Learn Hardcore Croatian: Popodne ćeš hodati sa mnom, a večeras ću voziti. - In the afternoon you will walk with me, and tonight I will drive.

Full set: ću (I will), ćeš (you sg.), će (he/she/it), ćemo (we), ćete (you pl.), će (they).
Structure: auxiliary + infinitive, e.g., ću voziti, ćeš hodati.

Why is the auxiliary placed after the first word: Popodne ćeš hodati?

In Croatian, these auxiliary forms are clitics that prefer the “second position” in a clause. Here, Popodne is the first stressed element, so the clitic ćeš follows it: Popodne ćeš hodati…. Other correct orders:

Hodat ćeš popodne… (auxiliary after the verb; see next question about spelling)
Ti ćeš hodati popodne… (adds emphasis to “you”)

Can I write Hodat ćeš / Vozit ću? Why is the final -i dropped?

Yes. When the auxiliary follows the verb, the infinitive usually drops the final -i in standard Croatian:

hodat ćeš, vozit ću, radit ćemo, vidjet ćete. When the auxiliary precedes, keep the full infinitive:
ćeš hodati, ću voziti. Avoid forms like voziti ću or hodati ćeš—they’re non‑standard.

Why is there a comma before a?

In Croatian, a comma is required before coordinating conjunctions that introduce a contrast or a separate clause. A is typically contrastive (“and/whereas/but”), so you write: …, a ….

What’s the difference between a, i, and ali?

i = simple “and,” just adds information: neutral.
a = “and/whereas/but,” mild contrast or shift of topic/time: Popodne X, a večeras Y.
ali = “but,” a stronger, often opposing contrast. In this sentence, a smoothly contrasts afternoon vs evening plans.

Is sa mnom correct? Could it be s mnom? Why not write it together as samnom?

Both sa mnom and s mnom are grammatically correct. Because s mnom is hard to pronounce (cluster smn), sa mnom is strongly preferred.
The preposition is always separate in writing: never samnom.

What case is mnom, and why not mene?

mnom is the instrumental case of ja (I), used after s/sa in the “with” sense. The set is: sa mnom, s tobom, s njim/njom, s nama, s vama, s njima (often with sa for easier pronunciation). mene is genitive/accusative and doesn’t work with s/sa meaning “with.”

Does hodati s nekim ever mean “to date someone”? Could that be confusing here?

Yes. Hodati s nekim can mean “to be dating someone.” In context with a time adverb like Popodne and an activity plan, it’s normally understood as literal walking. If you want to avoid any ambiguity, you can say šetati sa mnom (“stroll with me”) or ići pješice sa mnom (“go on foot with me”).

Nuances: hodati, šetati, and ići pješice?

hodati: to walk (general ability or action); in some contexts also “to date.”
šetati: to stroll/walk for leisure (less ambiguous for an outing).
ići pješice: to go on foot (contrasts with going by vehicle). All three can describe moving on foot; choose based on nuance and ambiguity.

What exactly does voziti mean here? Driver vs passenger?

voziti means “to drive” (be the driver). If you’re the passenger, use the reflexive voziti se (“to ride”/be driven). Examples:

Večeras ću voziti. = I’ll be driving.
Večeras ću se voziti. = I’ll be (a) riding (as a passenger).

If I want a single completed drive (result), should I use a perfective verb?

Yes, for a one‑off, result‑focused action, Croatian tends to use perfective verbs:

Odvest ću te kući. = I’ll drive you home. (pf: odvesti)
Dovezla sam ga na posao. = I drove him to work. (pf: dovesti/dovezti depending on verb family) Voziti is imperfective (ongoing/habitual: “be driving”). Context can still make voziti acceptable for plans.

What’s the difference between večeras and noćas?

večeras = this evening/tonight (evening hours).
noćas = tonight during the night (late night/overnight). So if it’s in the evening, večeras is the natural choice.

Is popodne the same as poslijepodne?

Both mean “afternoon.” In Croatian:

poslijepodne is the more formal/standard form.
popodne is very common and perfectly acceptable in everyday use. Regional variants exist (e.g., Serbian posle podne), but in Croatian the one‑word forms are standard.

Are popodne and večeras nouns? Do they decline?

They’re adverbs of time, so they don’t decline. That’s why you don’t see case endings attached to them.

How do I make the sentence negative in the future?

Use the negative forms of the auxiliary before the infinitive (or with the shortened infinitive if the auxiliary follows):

Nećeš hodati sa mnom, a večeras neću voziti.
If the auxiliary follows the verb: Nećeš hodat sa mnom and neću vozit (colloquial style) are possible, but the first pattern is the safest.

Can I move the time words around? For example, Večeras ću ja voziti?

Yes. Croatian allows flexible word order for emphasis:

Večeras ću voziti. (neutral)
Večeras ću ja voziti. (emphasizes “I” will be the one driving)
Ja ću večeras voziti. (emphasizes the subject) Keep clitics (like ću) in the early/second position of their clause.

Do I have to use the future tense? Can I use the present for a planned future?

For near‑future, scheduled plans, the present can be used colloquially:

Popodne hodaš sa mnom, a večeras vozim. The future is more neutral/formal or when the plan is less “scheduled.”

Any tips about diacritics like ć in ću/ćeš?

Use them. cu/ces without diacritics is non‑standard and can be confusing. The correct forms are ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će. Most Croatian writing expects proper diacritics.

Is there anything special about writing sa mnom?

It’s always two words: sa mnom.
You may also see the archaic mnome in literature, but mnom is standard today.
The preposition s/sa meaning “with” always takes instrumental case, as here.