Questions & Answers about Počet ćemo raditi kad dođeš.
What tense is Počet ćemo and how is it formed?
It’s the simple future (Futur I). Croatian forms Futur I with:
- the infinitive of the main verb, plus
- the clitic forms of htjeti: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će.
So: početi + ćemo → počet ćemo = we will start.
Why is it počet and not početi here?
When the future clitic (ću/ćeš/će/ćemo/ćete/će) immediately follows the infinitive, the final -i of the infinitive drops:
- Correct: Počet ćemo (not Početi ćemo)
- Correct: Radit ću (not Raditi ću)
- Correct: Vidjet ćeš (not Vidjeti ćeš)
If the clitic does not immediately follow, keep the full infinitive:
- Mi ćemo početi raditi.
- Večeras ćemo početi.
Where does ćemo go in the sentence?
Clitics like ću/ćeš/će/ćemo/ćete/će sit in the “second position” of the clause (after the first stressed word/phrase):
- Počet ćemo raditi...
- Mi ćemo početi raditi... (here the clitic follows Mi)
- Kad dođeš, počet ćemo raditi. They cannot start a sentence by themselves.
Why is it kad dođeš and not kad ćeš doći?
In future time clauses with kad/kada, Croatian uses the present tense (often of a perfective verb):
- Počet ćemo raditi kad dođeš.
Using the future there (kad ćeš doći) is nonstandard in Croatian (though heard regionally). Note: Kad ćeš doći? is correct as a standalone question (“When will you come?”).
What exactly is dođeš?
Can I use kada instead of kad?
Yes. Kad is shorter and very common; kada is a bit more formal/careful. Meaning and grammar are identical:
- Počet ćemo raditi kad/kada dođeš.
Would Kad budeš došao, počet ćemo raditi also be correct?
Yes. That’s Futur II (future perfect) in the time clause: budeš (future of biti) + past participle došao. It’s more formal and emphasizes completion of your arrival before the starting begins. Everyday speech often uses the simpler kad dođeš.
- Masculine: Kad budeš došao, ...
- Feminine: Kad budeš došla, ...
- Formal/plural: Kad budete došli, ...
Can I put the time clause first? Do I need a comma?
Yes. If the kad/kada clause comes first, use a comma:
- Kad dođeš, počet ćemo raditi.
If it comes last, no comma:
- Počet ćemo raditi kad dođeš.
How do I say it politely to one person (formal “you”)?
Use vi-forms:
- Počet ćemo raditi kad dođete. In very formal writing you can capitalize: kad Vi dođete.
How do I make it negative?
Negate the future auxiliary, and for “until,” use dok ne:
- Nećemo početi raditi dok ne dođeš. = We won’t start working until you come.
A plain negation with kad is possible but less natural for this meaning:
- Nećemo početi raditi kad dođeš.
Can I say Mi ćemo početi raditi? What changes?
Yes. Adding mi emphasizes “we.” Because ćemo now attaches to mi, the main verb appears as the full infinitive:
- Mi ćemo početi raditi kad dođeš. (emphasis on “we”)
- Počet ćemo raditi kad dođeš. (neutral)
Why is it raditi and not something like uraditi?
Raditi = “to work” (imperfective, ongoing activity). Uraditi/napraviti = “to do/complete (a task)” (perfective). After početi, you normally use an activity verb:
- početi raditi (start working)
- početi pisati (start writing) Početi uraditi isn’t idiomatic.
Could I use the present Počinjemo raditi kad dođeš?
Yes. Počinjemo (imperfective present) is used for scheduled/near-future plans or habitual statements:
- Scheduled: Počinjemo raditi kad dođeš (sutra u 9).
- Habitual: Počinjemo raditi kad dođeš (every time you arrive, we start). For a one-off future, Počet ćemo is the straightforward choice.
Is započeti a good synonym for početi here?
Often, yes. Two natural options:
- Započet ćemo raditi kad dođeš.
- More idiomatic with a noun: Započet ćemo s radom kad dođeš. Both mean “we will begin/start,” with početi being the default, all-purpose verb.
Why is there a space in Počet ćemo? Is it one word or two?
How do I pronounce č and ć in Počet ćemo?
- č is a hard “ch,” like in English “church.”
- ć is a softer, palatalized sound (close to “ty”). So počet ćemo has a hard č in počet and a soft ć in ćemo.
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