Restoran će biti otvoren rano sutra.

to be

Breakdown of Restoran će biti otvoren rano sutra.

• sutra: tomorrow
• otvoren: open
• rano: early
• restoran: restaurant
• htjeti: will

Questions & Answers about Restoran će biti otvoren rano sutra.

What does the word će do here, and how is the future tense formed?

Će is the unstressed future auxiliary (from the verb htjeti, “to want”) used to form Future I. It combines with the infinitive of the main verb.

• Forms: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će.
• In the sentence, će
  • biti (infinitive “to be”) = “will be.” So: Restoran će biti… = “The restaurant will be…”

Why do we need biti? Can I say Restoran će otvoren?

You need biti because otvoren is an adjective/participial form describing a state, and Croatian requires a linking verb (copula) to connect the subject to that state. Restoran će otvoren is ungrammatical; you must say Restoran će biti otvoren.

Why is it otvoren and not otvoreno?

Agreement. Restoran is masculine singular, so the predicate adjective agrees: otvoren (masc. sg.). Use:

• otvorena for a feminine subject (e.g., pekarnica).
• otvoreno for a neuter subject (e.g., kino if neuter) or in impersonal sentences with no subject: Bit će otvoreno (“It will be open.”).

What’s the difference between biti otvoren and (se) otvoriti?

• biti otvoren = the state of being open (focus on the state/hours): Restoran će biti otvoren (“The restaurant will be open”).
• (se) otvoriti = the action/moment of opening: Restoran će se sutra rano otvoriti (“The restaurant will open early tomorrow”). Use this if you mean the act of opening at a particular time.

Is rano sutra natural, or should it be sutra rano?

It’s grammatical, but sutra rano is more idiomatic. Even better for “early tomorrow morning” is sutra rano ujutro. Examples:

• More natural: Restoran će sutra rano biti otvoren.
• Even clearer: Restoran će sutra rano ujutro biti otvoren.

Where should the time words go? Can I move them around?

Croatian allows flexible word order, but keep će in second position (after the first stressed unit). Natural options include:

• Sutra će restoran biti otvoren rano.
• Restoran će sutra rano biti otvoren.
• Restoran će biti otvoren sutra rano. Less common but possible: Sutra rano će restoran biti otvoren. Avoid splitting će from second position.

Can I use bit će instead of će biti?

Yes, both are correct in the right contexts:

• Restoran će biti otvoren… (neutral, very common).
• Bit će otvoren… is common when the verb phrase starts the clause: Bit će otvoren sutra rano. Note the spelling: bit će (not “biti će”).

How do I make a yes/no question: “Will the restaurant be open early tomorrow?”

Use hoće li before the subject:

• Hoće li restoran sutra rano biti otvoren? You’ll hear će li in speech, but hoće li is the standard full form.

How do I negate it?

Attach ne to će: ne + će → neće.

• Restoran neće biti otvoren sutra rano. (“The restaurant will not be open early tomorrow.”)

Could I say this in a shorter, more colloquial or sign-like way?

Yes:

• Impersonal/state: Bit će otvoreno sutra rano.
• Using “work/open for business”: Restoran sutra radi od ranog jutra. (“The restaurant is open tomorrow from early morning.”)
• Action of opening: Restoran sutra rano otvara. (Scheduled opening; present tense for timetables.)

Why are there no words for “the/a” as in English?

Croatian has no articles. Restoran can mean “the restaurant” or “a restaurant,” with context providing definiteness.

How would this change with a feminine or plural subject?

Agreement changes the predicate:

• Feminine: Pekarnica će biti otvorena sutra rano.
• Plural: Restorani će biti otvoreni sutra rano.

How do I say “early in the morning” more explicitly?

Use:

• rano ujutro (“early in the morning”): Restoran će biti otvoren rano ujutro.
• od ranog jutra (“from early morning”): Restoran će biti otvoren od ranog jutra.

How do I pronounce tricky parts like će and otvoren?

• će sounds like “cheh” (soft “ch”).
• otvoren roughly “oht-VOH-ren” (stress usually on the second syllable here). A full rough guide: Reh-stoh-RAHN cheh BEE-tee oht-VOH-ren RAH-noh SOO-trah.