Learn Hardcore Croatian: Reći ću ti naš plan sutra. - I will tell you our plan tomorrow.

Ću is the unstressed present-tense form of the verb htjeti (to want), used as the future auxiliary. Future I is formed with this auxiliary plus the main verb in the infinitive. So Reći ću = “I will tell.”

Forms of the auxiliary: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će
Example: Sutra ću (ja) reći. / Reći ću sutra.

Why is the auxiliary placed after the verb, as in Reći ću, instead of before it?

Croatian clitics (like ću) prefer the “second position” in a clause. The first stressed chunk here is Reći, so the clitic ću comes right after it: Reći ću. If you start with another word (e.g., Sutra), the clitic follows that: Sutra ću reći…

Can I start a sentence with ću (e.g., Ću reći…)?

No. Clitics can’t start a clause. Give them a host first:

Reći ću ti naš plan sutra.
Ja ću ti reći naš plan sutra.
Sutra ću ti reći naš plan.

Why is it ću ti, not ti ću?

Clitic order is fixed. Relevant pieces come in this order: 1) auxiliary (ću/ćeš/…) → 2) dative pronoun (mi, ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im) → 3) accusative pronoun (me, te, ga, ju/je, nas, vas, ih) So you get ću ti, not ti ću. With an object pronoun too: Reći ću ti ga sutra.

What case is ti, and what does it mean?

Ti here is the dative singular (indirect object) meaning “to you.” It’s the clitic (unstressed) form. The stressed/strong dative form is tebi:

Neutral: Reći ću ti naš plan sutra.
Emphatic: Tebi ću reći naš plan sutra. (Don’t double it as ti tebi in standard Croatian.)

Why is there no word for “to” (as in “to you”)?

Croatian usually expresses “to someone” with the dative case alone, without a preposition. Reći ću ti literally means “I will tell you (dative).”

What case is naš plan, and why isn’t it našeg plana?

It’s the accusative (direct object). With masculine inanimate nouns like plan, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative: plan. The adjective naš agrees in gender/number/case, so naš plan is correct here (not našeg plana, which would be genitive).

Where should sutra go, and does its position change the meaning?

Adverbs like sutra are flexible. All of these are fine:

Sutra ću ti reći naš plan. (very common; “tomorrow” is the topic)
Reći ću ti sutra naš plan.
Reći ću ti naš plan sutra. The core meaning is the same; position just nudges emphasis/focus.

How do I negate this sentence?

Use ne + ću → neću, and keep the clitic placement rules:

Neću ti reći naš plan sutra. You can also front the time or indirect object:
Sutra ti neću reći naš plan.

How do I make it more formal/polite?

Use the formal dative pronoun vam (optionally capitalized Vam in letters/emails):

Reći ću vam/Vam naš plan sutra. The clitic order stays the same: ću vam.

Can I use kazati or govoriti instead of reći?

kazati is a near-synonym of reći: Kazat ću ti naš plan sutra.
govoriti means “to speak/talk (habitually/at length),” so Govorit ću ti naš plan is odd. You’d use govoriti without that direct object: Sutra ću ti govoriti o planu (“talk to you about the plan”).

Can I replace naš plan with a pronoun?

Yes. Plan is masculine singular, so use the accusative clitic ga:

Reći ću ti ga sutra. (order: auxiliary → dative clitic → accusative clitic)

How do you pronounce ću, and what’s the difference between ć and č?

ću is roughly like “tchu” (a soft, palatalized “ch” sound).
ć is a softer sound than č. Think of ć as a “soft ch” and č as a “hard ch.” So ću (soft), but čaj (“tea”) has a harder “ch.”

Why is there a space in reći ću? Should it be reć ću or rećiću?

In standard Croatian, the future auxiliary is written as a separate word. When the auxiliary follows an infinitive ending in -ti, you usually drop the final -i (e.g., radit ću, kazat ću). But with infinitives in -ći (like reći, doći), you keep the -i: reći ću, doći ću. Don’t write reć ću. The one-word form (rećiću) is Serbian, not Croatian.

How do I emphasize “you” in this sentence?

Use the stressed dative pronoun and often front it:

Tebi ću reći naš plan sutra. Avoid doubling with the clitic in standard Croatian (not: Tebi ću ti reći…).

Is ću ti reći ever correct as a chunk?

Yes, but not at the very start of a clause. It’s fine once something precedes it:

Sutra ću ti reći naš plan.
Ako budeš imao vremena, ću ti reći… → Better: Ako budeš imao vremena, reći ću ti… (because the new clause also wants the clitic in second position, typically after the first stressed word).

How would this look with a different subject (e.g., “He/She will tell you…”)?

Use the appropriate auxiliary form:

On/Ona će ti reći naš plan sutra.
Or without the pronoun: Reći će ti naš plan sutra.