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Questions & Answers about Večeras gledamo novi film.
Why is the present tense (gledamo) used for something happening tonight?
Croatian often uses the simple present for near‑future, planned events when a time word like večeras (tonight) is present. It sounds natural and certain. You can also use the future: Večeras ćemo gledati novi film. Both are correct; the present feels a bit more immediate/scheduled, the future is neutral/plan-like.
Do I need to say the pronoun mi (we)?
No. Croatian regularly drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. Večeras gledamo novi film. is normal. Add Mi only for emphasis or contrast: Mi večeras gledamo novi film (a ne oni).
What case is novi film, and why isn’t it novog filma?
It’s accusative (direct object). With masculine inanimate nouns like film, accusative equals nominative: novi film. For masculine animate objects, accusative takes the genitive form: vidim novog psa (I see the new dog). Novog filma is genitive (e.g., bez novog filma = without a new film).
How does adjective agreement work here?
The adjective matches the noun in gender, number, and case:
- Masculine singular accusative inanimate: novi film
- Feminine singular accusative: novu seriju
- Neuter singular accusative: novo pivo The forms change with the noun’s properties and role in the sentence.
How is gledati conjugated in the present?
- ja gledam
- ti gledaš
- on/ona/ono gleda
- mi gledamo
- vi gledate
- oni/one/ona gledaju
So gledamo = we watch/are watching.
What’s the difference between gledati, pogledati, and odgledati?
- gledati (imperfective): the process of watching; neutral, ongoing. Fits well with večeras in the present.
- pogledati (perfective): to watch (and complete) at least once. Common in the future or past for a single, complete viewing: Večeras ćemo pogledati novi film.
- odgledati (perfective, colloquial): to watch from start to finish; similar to pogledati with stronger “all the way through” nuance.
Is Večeras ćemo gledati better than Večeras gledamo?
Both are fine. Nuance:
- Večeras gledamo… sounds like a fixed plan/schedule.
- Večeras ćemo gledati… is a straightforward statement about the future. Note: Standard Croatian often drops the final -i of the infinitive when the future auxiliary follows: Gledat ćemo (not Serbian‑style gledaćemo).
Can I change the word order?
Yes; Croatian allows flexible order for emphasis:
- Gledamo novi film večeras. (neutral)
- Večeras gledamo novi film. (time up front; very common)
- Novi film gledamo večeras. (emphasis on “the new film” as opposed to some other film) Meaning stays the same; emphasis shifts.
How would I say “We’re watching it tonight”?
Use the clitic object pronoun ga for masculine singular (matching film):
- Večeras ga gledamo. (clitic in second position, right after the first stressed word)
- Or: Gledamo ga večeras. Don’t say: ✗ Večeras gledamo ga.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
- Večeras: veh-CHER-as (č like English “ch” in “church”)
- gledamo: GLEH-dah-moh (g always hard, as in “go”)
- novi: NOH-vee (short, pure vowels)
- film: film (short i, no diphthongs) Croatian vowels are short and pure; stress is typically on the first syllable of each word here.
Are there articles like “a/the” in Croatian?
No. Croatian has no articles. Novi film can mean “a new film” or “the new film” from context. If you need to be specific, use demonstratives:
- taj novi film (that/the new film we’ve been talking about)
- ovaj novi film (this new film)
- onaj novi film (that new film over there/previously mentioned)
What’s the difference between večeras, noćas, and navečer?
- večeras = this evening/tonight (evening hours).
- noćas = tonight during the night (late evening/nighttime; can imply later than večeras).
- navečer = in the evening, of an evening (habitual or general time, not necessarily “tonight”).
How do I negate it?
- Present: Večeras ne gledamo novi film.
- Future: Večeras nećemo gledati novi film. The object stays accusative (novi film) under negation.
How would I ask “What are we watching tonight?” or “Which film are we watching tonight?”
- Što gledamo večeras? (What are we watching tonight?)
- Koji film gledamo večeras? (Which film are we watching tonight?) (Standard Croatian prefers što; šta is regional.)
How do I say it in the past?
Use the past participle with biti (to be), and match gender/number:
- Mixed group or all‑male: Večeras smo gledali novi film.
- All‑female: Večeras smo gledale novi film.
Could I say Večeras pogledamo novi film in the present?
It’s unusual. The present of a perfective verb (pogledamo) typically has a future or one‑off instruction flavor and isn’t used as a normal present. To express a plan, use:
- Večeras ćemo pogledati novi film. (future, perfective)
- or the original Večeras gledamo novi film. (present, imperfective)