Breakdown of Majka će pripremati doručak.
majka
mother
doručak
breakfast
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
pripremati
to prepare (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Majka će pripremati doručak.
Why do we use the imperfective verb pripremati instead of pripremiti in this sentence?
Because the action is viewed as an ongoing process in the future. pripremati is imperfective, which translates nicely to "will be preparing". If we used the perfective verb pripremiti, the sentence would mean she will complete the action in the future ("will prepare" or "will finish preparing").
Why is će a separate word here, instead of being attached to the end of the verb?
Because the sentence starts with the subject, Majka. The future tense uses the helping verb će, which is an enclitic (a weak word that takes the second position in a sentence). The infinitive pripremati simply follows it. If we dropped the subject, the verb would start the sentence and attach to the enclitic, dropping its final i: Pripremat će doručak.
doručak is the direct object here. Why doesn't its ending change?
Direct objects take the accusative case, but doručak is a masculine inanimate noun (a thing, not a living being). In Croatian, the accusative form of masculine inanimate nouns looks exactly the same as their dictionary (nominative) form.
Could I say Majka će priprema doručak?
No, because the Croatian future tense must be formed using the helping verb (like će) plus the infinitive of the main verb. priprema is the present tense form, so you must use the infinitive pripremati.
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