Breakdown of Neću biti neovisan dok ne nađem posao.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ne
no, not
posao
job / work
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
naći
to find
neovisan
independent
dok
until
Questions & Answers about Neću biti neovisan dok ne nađem posao.
Why is there a "ne" after "dok"? Doesn't that mean "while I don't find a job"?
In Croatian, the phrase dok ne translates to "until" when talking about a specific event that will finish in the future. Even though ne usually means "not", it is required in this grammatical structure. Literally, it is like saying "as long as I haven't found a job," but in natural English, it simply means "until I find a job."
Why is the verb "nađem" in the present tense if we're talking about the future?
When you use dok ne (until) for a future event, Croatian uses the present tense of a perfective verb (a verb that describes a completed action). Nađem is the present tense of the perfective verb naći (to find).
How do we know if a man or a woman is speaking in this sentence?
Is "Neću biti" the normal way to say "I won't be"?
Yes! The negative future tense is very straightforward. You take the negative future helper verb (neću, meaning "I will not") and simply add the infinitive (dictionary form) of the main verb, which here is biti (to be).
Learn Neću biti neovisan dok ne nađem posao and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free