Završit ću poruku poslije doručka.

breakfast

Breakdown of Završit ću poruku poslije doručka.

• poslije: after
• htjeti: will
• poruka: message
• završiti: to finish

Questions & Answers about Završit ću poruku poslije doručka.

What tense is being used here, and how is it formed?

• It’s the Future I (Croatian: futur I).
• Formed with the present of htjeti as short clitics (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će) + an infinitive.
• Here: ću (I will) + završiti/završit (to finish).

Why is it Završit ću, not Završiti ću?

• When the auxiliary clitic (ću, etc.) follows the infinitive, Croatian drops the final -i: završit ću.
• If the auxiliary comes before the verb, the infinitive keeps -i: Ja ću završiti poruku.
• So: Završit ću… vs. Ja ću završiti… are both correct; Završiti ću is not.

Where does ću go in the sentence?

• It’s a clitic and wants “second position” in the clause (after the first stressed word/phrase).
• All of these are fine:
  • Završit ću poruku poslije doručka.
  • Ja ću završiti poruku poslije doručka.
  • Poruku ću završiti poslije doručka.
  • Poslije doručka ću završiti poruku.

Can ću start the sentence (e.g., Ću završiti…)?

No. Clitics cannot start a clause in standard Croatian.

Why is it poruku and not poruka?

• Poruka is a feminine noun. As a direct object it takes the accusative singular -u: poruku.
• Pattern: -a (nominative) → -u (accusative), e.g., knjiga → knjigu, poruka → poruku.

Why is it doručka and not doručak?

• The preposition poslije governs the genitive case.
• Doručak (breakfast) in the genitive singular is doručka.
• So: poslije doručka = after breakfast.

Can I say nakon doručka instead of poslije doručka?

Yes. Nakón also takes the genitive (nakon doručka). Both are common; nakon can feel a bit more formal. Note:

• Croatian standard: poslije (with ije).
• Serbian: posle.
• Non‑standard/typo: poslje (avoid).

What aspect is završiti, and does that matter?

• Završiti is perfective: it presents the action as completed.
• Završit ću poruku implies finishing it (one completed event).
• The imperfective partner is završavati (ongoing/repeated): Završavat ću poruke nakon doručka (I’ll be finishing messages after breakfast, habitually).

Could I use dovršiti instead of završiti?

• Dovršiti also means “to finish/complete,” often with a nuance of “finish the remaining part, finalize.”
• Both are fine here:
  • Završit ću poruku… (I’ll finish the message.)
  • Dovršit ću poruku… (I’ll complete/finalize the message.)
• In everyday speech they often overlap.

Is Poslije doručka završit ću poruku okay?

• You’ll hear it, but the recommended standard keeps the clitic strictly in second position after the first phrase: Poslije doručka ću završiti poruku.
• In casual speech, many speakers accept Poslije doručka završit ću…, but aim for the recommended placement.

How do I pronounce the special letters in this sentence?

• š = “sh” (as in English “shoe”).
• ž = “zh” (as in “meaSure”).
• č = hard “ch” (like in “CHek”).
• ć = a softer “ch,” closer to the Polish “ć”; ću sounds like a softer “choo.”
• So Završit ću ≈ “Završit chu,” with a soft ch.

Why is there no word for “the” (as in “the message”)?

Croatian has no articles. Context supplies definiteness, so poruku can mean “the message” or “a message” depending on context.

How would I say “I’ll finish it” (referring to the message) without repeating poruku?

• Use a clitic pronoun for feminine singular accusative: je or ju.
• Examples:
  • Završit ću ju poslije doručka. (common in Croatian)
  • Završit ću je poslije doručka.
  • With a fronted time phrase: Poslije doručka ću ju/je završiti.
• Both je and ju are used; ju is very common in Croatian.

Why isn’t it written as one word (završiću) like I’ve seen elsewhere?

• The fused future (e.g., završiću) is Serbian orthography.
• Standard Croatian writes it separately with the clitic and often drops the infinitive -i before it: završit ću.