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Questions & Answers about Sutra ću te zvati.
What does each word in the sentence mean?
- Sutra = tomorrow (an adverb)
- ću = I will (1st person singular future auxiliary, a clitic form of the verb htjeti “to want/will”)
- te = you (unstressed accusative clitic, singular informal)
- zvati = to call (infinitive)
Why does ću come right after Sutra?
Because ću (and te) are clitics. In Croatian, clitics normally sit in “second position,” i.e., right after the first stressed word or phrase. Here, the first element is Sutra, so the clitic cluster ću te follows it: Sutra ću te zvati.
Do I need to say the subject pronoun ja?
No. Person is already shown by ću. You can add Ja for emphasis or clarity: Ja ću te sutra nazvati.
Where can I put sutra in the sentence?
It’s flexible. Common options:
- Sutra ću te (na)zvati.
- Ja ću te (na)zvati sutra.
- (Na)zvat ću te sutra. Fronting Sutra emphasizes the time; putting it later is also fine.
Can I say Zvat ću te sutra? And is Zvati ću te okay?
- Yes: Zvat ću te sutra. (When the auxiliary ću directly follows an infinitive, standard Croatian drops the final -i: zvat, nazvat.)
- No in standard: Zvati ću te, Nazvati ću te (keep -i only when ću comes before the infinitive, e.g., Sutra ću te zvati/nazvati).
- Colloquially, people sometimes say Sutra ću te zvat, but the standard prefers zvati in that position.
Should I use zvati or nazvati here?
Both appear, but there’s an aspect nuance:
- nazvati (perfective) = one completed call; most natural for a single future act: Nazvat ću te sutra.
- zvati (imperfective) = the process of calling/trying or habitual action; Sutra ću te zvati can suggest “I’ll be calling/trying to reach you.” In everyday speech many still say zvati for “call (by phone).”
Why is it te and not ti?
Because zvati takes a direct object in the accusative.
- te = accusative “you” (I’ll call you) → Sutra ću te nazvati.
- ti = dative “to you,” used with verbs like telefonirati → Telefonirat ću ti sutra.
Also, ti can be nominative “you” as a subject: Ti ćeš me nazvati.
Can I move te somewhere else, like the end: Sutra ću nazvati te?
No. te is an unstressed clitic and must sit in the clitic cluster (second position). Correct placements:
- Sutra ću te nazvati.
- Nazvat ću te sutra.
- Ja ću te sutra nazvati. If you want to emphasize “you,” use the stressed form tebe: Tebe ću sutra nazvati.
How do I make it negative?
Use ne + ću → neću, and keep the clitic order:
- Neću te nazvati sutra.
- Sutra te neću nazvati.
How do I ask “Will you call me tomorrow?” in Croatian?
- Neutral/formal: Hoćeš li me nazvati sutra?
- Informal speech (intonation question): Hoćeš me nazvati sutra? (If you mean “Will I call you tomorrow?”: Hoću li te nazvati sutra?)
How do I say it politely to one person or to several people?
Use vas (accusative of polite/plural “you”):
- Sutra ću vas nazvati.
In letters/emails, you may capitalize: Sutra ću Vas nazvati.
How is ću pronounced and spelled?
- Spelling: with ć (a soft sound), not “cu” or “ču.”
- Pronunciation: ću sounds like a softer “chu” (palatalized), not the harder “č” as in English “cherry.”
Also, zvati has the cluster zv (both sounds pronounced), and sutra has u like “oo” in “boot.”
Can the sentence begin with ću?
No. Clitics like ću cannot start a sentence on their own. Instead say:
- Nazvat ću te sutra.
- Ja ću te sutra nazvati.
Does zvati also mean “to be named/called”?
Yes, with the reflexive form zvati se:
- Zovem se Ana. = My name is Ana / I’m called Ana. That’s different from zvati (koga) = call someone (by name/phone).
Is there a more general way to say “I’ll get in touch” instead of specifically “call”?
Very common: Javit ću ti se sutra. (literally “I’ll report myself to you,” meaning “I’ll contact you,” often by phone or message.)
Why do some people write Zvaću te instead of Zvat ću te?
That’s the Serbian orthography, which fuses the auxiliary to the verb when it follows it: zvaću. Standard Croatian writes it separately and drops -i: zvat ću (not zvaću, not zvati ću).
What are the other future forms of htjeti used with infinitives?
- ja ću
- ti ćeš
- on/ona/ono će
- mi ćemo
- vi ćete
- oni/one/ona će
Examples: Sutra će te nazvati. (He/She will call you tomorrow.) Sutra ćemo te nazvati. (We will call you tomorrow.)
What is the present tense of zvati?
It’s irregular: ja zovem, ti zoveš, on/ona zove, mi zovemo, vi zovete, oni zovu.
Example: Sad te zovem. = I’m calling you now.