Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večeras idemo kući kasno.

Croatian often uses the present tense for near-future plans when there’s a time expression. Večeras (“tonight”) anchors the time, so idemo naturally means “we’re going (tonight).” It’s very common and sounds natural in speech.

Could I say Večeras ćemo ići kući kasno instead?

Yes. Večeras ćemo ići kući kasno (future tense) is correct and slightly more explicit/formal about futurity. In everyday speech, the present (Večeras idemo…) is more common and lighter. Use the future if you want to stress the planning or timeline.

Why is it kući and not kuću or u kuću?

ići kući is the idiomatic way to say “go (home).” Kući functions like an adverb (“homewards”) and doesn’t take a preposition.
ići u kuću means “go into the house” (focus on entering the building).
Bare kuću without a preposition is incorrect here.

What case is kući?

Formally it’s the dative/locative singular of kuća. In this construction it’s best to think of kući as a fixed, adverb-like form meaning “home(wards).”

How do I say “at home,” “in the house,” and “from home” versus this “to home”?

Destination (to home): kući; also u kuću if you mean “into the house.”
Location (at home): kod kuće (general “at home”); u kući (“in the house,” inside the building).
From: iz kuće (“out of the house”), od kuće (“from home,” as the point of origin: e.g., Radim od kuće = “I work from home”).

Can I use doma instead of kući?

In Croatia, doma is common and colloquial: Idem doma = “I’m going home.” In Bosnia and Serbia, doma is much less common; kući is the safe, standard choice everywhere.

Where should kasno go? Is Večeras idemo kasno kući okay?

Word order is flexible. All of these are natural, with subtle emphasis shifts:

Večeras idemo kući kasno. (neutral; “late” feels like afterthought info)
Večeras idemo kasno kući. (slightly more emphasis on “late”)
Kasno večeras idemo kući. (strong focus on “late tonight”) Avoid overly scrambled orders that break the flow (e.g., Večeras kući idemo kasno sounds odd).

Do we need both večeras and kasno? Isn’t that redundant?

They add different time information:

večeras = which evening (tonight)
kasno = how late (late in that evening) Dropping one changes the nuance:
Večeras idemo kući. (tonight, no info about lateness)
Idemo kući kasno. (we’re going home late—when exactly depends on context)

Does idemo here mean “let’s go”?

No. With explicit time info (Večeras, kasno) it’s descriptive: “we are going.” As a standalone exclamation, Idemo! is “Let’s go!” You can also say Hajdemo!

What verb is idemo from, and how does it conjugate?

It’s from ići (“to go”), irregular in the present:

ja idem, ti ideš, on/ona ide, mi idemo, vi idete, oni idu Past: išao/išla sam, išli smo, etc. Future: ići ću, ići ćemo, or the periphrastic ću ići.

What’s the difference between večeras and noćas?

večeras = “this evening/tonight” (evening hours).
noćas = “tonight (during the night),” i.e., late night/overnight.
So if something happens at 1 a.m., noćas is more natural than večeras.

How do I say “very late,” “too late,” or “later” in this sentence?

Very late: Večeras idemo kući jako/vrlo kasno.
Too late: Večeras idemo kući prekasno.
Later (comparative, relative to usual): Večeras idemo kući kasnije.

How do I say we’re going back home (returning), not just going home?

Use the reflexive verb for “return”: Večeras se vraćamo kući kasno.
Alternatively: Večeras ćemo se vratiti kući kasno.

Is Večeras kasnimo kući correct?

Not really. Kasniti means “to be late (for something),” and it doesn’t take a destination like that. Prefer:

Večeras dolazimo kući kasno.
Večeras ćemo kasno stići kući.
Večeras se vraćamo kući kasno.

Do I need the pronoun mi?

No. Person and number are in the verb ending (idemo = “we go”). Mi večeras idemo kući kasno adds emphasis on “we” (as opposed to someone else).

Any pronunciation tips for večeras, idemo, kući?

večeras: ve-ČE-ras. č is a hard “ch,” like in “chocolate.”
idemo: EE-deh-moh (all vowels are clear and short here).
kući: KOO-chi. ć is a softer “ch,” tongue closer to the palate than č. English doesn’t contrast them, but aiming for a softer sound in kući helps.