The Future Tense of "To Be"
To make predictions about the future—like exploring space or living on other planets—you need the future tense of the verb biti (to be).
In Croatian, the future tense is formed by combining the short forms of the verb htjeti (will) with an infinitive.
When the verb starts the sentence or clause, the infinitive drops its final -i. For the verb biti, the infinitive becomes bit and is followed by the short "will" word.
| Pronoun | Future Tense | Meaning |
|---|
| ja | bit ću | I will be |
| ti | bit ćeš | you will be |
| on / ona / ono | bit će | he / she / it will be |
| mi | bit ćemo | we will be |
| vi | bit ćete | you will be |
| oni / one / ona | bit će | they will be |
Because Croatian frequently drops subject pronouns (like "I" or "you"), starting sentences with these shortened bit forms is incredibly common.
Word Order and the Full Infinitive
Croatian has strict rules for small words called enclitics. The short "will" words (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete) are enclitics, which means they naturally want to sit in the second position of a sentence.
If you start your sentence with a subject (like a pronoun or a short noun), the enclitic takes the second position, pushing the infinitive later in the sentence. When the "will" word comes before the infinitive, the infinitive keeps its final -i and remains biti.
However, if the subject is a longer phrase (like "these planets" or "these advanced machines"), it is very common to keep the verb phrase grouped together after the subject, using the shortened bit će form.
Applying the Rule to Other Verbs
The rule of dropping the final -i applies to nearly all verbs in the future tense, not just biti. For example, the verb postojati (to exist) drops its final -i to become postojat će when the infinitive comes right before the enclitic.