Breakdown of Koliko će kruha i sira biti na stolu?
biti
to be
i
and
kruh
bread
sir
cheese
koliko
how much
htjeti
will
na
on
stol
table
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Questions & Answers about Koliko će kruha i sira biti na stolu?
Why are the words in the phrase kruha i sira not in their base forms kruh and sir?
Because koliko (how much/how many) asks about quantity and puts the measured noun in the genitive case (partitive meaning). For mass nouns, use genitive singular: kruha (of bread), sira (of cheese).
Does koliko work with both countable and uncountable nouns?
Yes.
- With uncountable/mass nouns, use genitive singular: Koliko kruha? Koliko sira?
- With countable nouns, use genitive plural: Koliko jabuka? Koliko stolica? To count items here you’d say Koliko kruhova i sireva ...?
How do I ask about specific units (loaves, pieces, types) instead of a mass amount?
Use a counting noun and keep the substance in genitive:
- Koliko kruhova će biti na stolu? (loaves of bread)
- Koliko komada sira će biti na stolu? (pieces of cheese)
- Koliko vrsta sira će biti na stolu? (types of cheese)
What tense is će ... biti, and how is it formed?
It’s Future I: auxiliary forms of htjeti (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će) + infinitive. Here it’s third person singular će + biti.
Why is će before biti, and can its position change?
će is a clitic that prefers second position in the clause. Natural variants include:
- Koliko će kruha i sira biti na stolu?
- Koliko kruha i sira će biti na stolu?
- Koliko će biti kruha i sira na stolu? All are acceptable; the first is the most neutral.
Is biti će correct?
No. Use either će biti (auxiliary before infinitive) or bit će (infinitive first; final -i drops before the clitic). Avoid biti će.
Why is it na stolu and not na stol?
- na stolu (locative) = on the table, static location.
- na stol (accusative) = onto the table, motion/direction.
What case is stolu, and what is the base form?
Locative singular of stol (table). Key forms: stol (nominative), stola (genitive), stolu (dative/locative), stolom (instrumental).
Could I use present-tense existential ima instead of the future će biti?
For the present: Koliko kruha i sira ima na stolu? For the future, use će biti: Koliko će kruha i sira biti na stolu? Using je is also possible in the present (Koliko je kruha na stolu?), but ima is more idiomatic for existence.
Do both nouns have to be in the same case after koliko?
Yes. In coordination, the case applies to all coordinated nouns, so both are genitive: kruha i sira. Not kruh i sira or kruha i sir.
Can I move na stolu earlier in the sentence?
Yes, as long as koliko stays first: Koliko će kruha i sira na stolu biti? This is possible but slightly marked; the neutral order keeps na stolu at the end.
How do I say “How many cheeses” (counting individual cheeses) rather than an amount of cheese?
Use the countable plural: Koliko sireva će biti na stolu? This counts individual cheeses (often varieties or whole pieces).
How would I say “How much of that bread and cheese will be on the table?”
Add a demonstrative in genitive: Koliko će tog kruha i sira biti na stolu?
How do I pronounce the key words?
Approximate guide:
- će ≈ cheh (softer than English ch)
- kruha ≈ KROO-hah
- sira ≈ SEE-rah
- stolu ≈ STO-loo
Are there regional variants I should know?
Yes. In Serbian you’ll see hleb (bread), in Bosnian/Montenegrin hljeb. The structure and case usage remain the same.
What’s the difference between koliko and koliki/kolika/koliko?
- koliko asks for quantity/number and governs genitive of the measured noun.
- koliki/kolika/koliko is an adjective meaning how big/how large, agreeing with a noun: Kolika količina kruha će biti na stolu?
Can I use a different verb instead of biti for nuance?
Yes:
- Koliko će kruha i sira biti na stolu? (neutral, existential)
- Koliko će se kruha i sira naći na stolu? (how much will end up/be found on the table)
- Koliko će se kruha i sira nalaziti na stolu? (more habitual or ongoing nuance)