waiting, you can read the paper. (imperfective 'budeš čekao' → Future II, no perfective-present option for the durative 'waiting')

💡

Rule of thumb: a single, completed future event in a kad/ako clause → perfective present (kad dođem). A drawn-out or hypothetical future state → Future II (dok budem čekao, ako bude padala kiša). When in doubt, Future II is never wrong; it just sounds more formal.

Main-clause Future II (rare)

Occasionally Future II appears in a main clause to express a guess or supposition about a present/future state — "X is probably the case." This is marginal and formal; recognise it, but use Future I or the present in your own speech.

Bit će da su već otišli.

They've probably already left. (modal/supposition use of 'bit će' — note this is actually Future I of biti, the truly common pattern; full Future II main-clause use is rare and bookish)

Common Mistakes

❌ Kad ću imati vremena, javit ću ti se.

Wrong — never Future I in the kad-clause; use Future II or the perfective present.

✅ Kad budem imao vremena, javit ću ti se.

When I have time, I'll get in touch.

❌ Ako će padati kiša, ostat ćemo doma.

Wrong — no Future I after 'ako'; use 'ako bude padala'.

✅ Ako bude padala kiša, ostat ćemo doma.

If it rains, we'll stay home.

❌ Kad budem došem kući...

Wrong — Future II is budem + L-PARTICIPLE, not budem + present; it's 'budem došao'.

✅ Kad budem došao kući... (or simply: Kad dođem kući...)

When I get home...

❌ Ako budeš imao vremena, dođi. — said by a woman about herself: budem imao.

Wrong agreement — a female subject needs the feminine participle: budem imala.

✅ Ako budem imala vremena, doći ću.

If I (f.) have time, I'll come.

Key Takeaways

Future II = perfective present of biti (budem, budeš, bude, budemo, budete, budu) + l-participle.
It lives in subordinate clauses after kad(a), ako, čim, dok, setting the future condition/time; Future I carries the main clause.
Never put Future I in the kad/ako clause (kad ću imati is wrong) — this is the classic English-transfer error.
With perfective verbs, a plain perfective present (kad dođem, kad završim) usually replaces Future II in casual speech; Future II is the more formal, explicit choice and is right for durative/imperfective and clearly conditional meanings.
The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (budem radio / radila / radili).

Now practice Croatian

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Croatian→